December 29, 2010
Why the other line moves faster
(Via Progressive Review.)
I am a theoretical physicist and currently Director of UCITE (University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education) at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. I am the author of three books: God vs. Darwin: The War Between Evolution and Creationism in the Classroom (2009), The Achievement Gap in US education: Canaries in the Mine (2005), and Quest for Truth: Scientific Progress and Religious Beliefs (2000). Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are my personal ones and are not those of UCITE or Case Western Reserve University. If you wish, you can send me an email by clicking here.
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Comments
Shalom Mano,
Some stores have adopted the bank teller model of queuing and people are gradually accepting (perhaps because banks almost universally use the method) the more rational approach.
As to Hammack's three-register model, it is also true that 2/3 of the time, the person in the "B" line will not be in the slowest line -- BAC, BCA, ABC and CBA -- which might contribute to the illusion the traditional model is quicker than the bank teller model.
B'shalom,
Jeff
Jeff,
I think big grocery stores in which most people use shopping carts may no choice than the present inefficient system. I don't think that it would be possible to have a long snaking line of carts, unless you allocate a lot more space.