Math teacher Dan Meyer set out to figure out the answer to the question we face every time we go grocery shopping: All other things being equal, which is the fastest, the line with more people buying fewer items, or the shorter line of people buying a larger number of items? While his answer is a little complicated for us non-math people, the most interesting finding backed up by the manager at his local supermarket is that the express lane isn't necessarily the faster choice.
It turns out every additional person in line adds an extra 48 seconds to the length of time you'll be in line, while every additional item only adds 2.8 seconds. To put it another way: "you'd rather add 17 more items to the line than one extra person!"
I'll be giving this technique a try, and if it doesn't work out, at least I can curse Dan Meyer instead of my own bad judgement when it comes to choosing lines.
Read more: What I Would Do With This: Groceries at dy/dan
This technique came via a Lifehacker post with tons of tips for making grocery shopping easier and more efficient.
Check it out: I Hate Grocery Shopping; This Is How I Fixed It at Lifehacker
Do you have any tricks for choosing the fastest line at the grocery store?
Related: Danny Seo's 5 Tips for Saving Money at the Organic Grocery
(Image: IMG_191 LLC/Shutterstock)
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