Line Cutters - Ever See Them?

Cultural or not, it is bad behavior, universally unacceptable and a huge annoyance to order-abiding residents of these countries.

Humor break: http://youtu.be/SxqwXNfYmOQ

And your point is?

IMO....entertaining and clever, I love an early morning laugh since I wake up so grumpy.....Claudia, were you offended?

There's a great article in the NYT about this very thing. It's called "Want to Save Civilization? Get in Line". And yes I've seen line cutting just about everywhere I've traveled overseas - doesn't matter if it was Mexico, Turkey, Italy, or anywhere else (don't remember seeing in it Austria but who knows...). I've also seen it plenty in the US although cultural norms tend to shun it more vigorously (but it happens everytime there's a narrow merge lane and people think they can get away with it) http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/magazine/want-to-save-civilization-get-in-line.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Claudia, are you a line cutter? James, I should have said Americans and Brits seem to know how to queue better than French, Italians and Germans...IMO and in my experience of 15-20 trips abroad to Europe. No, I'm not an expert. But it's something I've observed a lot and it's something that I've not ever seen called out so blatantly until my current trip. It's a topic people should be aware of. When the little ladies attempt to mow us down now at least I can have a good laugh about it instead of getting mad ;-)

"BTW, I think you give Americans and Brits too much credit on queueing. Selfishness is a worldwide character trait." The worst abuse of this I've ever seen was two years ago at Disney World. OK, it wasn't technically line cutting, because they were meeting the letter of the rules, if not the spirit. Disney has what would otherwise be an admirable policy- disabled patrons and members of their party go to the front of the line for every attraction that can accomodate them. Unfortunately... a not insignificant percentage of the disabled guests only apparent handicap was an inability to control their own food intake. I would routinely see anywhere from 2-10 not-exactly-petite-sized guests following someone in a mobility scooter to the front of the line. PS- before I get flamed, how do I know that obesity-impaired-mobility was often the only disability? Because you can see them change from the scooter to the ride under their own power.

The worst case I saw was going from the second floor of the Eiffel tower to the third. A family of six worked their way through the line very efficiently. They sent their kids first. The kids worked their way slowly through the cue and the parents followed. They made their way up in what we figured was half the time. The Brits behind me were both unimpressed and amazed at the same time. Our consensus was they must be in a bigger hurry than us-we were, after all, up the Eiffel tower and in no rush to get anywhere. I was impressed by their audacity, but am also one who always waits my turn. Also, I'm not sure what to think of the Disney policy. There are those who legit need it, and others that the jury is out on. I read a story recently about disabled individuals being hired as guides. They charge a lot, but as a selling point take their guests through the disabled line. I'm sure Disney will be re-evaluating and tightening up their policy soon in light of this news.

My point? About the little video? IT'S A JOKE! It was created by an Italian! In his description on YouTube he wrote, "I am Italian and I admit that many of these things are true." In St. Peter's Basilica we were packed in like sardines at one point and several young women from an island nation in the North Pacific were just behind us really pushing and shoving us forward - I mean hands-on pushing. We glared at them several times but they just kept right on pushing. Finally, we told them quite forcefully to stop. They looked at us with bewilderment, as though they didn't have a clue that what they were doing was wrong. I suppose when people get shoved into their subway with poles, they come to think it's OK to push and shove elsewhere as well. The line cutting that infuriates me occurs on multi-lane U.S. freeways - when a long queue of cars has been going along nicely and then some vehicles pass on the sides and cut in in front just at the last minute before a transition. The people who do that probably don't cut regular people lines, but somehow they think it's OK to do it from inside the protection of a vehicle.

Excellent NY Times article. Thanks, Agnes. I'm sure the flames will lick at my feet for saying it, but isn't booking in advance and buying passes that allow one to avoid the line a form of line cutting - as described in the article? We all do it; it's considered smart and savvy to maximize one's travel time, and Rick has been encouraging it for years. But it devolves into a power play and a form of line cutting when we snicker at the 'poor suckers' who are standing in a huge line because they either didn't know they could evade it or they didn't plan ahead. When many more travelers savvy up, the 'Passes' line will be just as long as the regular line. Then they will start charging extra for 'VIP' entry.

I don't ahve to worry about line cutters because nobody cuts in front of my wife, nor pushes her from behind.

