Just read that the average person spends 42 hours a year waiting in checkout lines

I was scrolling through some random study results while I was stuck in line at Target last week and that number hit me. 42 hours. That's basically a full work week just standing there holding a loaf of bread and some toothpaste. Where's the stat from? It was a retail survey from some consumer group website. Made me wonder if we're all just lying to ourselves about being too busy when we willingly give up that much time every year. Has anyone else tried timing how long they actually wait on average?

2 comments

2 Comments

angela_carter6d ago

You said "willingly giving up that much time" and THAT'S the thing that gets me. It's not just checkout lines, it's like all these little waiting moments we just accept. I timed myself at the DMV last month and it was honestly an hour and a half for something that took five minutes. But we all just sit there on our phones scrolling while the lady behind the counter takes a smoke break. It's like we've been trained to believe all this small waiting is just NORMAL and there's nothing wrong with it. Meanwhile we're the ones who get called entitled if we complain about it.

harperschmidt6d ago

I mean, "willingly giving up that much time" is a pretty dramatic way to put it. Most of us just need toothpaste and a loaf of bread whether we're in a hurry or not. Feels like one of those stats that sounds big but doesn't really change anything.