Hate spending time in supermarket queues? Here’s how to make sure your shop is speedy
Standing behind baskets might not be the nifty trick you think it is
DOING the weekly food shop is boring enough, but getting stuck in a mammoth queue brings a whole other world of pain.
There's an easy way to make sure things go as quickly as possible though, and it's probably not what you expect.
According to an expert, it's best to whizz past the basket line and head straight for the space behind someone with a trolley.
Most of us would do the reverse, presuming those who are buying less will get the whole ordeal sorted a lot sooner.
But Dan Meyer, chief academic officer at a company which makes digital maths tools called Desmos, explained that's not the case.
"Every person requires a fixed amount of time to say hello, pay, say goodbye and clear out of the lane," he told .
Apparently that takes most people about 41 seconds.
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Scanning items takes around three seconds each time, so going for a crammed queue where people don't have that much stuff might actually add to your wait time.
You should also check out what's in the trolley or basket, because that can speed things up or slow them down.
Loads of the same item is a winner because cashiers will usually only scan one but tell the till to charge for multiples. That's obviously quicker than having to scan lots of different items.
That's not the only supermarket tip either - it's also a good idea to head to a left-hand queue if you can. Most people go to the right, so you will probably find it's shorter.
Also skip tills where the cashier can't see the full queue. They usually go slower because the worker has no idea of the impact they're having.
