We queue all the time: at traffic lights, in shops and surgeries, and government offices. Airlines, banks, and shops know how upset the modern consumer can become if asked to queue for even a short time. And now we queue online, being told we are nth in a queue and that the organisation values your custom – but not enough to employ more staff to reduce the queue.
Most of us have witnessed “queue rage”, which is physical and verbal abuse as a function of sometimes rather minor delays. It can get quite nasty, particularly if fuelled by drink.
People now tweet their frustration. There are occasional revolts of otherwise well-behaved, mild-mannered people, who have simply “had enough”. They shout, they sing, they rush the barricades to humiliate their tormentors.…
You're reading a preview of
The European Business Review (Digital) - 1 Issue, January/February 2025