A single line to 3 cashiers is ~3x faster than a separate line for each cashier
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Re: A single line to 3 cashiers is ~3x faster than a separate line for each cashier
#2So at least there's one thing that most big banks get right.
Re: A single line to 3 cashiers is ~3x faster than a separate line for each cashier
#3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little%27s_law
The author writes about a Little's Law
Re: A single line to 3 cashiers is ~3x faster than a separate line for each cashier
#4An excellent video on the phenomenon from the "Engineer Guy" series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Ri_HhziI0
And just in case you feel like killing about 20 minutes of your day, check out the rest of his videos. They are excellent.
Re: A single line to 3 cashiers is ~3x faster than a separate line for each cashier
#5[deleted]
Re: A single line to 3 cashiers is ~3x faster than a separate line for each cashier
#6So at least there's one thing that most big banks get right.
Chapters also does this (here in Canada anyway).
Re: A single line to 3 cashiers is ~3x faster than a separate line for each cashier
#7Re: A single line to 3 cashiers is ~3x faster than a separate line for each cashier
#8Wouldn't it be 3x the velocity, but the line is 3x longer, so your total wait time is the same? The article is mainly saying that people like moving faster, but is that really a phenomenon?
Re: A single line to 3 cashiers is ~3x faster than a separate line for each cashier
#9Most of the grocery stores in my area have installed self-checkout systems that are especially great if you just have a handful of items that all have UPCs (no produce or bagged bulk), don't have any items requiring an age check and possess at least the intelligence of a fifth grader.
I mention this not just because it's relevant to the idea of waiting in line at a store, but because in every store where I've seen these systems installed, the entire bank of scanners has a single line, unlike the rest of the store. I imagine it's mostly because they place the self-check scanners so close together (because they can) that it doesn't make sense to try to form multiple lines, whereas a single queue system for the real checkers would take up a huge amount of space.
Re: A single line to 3 cashiers is ~3x faster than a separate line for each cashier
#10Wouldn't it be 3x the velocity, but the line is 3x longer, so your total wait time is the same? The article is mainly saying that people like moving faster, but is that really a phenomenon?
No, because the cashiers handling smaller transactions finish quicker and can process more people. If you're stuck behind a guy which takes 2 minutes to check out, people in other lanes will be in their cars before you even begin checking out.