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The Express Lane's a Myth

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 25, 2009 2:12 PM CDT

(Newser) – Which is faster: the express lane with more customers, or the standard lane with fewer? It’s a conundrum we’ve all faced, and there are too many variables to give a definitive answer. But math teacher and blogger Dan Meyer broke down data from a 6-hour shift, added his own observations, and concluded that in general, the express line is usually slower.

Each person you add to a line tacks on 48 seconds to the wait, before you even address the items in each cart. Each item tacks on 2.8 seconds. So, you’d rather add 17 extra items in front of you than a single extra person. Seems counterintuitive, right? Ryan Sager at True/Slant theorizes that we tend to fall back on a cognitive bias, equating the length of a line with the length of the wait.

Shoppers go through the checkout lines inside a Kroger's store in this April 4, 2007 file photo, in Loveland, Ohio.
Shoppers go through the checkout lines inside a Kroger's store in this April 4, 2007 file photo, in Loveland, Ohio.   (AP Photo/David Kohl, file)
In this Aug. 25, 2008 file photo, Kris Loew, left, talks with a grocery clerk as she checks out at a market in Palo Alto, Calif. Just exchanging pleasantries takes up time at the register.
In this Aug. 25, 2008 file photo, Kris Loew, left, talks with a grocery clerk as she checks out at a market in Palo Alto, Calif. Just exchanging pleasantries takes up time at the register.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, file)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 16 comments
Jes
Sep 29, 2009 2:59 AM CDT
You are right about the customer's payment holding up the line and the iph logged, but I work after school at Aldi and my average is 600, which is about par for all the employees.
Jes
Sep 29, 2009 2:56 AM CDT
It's not the cashiers that are slow, Bubble. Think back to all those old people that say "Wait! I've 67 cents!" and dig out their coin pure with a shaking paw, muddle through their change, decide they don't have it, slowly put the coin pure up, slowly pull out their billfold, slowly flip through the bills till they find a single and shakingly hand it over. THAT'S what makes an average of 48 seconds for payment.
OWLWOMANXXXX
Sep 27, 2009 4:53 AM CDT
average item per hour scanned is around 350....yes, cashiers have their iph logged....the wait occurs when a customer is slow producing the cash or card....and time taken upfor putting the bagged merchandise back into the cart......plus there could be lanes not in use that the customer has missed

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