‘Queue’ that gives us no idea how long we’ll have to wait

Published: 18 February 2010

• THE queuing system in the post office in Camden High Street is certainly all right if you are wanting foreign exchange or if you are a business customer.

It’s not so good if you are a general customer, though.  

On Friday afternoon this “queue”, with people sitting on seats more like in an airport waiting room, was such that a newly-arrived customer received a ticket that was about 50 numbers after the number held by the customer then being then served (but there were not 50 customers in the branch!). 

There are two large screens in the branch. While these show numbers for each category of customer, they do not say what the information is intended to convey – the Post Office official who designed them doubtless understands what the information is but not all their customers understand (I asked some of them!).  

Furthermore what is missing is information about the estimated average waiting time for each category of customer.  

In the past, with a long, winding queue, at least one had a visual gauge as to whether the wait might be long or short.  

Now, with this new system, one has no real idea of the likely “queueing” time unless one asks others who are waiting.  

Time spent in queues is mostly time wasted, and surely as much as possible should be done to keep the UK moving, not queueing.

Perhaps Adam Crozier, the chief executive of Royal Mail, could consider this before he clears his desk and heads off to ITV?
LESTER MAY
Reachview Close,  NW1