Loved the video on the European Union (North) vs Italy. Interesting to see that a number of Italians didn't find it as funny. : ) I've had a bad knew for the last year. It's a real pain in more ways than I ever imagined. Last year I did a trip to England for business and thought I could go caneless. Whew, what a big mistake. By the last day I was hobbling. The cart guy at Heathrow, just took one look and stopped and said hop on and from then on I was on the people with disabilities express so to speak from London to NYC. The most embarrassing moment was when the redcap wheeled me directly to the front of the taxi line at JFK. When you think about it, you can understand. The redcap doesn't want to stand in line with you, and you need his or her wheel chair. So, it's the front of the line for you despite the glaring looks. Pam

Offended? No. Line cutter? No. Bored? Yes.

Claudia's just bored because that video pops up here every 6 months or so...but it's still a goodie. Problem is - they use that exact same video for France, GB, the Netherlands, Germany. They just change the flag colors. But it doesn't work for those other countries - it is soooo Italian ;-) Ah yes, The Line Cutters. LOVE that casual, nonchalant, looking-at-the-ceiling/floor way of slowing working themselves into the line, as if they're with the person get slip behind... But not if they're near me and I see them first. It IS interesting to watch, though - the great ones are true masters at their craft; it's as if they actually earned their place in line to great applause. Yeah, I've seen things get pretty testy :-) There can be a cultural aspect in this, but when nobody else is doing it...then maybe don't do it yourself? When I was in Seoul I learned quick-like to do some pushing; actually, the same goes for the Paris metro ;-). And the elderly pushing back? Love it. What I DON'T love are the punks (aged 15-62) that do the pushing and shoving TOWARDS the elderly...Not Cool. That provokes lots of shoving back. Tim, I too love the shocked, hurt looks on their faces, too. Academy Award!!! The lesser ones merely slink away...biding their time...Like most 'criminal types' that work waaaay harder at crime than a law-abiding life would ever require, if they'd just get in line, they'd be done more quickly than trying to break in.

I agree that using rich man's pockets to buy special non-tour tours to get up the Eye-full tower faster than the next guy, or rich man's pockets to go before or after normal hours to go up to the Stonehenge stones instead of standing behind the fence like everybody else, and using rich man's pockets to hire the non-tour "guides" to skip the line at the Musei Vaticano - are all much the same thing as cutting the line. Instead of pushing in part way down the queue, they go right to the front and everybody else waits. How about the queues at Versailles? Any chance that if everybody waited their turns the slow line would be a lot faster instead of crawling along whenever that wasn't a rich man's pockets that wanted to go first? Gets my goat...

Americans don't line cut? Clearly, you've never visited Six FLags Great Adventure! My husband and I go a few times a summer and we get cut every single time. And it's not just teenagers. We almost got into an altercation with a woman who was "meeting friends at the front of the line" and freaked out when we wouldn't let her push past us. We finally decided to go less and buy the skip the line passes because we can't take it any more.

Seat-Savers are the equivalent. One of my pet peeves is to arrive early for anything with open seating and find that all the best seats have already been "saved." I know how it works: one person goes very early to a performance; friends who will arrive later ask to have seats saved for them so they can arrive just before curtain time and sit in the best seats. Ack!

"Americans don't line cut? Clearly, you've never visited Six FLags Great Adventure" ha ha - no I don't go to 6 Flags. I don't think I said Americans don't cut lines, because I'm sure they do.

Well, the Americans at Six Flags don't know how to queue either. Nor do the people in the NYC subway system who are waiting to use the metro card machines... nor do the people in Whole Foods even though Whole Foods very specifically tells them how to queue. The British (from what I have seen) seem to know that when you are waiting for more than one register, one line is the most efficient thing. I've very rarely seen that in the US, at least in my part of the US.

I think there are plenty of 'me first' people no matter where you travel in the world. I now have become bold/rude/smart/old ? enough to not let them do it to me. It's stunning to me how people can do that. As far as the Disney thing, they are supposed to limit the number of family members that can go in with someone who is handicapped, but probably bend the rules. But, in some cultures, the 'personal space' thing really does drive me crazy. I was in Guatemala a few months ago at the market in Chichi and we were literally packed like sardines... the only way I could keep track of my grandson is that we were both about a foot taller than most of the Guatemalan people:) Could not wait to get out of that crowd.

