Lately, I've noticed an increase in people thinking that a line is an abstract thing or an idea rather than it's firm existence. Apparently, seeing a friend in line gives you the automatic right to take the products that your are going to purchase and cut in front of twenty people to talk to them and purchase your things while you're at it.

I was standing in the bookstore line up at school and as usual, the line was getting to be pretty long. It wasn't horribly long. I picked out the materials that I needed and hopped into a line that was about 6 people long when I got there. I guess the two people in front of me were in a class together since they had the same materials as each other. More of their classmates came in and got the same materials. At this point the line was continuing behind me and there were about 10 or so people in line. These 2 people from that same class got their things and proceeded to get in line, but they didn't get into the back of the line as logic would suggest. Instead they tried to play it smooth and subtle by starting to chat with the two folks in front of me. The line moved and they moved forward as well, slowly integrating themselves in the line. I had it. I've been waiting in line for 10 minutes already and there were issues up at the front as well so the line was slow moving. I notified them that there was a line and that everyone here has classes to get to just as well as they do. They responded that they were in line. I said "yes, but I just saw you come from the other side of the store and instead of going to the back of the line, both of you decided that you could go in front of everyone else. This is not fair to the people already waiting". I am surprised how offended they looked from my response. I don't understand how such a simple concept seems to alienate people so. The same thing happened not 10 minutes later when I was in the Tim Horton's line up. There were only two people in front of me and suddenly there were four.

This doesn't seem to happen as little as I had thought. It seems to be a reoccurring theme this year. I've been at the college for 4 years prior, this being the 5th and there seems to have been a significant jump in line cutting this year. So it you're reading this and you're one of those people who thinks there's nothing wrong with cutting in line once in a while, please stop to think about the people you're cutting in front of. They have classes to go to, trains and buses to catch and places to be just as much and sometimes even more than you do.

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