An Armenian Hobby: Jumping the Queue
It seems to me that Armenians’ favorite hobby is jumping the queue. Wherever you have to wait – in your car at a red traffic light, in a shop or at the post-office – you can be sure that someone will try to get in the queue in front of you. It really drives me crazy. And I cannot understand why usually no-one tells the perpetrators off. I always ask people more or less politely (it’s become less politely recently) to wait at the end of the queue. However, in doing so I am the odd one out. Even the salespersons serve the queue-jumpers politely and do not ask them to go back and wait.
According to my Armenian colleague this behavior is a legacy of the Soviet times, where you could not be sure to get what you wanted, if you waited in the queue. I think this is a rather weak argument some 15 years after the collapse of the evil empire. Also if this was true, why don’t the ones, who wait normally, tell the queue-jumpers off? To me it is one of the many mysteries of life in Armenia.
There is another famous Armenian habit related to queues. It’s the habit of reserving a spot. If you wait in a queue, it can happen that people in front of you claim that this is their spot (not in absolute terms, but relatively to your own position, i.e. their spot is always the spot in front of you). Then they disappear for a certain time to do their shopping or whatever and, when they come back, they step in in front of you to take up what is rightly theirs. So, sometimes it happens that you expect to wait for 10 minutes, but because of all the reservations it takes an hour or so. Absolutely fascinating.
According to my Armenian colleague this behavior is a legacy of the Soviet times, where you could not be sure to get what you wanted, if you waited in the queue. I think this is a rather weak argument some 15 years after the collapse of the evil empire. Also if this was true, why don’t the ones, who wait normally, tell the queue-jumpers off? To me it is one of the many mysteries of life in Armenia.
There is another famous Armenian habit related to queues. It’s the habit of reserving a spot. If you wait in a queue, it can happen that people in front of you claim that this is their spot (not in absolute terms, but relatively to your own position, i.e. their spot is always the spot in front of you). Then they disappear for a certain time to do their shopping or whatever and, when they come back, they step in in front of you to take up what is rightly theirs. So, sometimes it happens that you expect to wait for 10 minutes, but because of all the reservations it takes an hour or so. Absolutely fascinating.
posted by Klaus at 10:17 PM
12 Comments:
This is too funny, my sentiments exactly. Good work Klaus and keep it up.
What kind of queues are these that it takes an hour, or even 10 minutes?
The ultimate queue spot reservation was during 1992 - that's when the supply of flour and other materials involved in baking bread became scarce. There were these huge lines in front of the bread stores. So people would reserve their spots with the people in front and back of them. Everything is fine and dandy if these people are still in the queue when you return. But these people would reserve their spots, too, and after some time the queue would be comprised of different people so you couldn't find your spot.
So people came up with a list of names to make sure everybody had their spots. But after some time the list degenerated and new lists were created. At one point there were a few lists going on which obviously had no effect on the real queue because noone paid attention to them.
it sounds quite funny now but at the time it was serious business.
BTW, this was at the corner of Baghramian and Saryan streets. Now that bread outlet has been converted into something else, I don't remember what.
Actually Klaus, I felt exactly the same way, but now I have noticed some nuances and a system to the madness... which helps.
First, when you get at the end of an amorphous line, you always should ask, who's last... you have established your territory (and yes, now that they know who you are you can go shopping!). Also, in a shop, usually if you are buying one thing (which does not require weighing) and have pretty exact change, it is ok to cut. Kind of like a 10 items or less line, but all at one cash register.
Aside from that, yes, you have to speak up and question people - but I've learned to be nicer about it because often times people who have waited in line already return with another paper or something. Yes, there are always the people with special priveleges who take cuts - but I've not found the solution to that one yet.
Raffi thanks, that's exactly what I do as I approach the "sea of black" as I call it, not quite a queue but a mob of people. One must establish one's territory otherwise you could be standing there all day.
Klaus hope you see one of the commercials I produced titled, "Yekeq Hargenq Mimyanc" /"Let's Respect Eachother".
It's a series of commercials I'm doing which are airing on Yerkir Media. The feedback from locals has been quite positive. One of the commercials deals with this issue you mentioned.
I have similar feelings about queue when visiting countries other than Armenia, usually to the north and west. Why stand these long boring lines if you can reserve a spot and attend some other business meanwhile, or just simply jump ahead of others and clear the spot for someone else.
Hi Klaus and Raffi,
Is there a way to contact you guys privately? We are an American/German expat family thinking about relocating to Yerevan for two years. We have tons of questions that I'm sure sound ridiculous (most of them, anyway) but we have next to no idea about the country and have had bad surprises elsewhere. Talesmag.com has country reports but those are two-three years old. I really would like to ask some of those questions to someone with experience (Klaus seems to be the ideal person).
I hope I'm not stepping on any toes (if so, please ignore!). I just want to make our transition as smooth as possible and I'm somehow sure that the advice to bring toilet paper is out of date by now! (See talesmag.com)
You can contact me at camu@bookcase.com.
Oh, and to say something on topic as well - we have had similar experiences in Romania and have also written about it. See http://www.bookcase.com/~claudia/mt/archives/000218.html, if you are interested.
Thanks a bunch!
Hi everybody,
Do you have any idea how can i find good ICT specialists in Yerevan?
If you can help me, please contact me at lusi_music@yahoo.com
Hi Klaus..
I came across ur Blog's URL on orkut..so i hope it is ok if I read and comment on wot u write??
Well u can ask me to shut up by typing the above 2 words on the comments part of my blog at http://travelling-monk.blogspot.com/
BTW in india too we have the queue resv thing..heheh..quite effective..:o) altho the queue jumping is smthg that has almost come to nought in the last few years..ppl now stand up most of teh time...and ppl normally don't serve queue hoopers first :o)
Funny you should bring this up. As a woman, I've been cut in queue in Armenia numerous times. Every so often I've spoken up, only to have the big-bellied, thick-necked mafioso-wannabe cutter stare at me like I'm the one who's crazy and should should know my place. However, there have also been at least three times when the shopkeeper themselves either ignored the cutter or told them off.
I am writing this comment from Seoul, Korea. I returned after 32 years in NY, London & HK to live here for a few years. Jumping the queue was very common thing in Korea many years ago but it is much better. I think Armenians will also learn to respect the order as time goes by. Hang in there. Meanwhile take a book to read or a walkman or IPod or MP3 to listen to music. Maybe write a letter.
If all nations were the same this world would be quite a boring place. So, Armenians should learn from Germans how to stand in a que and Germans should learn from Armenians how to make an effective chaos.
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