In 2002 Qm worked with Camelot to examine the impact of unplanned and unmanaged lottery queues in Supermarkets. The essence of the problem was that no space allowance had been made in the supermarket design to accommodate the queue for lottery ticket sales as it formed.
As a consequence the queue formed randomly as space allowed and where customers chose to stand and in many cases the consequential queue disrupted customer flow in store (as can be seen in the picture below).
Additionally we identified through research that customers were less likely to join an unmanaged and undisciplined queue as it appears to be longer and move more slowly than one which was properly constructed.
Using our knowledge and insight Qm created standard template layouts which could be applied in the restricted space available in store. A number of layouts were detailed to be used on a "best fit" basis in each store. Store staff were then trained in best practice for queue management in order to maximise the benefit of the investment.
The pilot exercise evidenced a tangible increase in ticket sales and eliminated consequential store disruption from badly formed queues and was subsequently rolled out in major Tesco stores.
These layouts are designed to allow (just) sufficient space for all trolleys currently in use in store. Using the same matrix of eight posts layout can be varied to provide a single queue and or with queue entrance from left or right, causing an extended queue to form along the plane of the barriers.