Survey shows we spend 17 minutes queuing every day

AS A nation we can only withstand half an hour of queuing before we blow our tops, yet we spend 17 minutes waiting in line every day.

This is the result of a survey sponsored by Visa Europe on 587 people to find out the nation’s queuing habits and how our tempers cope when we are waiting our turn.

It found that after an 11 minute wait people start to get impatient but if they are still twiddling their thumbs at 29 minutes the situation will escalate towards a physical outburst.

Vice president of Visa Greg Twitcher says Irish people are becoming so tired of queuing that they are finding other ways to get their shopping done.

Mr Twitcher said: “Everyday people feel so much pressure on their time that 70% are prepared to walk out of a shop if the queue is too long.

“There are now more options for shoppers and increasingly people are selecting ways to make their shopping experience easier.”

The survey lists the eight major causes of annoyance for the country’s queuers, although it makes no mention of people stalling over credit cards for small purchases.

The research team at the Future Foundation found that people jumping the queue is what we find the most irritating, out on its own ahead of complaints arising from people chatting to counter staff.

Dubliners top the pile by spending 23 minutes a day filing for services.

In Munster people spend the least time waiting but are the first to get irritated and will show signs of rage after as little as 10 minutes.