Is the express lane the fastest at the checkout?

By Patrick Jones, Buzz60

We've all experienced the dreaded long lines at the grocery store. Most of us have also experienced the internal debate of choosing between a line with less people who have more stuff in their grocery cart and a line with more people who have less stuff in their grocery cart.

The New York Times recently reported that although it may seem to be the obvious choice, the express line at a grocery store isn't so express after all.

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The NYTimes suggests avoiding the express lane because people tend to waste time with extraneous activity such as exchanging pleasantries, choosing types of bags and realizing that they need to get their wallet out. These factors can be expected to eat up about 41 seconds of extra time per person.

The NYTimes recommends queuing up behind someone with a full cart (allow a high school math teacher to explain) and going to the lane furthest to the left.

Another good tip is to take a look at what the person in front of you is purchasing. For example, if someone is buying several bottles of the same soda it will be easier for the cashier to process.

All of this is very important to keep in mind as you rush to get home and dig into whatever snack you just treated yourself to!

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