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Update: Britons Love Standing in Line, Wry Humor

Of course we're not into cultural stereotyping here, but sometimes there is truth in stereotypes. We all know the British just can't get enough of queues. In the post office, pub or porn shop, lining up is all part of the fun.

And it's been proven. A recent survey calculated that Britons shuffle around in queues for 96 hours (that's four whole days) per year. Thinking of our own long boredom conga line at Heathrow Airport recently, perhaps those 96 hours are racked up pretty fast. The Brits are usually polite queuers though--those around us at Heathrow all seemed to be chatting about their next cup of tea--although this survey found that two from five had blown a gasket at least once before.

The survey also discovered that 18 per cent of the people standing in line worked out how to put this time to good use--they chat up their fellow queue-mates. The study did not follow-up, however, to see just how many relationships in Britain begin while standing in line.

[Image via melastmohican/Flickr]

Related stories:
Why the British Queue [The Weekly Gripe]
Germans Can Queue, Too! [Jaunted]