1 Line or Many Lines

HBR reports that when a line to purchase something is 10 to 15 people long, purchases decrease by 10%, the takeaway being: more lines are better than one long line. Beef: Multiple lines are STRESSFUL. Long snaky lines can be intimidating, but there is a calm about them; there’s nothing to be done but to join in and the pleasant surprise is that they never take as long as you think. But multiple lines are the stress. They require choosing a line, very difficult, paralyzing almost — you have to size up the amount of items in various bags, gut-check how fast they’re moving, check out the cashier to see if she’s a slow mover. So much to think about! And then once you’ve finally choose one, you stand there looking at all the other lines to see if you chose the wrong line and then wondering if you should switch lines. Team 1 long line.

Support The Billfold

The Billfold continues to exist thanks to support from our readers. Help us continue to do our work by making a monthly pledge on Patreon or a one-time-only contribution through PayPal.