Waiting in line is definitely enervating and, in my view, almost everyone complains about it. Although people now can avoid standing in queues because of disparate online options available, certain chores still demand us to wait in a line. There are long queues at crowded places like the airports, railway station, malls, and supermarkets.
Due to Covid 19, the initial days of lockdown affected the timings of functioning of supermarkets. I went for grocery shopping to a local supermarket in May last year when corona virus was peaking. There were many people there after exhausting their rations, so I had to wait in line for more than an hour to get my items billed. The queue stretched around the store and outside of it which seemed never ending. The neighbourhood people agreed to only go out for anything only when it is much needed. We did not consider our rations and concurrently used them up almost at the same time. Since no one would agree to wait another day or two, we all showed up at the store early to get the things we needed. Given the large crowd, we were all bound to wait our turn in a queue that appeared to be as long as the street.
Just looking at the line made me feel tired and scared of possible contraction of the virus. Anyway, I had to get the groceries home as there were five people waiting for me to get back with a bunch of things tagged. I was drained by the time I got home as I spent about three hours at the store to shop and get my items billed.
Vocabulary:
- Enervating – tiring
- Disparate – different
- Exhausting – use up completely
- Concurrently – simultaneously
- Contraction – the state of being contracted
Part 3 Follow Up - Questions & Answers
1. What do people like to do while waiting in line?
People do a variety of things while waiting in line. They listen to music, talk to their friends on a phone, play games and strike conversation with others in line. Some people verify if they have brought the required things with them while in queue and some others simply wait.
2. Do people in your country often wait in the queue?
Yes, people in my country are often seen waiting in line. Many people use government payment stations to pay monthly electricity, house and water bills where they have to wait in a queue for a long time. Some also wait in line airports and railway stations to undergo routine checks and baggage deposition or collection.
3. Do you think technology development has reduced the time people have to wait in queues?
The rapid technological advancement has significantly decreased wait time of people that usually made them stand in queues to pay their bills. Online payment options enabled everyone to pay their electricity, house and mobile bills from the comfort of their home. In recent times, people do not use cash majorly but rely on online payment transactions as part of their daily spends.
4. What do you think of people who cut in line or jump the queue?
Well, when people are in a hurry or when they do not want to wait for some time, they cut in line making others uncomfortable and annoyed. It is not okay to jump the queue when others have been waiting for their turn. People need to have more patience to get their work done and need to find a means of pastime while they are waiting.
5. How can companies improve their customer service?
Companies and industries need to maintain their waiting area with water dispensers and better seating arrangements. They could also opt for token mode where they can assign numbered tokens to each individual so they can take care of other works while they wait for their turn.
