How not to stand in line? (disability)

November 29, 2019 11:31 AM

Any good strategies for a person with a disability to avoid standing in line?

I'm sitting at a table in a local coffee shop where they don't have table service. When it's busy, being served requires standing in line. I walk with a cane, and for me standing for more than a minute or two is more painful and hazardous than walking. If the person behind the counter doesn't know me, I may go to the front of the line and explain that I'm happy to wait my turn but I'm unable to stand. Sometimes it's a bit hard to convey that information to someone who has never experienced such things. Sometimes I give up and just leave. Has anyone here got a better strategy to share?

posted by in278s to Grab Bag (17 answers total)

I looked into something like this to solve that problem when I was struggling with profound fatigue and weakness.
posted by crunchy potato at 11:35 AM on November 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

I think I'd make some cards, playing card or index card sized with the blue handicap logo saying I'm unable to stand for any length of time, but happy to wait my turn. Would you please call me when you can take my order. Currently # ___ . Thanks, in278s Arrive, note that you are #5 in line, place card on counter, sit nearby.
You can get perforated cardstock in a variety of sizes to print at home.
posted by theora55 at 11:42 AM on November 29, 2019 [2 favorites]

Could you ask the last person in the lineup to "hold your place" for you and explain your situation? I recognize that requires a lot of effort on your part in terms of asking a stranger a favour but I am sure that most people would be happy to do it. I certainly would.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:42 AM on November 29, 2019 [11 favorites]

Wheelchair?
posted by oceanjesse at 11:50 AM on November 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

Would you be able to use a cane with a seat?
posted by sageleaf at 11:51 AM on November 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

Mod note: Just want to note here that it seems like the asker is asking more about strategies for managing the line expectations issue, not so much for mobility/assistive devices while in line, so unless there's some clarification to the contrary let's try and keep stuff focused more on the former and not on the latter.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:07 PM on November 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

When I was a barista, people used to either ask someone walking in to stand in line to flag us down, or call us from the tables/sidewalk on their phone, and we'd send someone out to take their order and payment.
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:10 PM on November 29, 2019 [2 favorites]

Can you call them either before you get there or once you arrive? Then you can let them know the situation and make sure you get the accommodation you need. I realize in a really busy shop they may not be able to answer but theres usually a manager to take calls even if the counter staff is occupied.
posted by ananci at 12:22 PM on November 29, 2019 [2 favorites]

I'll leave the more general solutions to others. But for the case where it's a single coffee shop that you are a repeat customer at, and things work OK when a barista you already know and not when it's someone new, I would reach out to the manager and see if they can get something more robust worked out and communicated with all staff in advance.
posted by grouse at 12:54 PM on November 29, 2019 [8 favorites]

If you are able to pay at the counter and wait through one other person’s ordering, just not wait in a longer line, then I think that asking the person last in line to hold your spot, go sit, and then make your way up once it is their turn might work well— people do this with friends all the time and the cane should make it particularly obvious why you’d need to sit. I would worry that anything that involves the barista tracking when your turn is might result in them forgetting about you, especially on a busier day.
posted by pie_seven at 1:14 PM on November 29, 2019

I'll leave the more general solutions to others. But for the case where it's a single coffee shop that you are a repeat customer at, and things work OK when a barista you already know and not when it's someone new, I would reach out to the manager and see if they can get something more robust worked out and communicated with all staff in advance.

Basically this. Since you are in the U.S., the business is required to accommodate you under the ADA and it's management's responsibility to communicate to staff that this is very much a thing.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:36 PM on November 29, 2019 [6 favorites]

Does the shop use an app like this that lets you order in advance and then pick up your order?
posted by pinochiette at 2:07 PM on November 29, 2019

Cubans have a great way of dealing with lines without lining up. You get somewhere people are waiting, you ask "who's last?". That person will raise their hand (or say "me"), so you know you're just after them, and free to sit or stand wherever you want. Somebody else comes in ask "who's last?". You raise your hand and they know they're after you. Blew my mind when I figured it out. So efficient and convenient. Ok, this doesn't really help, but I had to say it.
posted by bluefrog at 3:20 PM on November 29, 2019 [13 favorites]

I can't stand or walk for long, and I have gotten really shameless about this kind of thing.

I have found a rollator helps, in that it is a portable seat I can take anywhere. Sometimes I take mine simply because it's better to sit in that crappy chairs, if I'm at a kid's gymnastics meet or something.

Other strategies for handing lines: sit in an open chair at a table near the line, and politely tell people who come in after you that you are, in fact, in line. When it's your turn, speak up loud and clear to the person behind the counter. Often I find that people are eager to help, so a staffer at a restaurant that doesn't offer table service will cheerfully bring my order out to me. (YMMV: I'm in the midwest.)

The Boss Move version of this: pull an empty chair from a nearby table into line with you.

If the person in front of you seems congenial, you can ask them to place your order for you. I once asked a woman to change $200 American into Canadian money and bring it to me in my car when the line at the exchange was moving slowly and I was getting to be in a lot of pain. She was a bit taken aback at first but I got my money!

You can also tell people in line, "It's painful for me to stand. May I order next?" This takes courage but often works.
posted by Orlop at 3:33 PM on November 29, 2019

I was coming to suggest order ahead apps. Starbucks and Philz have their own; other shops might use a more general service.
posted by JenMarie at 3:38 PM on November 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

I also suggest an app like Starbucks. Your order, with your name on it, will be waiting for you. Just walk in and pick it up. You will have already paid through the app.
posted by Linnee at 3:58 PM on November 29, 2019

You can actually buy a laminated card that explains that you can't wait in line.

"Due to my medical condition/Disability I cannot wait in line for long periods. Please may I go ahead of you? Thank you."

the other side says "I need to leave this line to manage my medical condition/Disability. Could you please save my space so that I could rejoin when it's my turn? Thank you."
posted by Murderbot at 8:58 PM on November 29, 2019