What Is The Most Efficient Checkout Line?

By Ben Popken December 22, 2010

This quick video shows how the research by a 19th century German telephone engineer gave us the best checkout line system. As popularized by banks and Whole Foods, that’s the one where one line feeds all the checkout counters instead of people queuing for individual registers. It also goes into why the other lane always seems to be moving faster. It’s not just your perception; in a strange paradox, it is just mathematically more likely that the line you are in is more likely to be moving slower than the others.

(Thanks to Jared!)

Tagged With: , , , , ,
«
»

Comments

  1. stevied says:
    December 23, 2010 at 12:57 am

    My bank has the combined que.

    I love it when the branch manager spots me standing in a long line and pulls me out ahead of all the other people.

    Makes me feel like Madonna.

  2. zegron says:
    December 23, 2010 at 8:14 am

    Khols and JcPenny, & Best Buy stores that I’ve been to do this. I’ve never waited a really long time like in some other stores.

  3. proscriptus says:
    December 23, 2010 at 9:50 am

    My local Hannaford supermarket built in a single-line checkout system in their recent refurbishment. Not only that, but the head of the queue has an employee acting as a king of concierge. “Register three is moving fast…the 15-or-less lane is empty, you can take your cart there.” Pretty cool.

« Older Comments