Queuing is never far from the headlines these days but usually it’s
about the waiting lists for NHS operations, the length of waiting
times in A&E or the queuing of ambulances outside hospitals. This
news item was about the practice of queuing for someone else. I first
heard of it in India where the simple act of buying a railway ticket
could involve queueing for hours or even days , an inconvenience that
could be avoided by paying a young person to do it for you. In another
example I read that in a notorious slum you could pay a young boy to
save your place in the early morning toilet queue allowing you to
enjoy a more leisurely breakfast. Of course India is now a more modern
and prosperous country so this practice may no longer be necessary. I
thought of this as a characteristic of a third world country a sign of
poverty and the gap between between rich and poor. So I was surprised
to learn that in New York there are people who offer this service not
for railway tickets but tickets to see hit broadway shows. Sam will
stand in-line overnight for a customer before relinquishing his
position at the front of the queue when the ticket office opens. How
long before the service is offered here in the UK or someone describes
their occupation as a professional queuer?
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