Why the other line is likely to move faster
by on Saturday, May 14th, 2011 | 25 Comments
Bill reveals how “queueing theory” – developed by engineers to route phone calls – can be used to find the most efficient arrangement of cashiers and check out lines. He reports on the work of Agner Erlang, a Danish engineer who, at the opening of the 20th century, helped the Copenhagen Telephone Company provide the best level of service at the lowest price.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
You’re a cool dude, Engineer Guy.
@engineerguyvideo engineer to vet? Now that’s just showing off
shout out from UIUC! i’m a student finishing my masters in mechanical engineering, getting my MBA fall 2011.
Good stuff!
@MrRichy96 But if some1 causes delay in your line, you will be stucked. With the help of the one line thing, your line will only go slower, but it won’t stop unless all 3 cashiers get stucked.
I can’t simply understand 1 thing: If there is 1 line and you are 6th, you have to wait for 5 people to pass before you, but when it is normal, you have to wait for no more than2 people …
I wish you were my professor.
There are only 2 places I know of that do this, Fry’s and Borders. I can’t think of any other places in my area that do this. And I admit, it’s awkward standing there with a crap ton of people, but the experience is never boring.
‘denmark FTW !
The other issue with Super Market checkouts is that people speed up the whole process by putting their stuff on the belt before the previous customer is done. If you stop that, everyone loses.
This introduces a whole set of variables too complex to discuss here. Sufficient to say that I wouldn’t want to be directed to load up behind someone doing 3 months worth of shopping. I want to be behind the guy buying one can of beans for cash.
Actually, Post Offices and Banks use the single queue method and people don’t have a psychological problems with it at all.
But checkouts are over such a big distance (because they have to account for trolleys etc) that time for the walk to the furthest checkouts from the queue becomes too great. Also, getting the attention the next customer to be served and sending them to the right place becomes a problem.
Neither are insurmountable problems but maybe not worth the effort to solve
Very enlightening video. There is another way to circumvent long lines: BAN THE USE OF CHECKS.
TJ Max does this and it works out quite well….=D at least mine does
I would say that our current way is better. The split line forces you to focus on your surroundings constantly. The line is always shifting. Whereas the 2 person clogged line only requires occasional attention. Furthermore, there is only one or two people behind you, which is more comforting than a flock of people waiting for you to rush to the nearest available cashier.
i normally go by the checker and if i am buying beer or not. i do the two line approach when there is maybe one or two people in line. so i can go in the fastest line between the two. Also I look at how quickly they are putting stuff on the belt and what stuff they are buying. since you can tell if its going to take a long time by what they are buying. The reason I go by age of the checker is if they need to call someone if they are buying beer or something like that.
nice uiuc!
engineer guy.
thats why they invented the express lane.. ;
cause if im buying 2 items. i dont want to stuck behind a mom with 4kids.
I can’t believe we put so much thought into studying ‘queues’….I feel like one of those wasteful consumerists you see in statistics by psychologists…
Fry’s Electronics does the Combined Queue Line. I, personally, like it
I was wondering if you could possibly raise the volume of the phone ringing, I could barely hear it. Thanks
@nullr1 Indeed it is but I said “52 degrees 35.022N and 2 degree 11.642W” …..!
it bothers me that he says ‘line’
I get to cheat when I go to my local grocery store. Held a part time job there for a while so I know who the fast cashiers are and who the slow ones are.
So my probability of moving quickly through the line is a LOT higher, although there’s still the chance that the customer in front of me could be an idiot!
huhu I feel so smart now
ugh i learned nothing
i dont get it