Saturday, October 8, 2011

Right is Right unless its a Left

I think I am a careful and courteous driver. Of course I think I can carry a tune too and two of the most overestimated abilities are driving and singing. Sixty four percent of us would rate our driving skills as excellent. I am sure you are an excellent driver too.

The other day I was getting on the Northway and the entranceway has a funnel merge where cars from two different locations come together to enter at the same place. Traffic was heavy so there was a line of cars entering from both locations funneling down to one lane just to have the opportunity to merge into traffic on the Northway.

As I approached I watched as cars politely alternated into the first merge. Slow but steady. We’ll all eventually get where we were going.  I approached and started to enter the gap left by the merging car ahead of me. It was my turn according to the unwritten rule of the procession.  Instead of me filing into that single line awaiting the next step of the Northway merge I watched a car from the other lane speed up and squeeze me out of “my spot” and essentially block me from entering. Two other cars took that break in the rhythm to jump ahead of the line too.

We all seem to live life in the fast lane. We are always in a hurry trying to get through all the busyness of our day. Waiting in lines is part of it and when people are discourteous it bothers us. Right is right. Still there are people who think that they deserve special treatment or aggressively take more than their share. Don’t you just hate these type of people?

So you are waiting in line at your favorite Mr. Subb location and although the line is moving at a steady pace you can’t wait to savor one of those delicious potato nugget morsels that you can only find at Mr. Subb. Right out of nowhere somebody opens the door and buzzes right past you and goes straight to the register. I know you are getting upset. I would. Line jumpers just burn me. Right is right.

Yeah, right is right unless it’s a left. Line jumping is allowed for people who order online. They placed their order well before you stepped into line and can go directly to the register to pick up their food from the next available server. Right is right. Why don’t you place your next order online? Not only will you save 5% with every order, you’ll be able to jump to the front of the line too.