Lining the queue


Photo by Luangmai

Tonight after a work meeting, Naomi and I popped by the Holland Village Cold Storage because our fridge was bordering on empty. Because she was still suffering from the pain of two prolapsed discs in her lower back, we were hoping to make this a quick grocery run, but for some strange managerial reason, the supermarket closes all but one of their checkout counters at about 11pm, which also happens to be one of the busier hours.

There must’ve been 20 people in the queue, and I was more or less resigned to standing in line for a while. But Naomi, fresh from bargaining $10 off the price of our new laser printer yesterday, wouldn’t stand for it (hur hur), and went to ask one of the checkout cashiers very nicely if she could reopen at least one other counter.

Bless that cashier that took one look at the line and agreed to reopen her counter.

Pleased as punch, Naomi came back to my line to tell me, and the rest of the line, that another counter had been reopened. And this is when something really odd happened.

Only myself and two other people abandoned the snaking queue to pay at the new counter. The 17 others remained where they were, perhaps happy and very content with the fact that their queue was now 3 shorter.

Happy that she didn’t have to suffer at the supermarket that long, Naomi later went online to help me with my work, and found out the following bits of information that may constitute a possible explanation to what happened at the supermarket:

Singapore holds the world record for the longest human domino chain;

Singapore holds the world record for the most number of participants in line dancing at 11,967;

Singapore holds the world record for the biggest ever game of pass the parcel;

The world domino topple record was set in Singapore by a woman from China.

Yes. A lot to do with lining up.

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10 responses to “Lining the queue”

  1. ahtiong73 Avatar

    It’s the same with those ATM lines. If there’s 2 machines, do you make one line or two?

    I was once in a line and saw that no one was using the other ATM. Thought it was not working, but it was. Asked the next one in line to go ahead but he won’t budge. So I went from the last in line to the first to finish my ATM business!

    I worry for the Singa-por-lang…

  2. ahtiong73 Avatar

    It’s the same with those ATM lines. If there’s 2 machines, do you make one line or two?

    I was once in a line and saw that no one was using the other ATM. Thought it was not working, but it was. Asked the next one in line to go ahead but he won’t budge. So I went from the last in line to the first to finish my ATM business!

    I worry for the Singa-por-lang…

  3. Wee Giap Avatar

    Queuing is Singaporean’s favourite pass time. We practically queue for everything from condo to doughtnuts, not to mentioned, the ever popular 4D & Toto.

  4. Wee Giap Avatar

    Queuing is Singaporean’s favourite pass time. We practically queue for everything from condo to doughtnuts, not to mentioned, the ever popular 4D & Toto.

  5. Victor Avatar
    Victor

    Queuing up for long hours is really a torture for people who suffered from prolapsed disc. I do understand the pain and torture she is going through as i am one of them too ๐Ÿ™ ! Is really nice of the staff to open up a queue. ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Victor Avatar
    Victor

    Queuing up for long hours is really a torture for people who suffered from prolapsed disc. I do understand the pain and torture she is going through as i am one of them too ๐Ÿ™ ! Is really nice of the staff to open up a queue. ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. S.O Avatar

    It’s the same for Hello Kitty at mac donald’s last time.

    SIngaporeans just like to follow the crowd.

  8. S.O Avatar

    It’s the same for Hello Kitty at mac donald’s last time.

    SIngaporeans just like to follow the crowd.

  9. nadnut Avatar

    little bit of info: didja know that some dominoes were disrupted when the china woman was setting up for the topple?

    cause of disruption? cockroaches. lol!

  10. nadnut Avatar

    little bit of info: didja know that some dominoes were disrupted when the china woman was setting up for the topple?

    cause of disruption? cockroaches. lol!

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