11.11.2010

Miss Manners: How to Cut a Line

The scene: Waiting in line for hot chocolate and a free mug. If you got to the acapella even early enough, they would give you a free mug. Random girl cuts right in front of me.
Me: Are you waiting for hot cocoa?  Because the girl passing out the hot cocoa packets has already passed us and is at the back of the line.
Read between the lines: You cut the line. Go to the back of the line.
Line-cutter: No, I don't want cocoa. I don't even like chocolate. I just want a mug.
I cut lines AND dont like chocolate. Definition of lame.
Me: We're all waiting for mugs. The line is for the free mug and hot chocolate. The end of the line is there.
You cut the line.
Line-cutter: Even if I don't want hot chocolate?? I think everyone else is waiting for hot cocoa too. I just want a mug.
I repeat myself in an effort to justify my line cutting. I need my free mug before everyone else in this line needs their free mug. Duh.
Line-cutter turns around and proceeds to brainstorm other ways she can get her free mug even faster.
And Scene.

Maybe I should have just blatantly told Line-Cutter, you cut the line. But I was trying to communicate clearly without making her feel too awkward and giving her a chance to come clean. In the end, it wasn't worth making a scene. But still was personally satisfying to call her out, if only in my own mind. Next time, she'll at least think twice about line cutting...and then skip to the front of the queue.

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