Surely the polite thing to do would be to ask if there was
any reason why the queue hadn't noticed the free register. You'd probably get an 'Oh yes, thanks, sorry for being a plonker I'll get a move on, you nice young man' instead of being a twat apparently aided and abetted by an employee who couldn't be bothered to have pointed this out to them earlier. Queuing is a wonderful tool but occasionally needs some lubricating to ensure that it functions properly. This lubricant may be in the form of 'common sense' but it can also be in the oft ignored 'manners' .
( number5 has been fighting tramps and losing., Sat 14 Apr 2012, 15:59, Reply)