As everyone who ever shopped at Trader Joe's knows, there's a minimum of 10 minute wait in the line at registers that is included in the price of everything. Something like this: the total price of Trader Joe's experience = saving money minus losing time. Never ever I did not wait at the Trader Joe's. Many many times I returned what I wanted to buy at the sight of the waiting line.
Aside of many insights that can be made about irrationality of human behavior, and aside of the question of how people calculate value (for some it's totally worth it to wait in line for a $2 dollar discount on salad), I thought about something else. That is, while waiting in line and having nothing else to think about but the act of waiting itself. It's worth mentioning here that I have already repeatedly, and without much success, thought about the cause of the lines at Trader Joe's that often go through the whole store and end up at the flowers section, which is usually the one at the entrance. Haven't figured it out. I mean, with CVS and Duane Reade is easy = there's always 1 person working at the registers (yes, they have multiple registers, but for some reason they love to use only one). Thinking about lines in Whole Foods is also easy = too many people. Airport security & passport control = the process requires thoroughness & full attention for each person. Banks = tellers are clueless so everything takes slightly longer. Starbucks = a person who ordered double chai latte with skim milk, sugar free syrup, and a shot of espresso. But Trader Joe's? Beats me.
Some time ago I read Don Norman's article called "Download Norman The Psychology of Waiting Lines" and alto it's considerably zzzzzz, and I am not sure about the exact insights it conveys, I was glad that at least someone tackled the subject. Altho this is not included in the article, I started thinking about when waiting lines are beneficia = when they add value to experience, rather than subtract it. Velvet ropes are obvious examples, but so is waiting for a site to get out of "beta version" (that only a selected few can see). I guess the latter makes sense only if you are in line for site's services. Some people hate when things come too easy for them, so sometimes creating an artificial cue (for anything) can be a good promo tactic. But only, Norman says, if you pay attention to them while they are waiting. That's why they put all those magazines and chocolate bars and other stuff to distract you while you wait. John Watson, the founder of behaviorism, figured out this tiny thingy some 70 years ago. Not much happened since. Anyway, I think that waiting lines are a lovely unexplored area of human behavior.
Bonus trivia: when I moved to NYC, I had to learn not to cut lines and ignore others. Where I come from, it's part of the culture. If you wait patiently, you are regarded as a total loser. And pitied a little bit.
