Must Hong Kong people line up for hours for everything?
Hongkongers line up for hours for everything: to buy a flat, to get into school, and so on. But is this cultural phenomenon really acceptable?
I recently queued to sign my children up for summer camp at the YMCA. The camp organisers were to start giving out 600 tickets on April 28 at 7.30am, with enrolment starting at 8.30am.
I lined up in the rain for over two hours and, when I finally got inside, my clothes had dried but I still had no ticket, and still more people were lining up.
It also creates a culture of queuing. If enrolment is on a first come, first served basis, then why don’t organisers let people come in at their own time? Then those lining up further back do not have to be frustrated at not knowing what’s happening, or worried that all the tickets have already been given out.
A first come, first served system would benefit the organisers as well. Rather than having to deal with a mob of queuers, they can deal with them as they come in.
Adeline Wong, Wan Chai
