Why do Porteños like queueing so much?

[kavanap]

Although I've only arrived in Bs As recently I've noticed that the locals just love to queue. Even when there is a short queue, in the supermarket for example, they prefer to stay in the longer queue. Some even come equipped with radios and mini tvs to entertain themselves in anticipation of the long queue. Its almost seems like they enjoy it?

 

[scotttswan]

What gets me is the supermarkets have so many counters yet they have a grand total of 2-3 open.

In the uk if there is a que larger than 4-5 they get someone to open another till. I've seen queues here that snake round more than half the store preventing customers from actually navigating the place!

 

[gpop]

Lines and rubber stamps here.

You wait in a line to get someone to stamp something then they send you to another line to get another stamp, and so on.

That pretty much describes migraciones or getting your DNI.

 

[scotttswan]

Lines and rubber stamps here.

You wait in a line to get someone to stamp something then they send you to another line to get another stamp, and so on.

That pretty much describes migraciones or getting your DNI.

Thats not just an Argy thing. Was in a uruguayan shop recently. You queue up at the till to pay, then you have to queue up again with your receipt to collect your item.

These two queue's are beside each other...

 

[tangobob]

And whats with these paper number things? We went into a cosmetics shop, the guy at the door gave us a number.
Of course by the time our number was up my wife was still deciding what she wanted. We had a very impatient dependiente tapping her foot while we decided what we wanted.
In an empty confiteria the girl would not serve us because we did not have a number.
It has been said we British like to queue, rank amateurs compared to the Argies. Like football and Cricket we taught the world, now they all do it better than us.

 

[TheBigDaddy]

Thats not just an Argy thing. Was in a uruguayan shop recently. You queue up at the till to pay, then you have to queue up again with your receipt to collect your item.

These two queue's are beside each other...

There are places that top that with 3 queues- You line up to get the slip of paper saying how much you have to pay. Then you line up to pay. Then you join another line to get your item. Three queues

I love argentina but the way they can just stand around all day in queues and seemingly think nothing of it just strikes me as a total mental sickness, its unfathomable

 

[trennod]

I think the slip of paper with multiple queues (for products and payments) just ensures segregation of duties, can understand that although its something extremely uncommon in western shops these days (guess it comes down to the trust here).

I guess the reason they dont open up more tills at the supermarket is because they dont have more staff on to man them? Cost saving thing.

For me, peak hour at the supermarket takes the cake. People still prefer to go during peak hour (even though they are open pretty much 24/7) whereas at other times there is literally no one in there (for eg during the day on weekends). Understand peak hour suits a lot of people but with those lines for me just dont have the patience!

 

[gpop]

I'd be willing to bet that there are people who see a line and think "hey, these people must be waiting for something good, I'd better get in line quick".

 

[Crema Americana]

Lines and rubber stamps here.

You wait in a line to get someone to stamp something then they send you to another line to get another stamp, and so on.

That pretty much describes migraciones or getting your DNI.

LOL Yea, you have to love those double lines.

Efficiency and speediness are not Argentina's strong suits.

 

[nativexpat]

Not only do they love lines, they also love to invade your space while doing so. They need to have their carts or bodies almost touching you.