Europeans don't know what getting in line is, period. Not everything has to be done the American way for the world to function, really! I hear people say the apartment or hotel is so small in Europe, again to American standards.
Travel should be a cultural experience. If you want everything to be like home, don't travel, stay home!!

"The guy in front of me makes a big scene and doesn't let the cutter in. The appalled look on the cutter's face is strange...as if we're being mean to him. He's obviously done this before. I don't let him in front of me either and again, he is appalled. But eventually someone down the line allows him in front." I am absolutely not going to do specifics here, but while some of these peeps may be psychopaths...many more are just 'working it'. Line cutting, closing up shop early (never mind what the sign on their shop says), hopping onto the bus/train without paying the fare 'just because' (and not because they can't afford it), sitting in your assigned/reserved train/airline seat because they like it better than the one they actually bought, giving you the 'slow count' just to see if they can make a few bucks off of you (and they truly believe it's your own fault if you let them get by with it, and NOT AT ALL their fault for thieving...Cue the appalled look on their face when they're caught cheating...). In my experience most Europeans can queue up just fine...

Eileen, I do agree with you...it's plain and simple, on one hand, people doing whatever they think they can get away with. On the other hand, it's a serious breakdown in civilized society when that becomes the norm.

I think one of the worst situations I've ever seen were the mobs of tourists in front of Versailles. Totally no control or organization which is a line-cutter's dream, I guess ;-)

Fun with line cutters :-)

I go to Europe every summer and while there take a RS tour. I have taken 10 of them and leave for #11 tomorrow. One of the big advantages of taking his tours is that we have never stood in a line, we either go in a "back door" or have a reservation time, thank goodness. I do not like standing in lines or being stuck in a line of cars and I do not let anyone crowd in front of me if not on one of RS tours. Drivers here in Seattle on the freeway (I-5) seem to think that if they turn on their blinker they can cut in front of you. That does not work with me as I live in Hawaii most of the year and there line cutters can get in real problems.
Am I uncivilized? Well, if their parents did not teach them proper behavior, I can try to.

Charlie, Seattle cars come with blinkers?!? I wish most of the cars around here had some, but apparently...they don't (gggrrrrr!!!)

We were in line at Notre Dame in Paris last summer and a German tour guide forced her entire group of about 30 right into the line in front of us - power in numbers! They just ignored everyone.

Tour groups are the worst line cutters of all! If you have ever stood examining a painting in a museum and had a loud-talking tour guide push through in front of you with 20 or more chattering gawkers in tow, you will know what I mean. RS tours may be the exception; not having witnessed one in action, I don't know. But tour groups can definitely spoil the experience for others.

We were in line at Notre Dame in Paris last summer and a German tour guide forced her entire group of about 30 right into the line in front of us - power in numbers! They just ignored everyone. Tour groups are permitted to do that at most sites. I'm not saying it's right, but it's common practice.

That happened to me with a tour group at the Louvre! The guide actually put her hand in front of me and blocked me from going forward as she let her group of line cutters walk before me! I was so mad and I would've walked past her but my young adult kids held me back. They didn't want their mom embarrassing them! I can see that they may have a "right" to do so and this may be appropriate if there's a separate line for them, but if there's only one line and the line wasn't astronomically long, they should just fall in. I was at the security line at the Carousel entrance.

I have only taken one RS tour but we were definitely not rudely behaved and tour guide promoted polite treatment of other tourists.

The guide actually put her hand in front of me and blocked me from going forward as she let her group of line cutters walk before me. That is just SO not on! Infuriating! I recall that we, as part of a tour group, did enter by a separate line, but it was years ago so my memory is a bit fuzzy. I could see if it was a uniformed Louvre attendant assisting a group to go through, in the interest of traffic control, but it doesn't sound like that's what was going down.

So, let me see if I understood this correctly. Over on the Graffiti Wall, there are lots of posts praising one tour company after another for their ability to get you into the Vatican or the Colosseum without needing to stand in line. So, are those line cutters, or is it as Nigel says, those who have money are able to cut in line "officially" and those of us without so much cash get to wait? Aren't guide books filled with tips about how to skip the lines, how to sneak in so you don't have to wait with the rest of the crowd? Why is it ok for those people and not for everybody? I am also interested in knowing more about those pushy line cutters from a Northern Pacific Island, that Rose mentioned. Would this be the Aleutian Islands? How can you tell?