serpentine queue

hugovk commented on the word serpentine queue

serpentine queue, n.

The Guardian, 19 February 2017:

The “serpentine queue”, as it is known, solves this problem by making everybody wait in one long line that snakes through a maze of barriers. On reaching the front, you are called to whichever cashier is free next, thus sharing the effect of the mortgage applicant evenly between all customers and ensuring everybody gets served in the order they arrive. Crucially, although they are long, serpentine queues move quickly, which is better for morale. “People get a sense of progress,” Furnham says. Encouragingly, serpentine queues now sometimes form spontaneously, for instance in front of a bank of cash machines.

January 5, 2018