I've never been behind more than one person at my new supermarket, even though most nights when I go there's only one or two cashiers. But at peak times in DC, even with every lane open, I spent a lot of time wondering whether I was better off behind someone with a full cart or 5 people each carrying a six-pack, toothpaste, and mustard. Dan Meyer, high school math teacher and savior to anyone who hates to feel like a sucker watching the unchosen line move faster, weighed in.
“The express lane isn’t faster. . . . You attract more people holding fewer total items, but as the data shows above, when you add one person to the line, you’re adding 48 extra seconds to the line length...Meanwhile, an extra item only costs you an extra 2.8 seconds. Therefore, you’d rather add 17 more items to the line than one extra person!"
My question for Mr. Meyer is how self-checkout holds up.
Economix: Which Grocery Line is Faster?
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