How Many Spots in Line Can One Person Save for Their Friends?

Couples and families queue for admission to Reichstag in Berlin, Germany

 

You’ve seen this happen before, or maybe you’ve even done it . . .

You’re standing in line for a movie or a bar, and your friends aren’t there yet.  So they ask you to save THEM a spot in line.

 

This happened to me at the grocery store this week. A woman let her friend come up where she was an proceed to U-Scan in front of the line

 

Is it ever okay to do that?  And what’s the maximum number of spots one person can hold?

Someone polled 10,000 Americans, and close to a third of us say the answer is ZERO.  30% said it’s not socially acceptable to join your friend in line, period.

 

Another 29% said saving a spot in line for one person is okay.  And 14% said two.

 

11% say MORE than that is still fine . . . including 3% who said you can save a spot for five people or more.

 

In general, the older you are, the less likely you are to think it’s okay.  Only 17% of people under 25 said it’s NEVER okay to save a spot in line.  38% of people over 55 said the same.

 

 

(YouGov)