We are a nation of queuers – obsessive queuers at that. In fact it can sometime feel as if modern English life consists of a lifetime of queues. We probably queue for something every day. We queue for the supermarket, the bank, in our cars, for the WC, the office kettle, in airports, for buses, trains, car parks and most definitely post offices. Advances in technology have even made it possible to queue from the comfort of one’s own home or workplace - what joy. 

 

Ever joined a queue not quite knowing what it’s actually for? Simply deciding to stand behind someone because they were stationary for more than a few minutes and had a mild look of anticipation on their face? Go on admit it - we’ve all done it.

Perhaps we actually like queuing, secretly enjoy joining queues, any old queues – just as long as we get served or seen to some time this century, or if there’s something partially exciting at the end of it. Maybe queuing gives us something to do, makes us feel part of something? Who hasn’t enjoyed queue camaraderie at some point or another? “No you go first, no you, no honestly you…Oh alright then, if you insist.”

Queuing has certainly ingrained itself into our everyday life, so much so that most of us don't even stop to think about why we queue like we do, or why we queue as often as we do. In an attempt to discover why queuing is so emblematic of our country we have traced its history - from wartime queuing for rations to modern day queuing for a call centre in India.

And are we really the crème de la crème when it comes to queuing or do we just think we are? We English seem to be well known for our queuing custom. On these pages, we find out how and why.