Whoa that math blog was WAY OVER MY HEAD.

There's a cake recipe (I think it's called the Big Mac Cake) that also looks like a hamburger. I made it several years ago and it looked great and tasted good. I did add eyes though. :)

clampers - I'm glad I'm not the only one!

The mathematical look at grocery check out lines is intriguing and funny, but there's so much more to it than that.

If there's a person in line clutching coupons, a checkbook, or a mess of unorganized reusable bags, they're going to slow you down a lot. At my local Whole Foods, I also avoid the employee who likes to stop and philosophize about each item she scans.

But their basic equation can also be applied to porta-potty lines at outdoor events. The line with 6 guys will probably be faster than the one with 3 girls.

Pretty interesting math blog, but I agree with akay. There are more variables at work, such as customer and cashier type. I like shopping at the same supermarkets because I get to know the checkers and I can pick based on efficiency or personality, depending on my needs. And yes, I stay away from lines with coupon-clippers.

Interesting math analysis. Totally unnecessary since it's a known fact: whichever line <I>I pick will be the slowest :P

I'd like to find a way to make the hamburger pumpkin without using actual meat. For one thing, it's wasteful. For another, it will attract even more critters to my front porch than I have already. It's very cute, though!

I'm virtually certain that the stats are more complex in a checkout line... I'm really bad at stats relative to some other scientists, but my gut tells me it isn't going to be a linear relationship when you have dozens of variables. Linear is for 2 variables... (If X, then Y) It's certain to be some sort of messy math similar to equations describing traffic patterns.

The variable that always affects me in the checkout line? Price check! (that turns a 3 min transaction into a 10 minute one very quickly!)

I'm with Emily - shop at the same store, get to know the cashiers (and watch others while you wait in your line) and then you'll know whom to choose next time you shop!

Bento boxes are something that should be in everyone's cupboard. It's a concept from Japan, where lunch is usually composed of rice and small samples of various foods. After only a month in Japan I had switched from the Ziploc bag approach to the bento—the container is more eco-friendly, the food portions are more easily controlled, and the overall presentation (of utmost importance on this side of the Pacific) is more attractive.

For those interested in making their own bento lunches, visit http://justbento.com/ for the basics. I like seeing the little smokies cut to look like octopi.

I was a cashier in a grocery store for ten years.

Other than the obvious giant-loaded-cart vs. a few customers with a few items, there really is no way to pick the fastest checklane.

I was very fast, efficient, friendly, and didn't smash anything (bragging). I was a favorite cashier of a lot of customers. Often my line was longer than others because customers knew my line would move quicker.

But it doesn't take much to make a line grind to a halt. A price check, customer can't find her wallet, waiting for a manager to override something.....

The best thing to do is make your best guess, then grab a magazine and wait it out.

And please give yourself TIME to check out. Don't go to the checklanes when you want to LEAVE the store, go five or ten minutes before.

What about my algorithm for choosing a line?

In math language, first-order approximation:
If there are older and younger cashiers, go to the older one.
If there are outstandingly pretty/well-dressed and outstandingly not-well-dressed cashiers, go to the latter.

Second-order approximation (which is a fancy way of saying "elaboration"):
If the gaze of the cashier in the avoidable category focuses on the customer, consider going to that line.
If the cashier in the selectable category looks too laid back, consider going to the other lane.

Third-order:
If the difference in queues is more than 3 customers, act according to this and the common sense.

:)