Welcome to the letter Q in the A to Z Challenge for 2018. As we go through the A to Z of things you will find at a Michaels store, we can’t forget the ever (un)popular Q-Line.
Q-Line is what the area is called where you stand in a “queue” and wait for the next available cashier (that would have been me!) In our store, the line was in this section. The pole in the middle of the picture was supposed to be the end of the line.
At the far end of this picture you can see the first register, next to the soda cases. Our “goal” was never to have the line longer than this distance.
This is looking at it from the cashier’s point of view. That black thing in the middle of the table is my scan gun. Paper bag at the ready if you want to pay 25 cents for it (here in California anyway).
If you’ve ever shopped at Michaels during the holiday season (or when we are having sales, or on a Saturday afternoon), you know that it RARELY looks this empty. Rest assured, however, that the cashiers understand and try to move as quickly as we are able without making errors and if we see that the line is approaching or passing the sign, we do call for additional cashiers if there are any available. We won’t talk about the things the customers do that makes the check out time take so long.
Of course, while you are waiting in line, there are lots of things to “look at” to keep you entertained (entice you to continue shopping). For the last two weeks that I was working the offering was some new paint ball contraption. The bags hold “Goblies” that are paint balls in some kind of liquid (it may be water, I didn’t check). There are also the “guns” that you can buy to shoot the paint balls. Personally, I am opposed to guns of any kind so they don’t trigger my buying impulse AT ALL. (Please don’t get started on a gun thing. This is not that kind of blog).
As with a lot of Michaels items, there were certainly many pretty colors but I am not sure how popular they are because in the two weeks that the were there, I think I only sold two packs. Just this week I saw an add on Michaels website promoting these for “date night?” Not sure I would be enthused about going on a date just to get pelted with paint but again, that’s just me.
Also in the Q-line are more necessary items like coffee packets,
fun brownie mixes with Nutella and a cute little skillet,
and different things for the holidays. Snowman Poop was a great one. Instead of lumps of coal in your stocking, you get Snowman Poop if you’ve been “bad.”
If waiting in line makes you hungry or you have a sweet tooth, there is candy to catch your eye.
One of my jobs when there was no line in the queue was to go along the shelves and pick up the things that people had decided they did not want to buy and just put on a shelf. Pretty sure those Easter eggs did not belong with the Junior Mints. I didn’t mind that because all I had to do was pick up the things that didn’t belong, I didn’t have to put them away. Besides, I said it was my job when there was no line!
Another item that would qualify for the “Q” in today’s theme is Quilt. Michaels does not have the fabrics that some other craft stores do but they carry a lot of bits and pieces that you can use to make a quilt. (Again in one of my recent emails there was an ad that Michaels is now getting different materials that you can have cut to order on the website. I don’t think that feature is in stores yet.)
Some pieces are bigger than others.
Some are in coordinated groups.
The tools you need for this craft are available as well, rolling blades
and craft cutting mats.
Question: Are you the kind of shopper that leaves things in the Q-line or do you give them to the cashier and politely say “I changed my mind about this?” Quilt much?
Stop by the
A to Z page and pick up another “Q” and come back here tomorrow for R!
(Note: I decided I should add a disclaimer to these posts because I certainly don’t want to give the idea that I am being paid by Michaels to do this or that they are furnishing me with material. All pictures used in this blog series were taken by me at local Michaels stores, or are my personal pictures and every Michaels store may not have everything shown.)
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About scr4pl80
I'm a 60-ish, married, mom to 3, creative soul looking to make the world a better place one smile at a time.
Janet's Smiles 
I’m a sucker for the fun stuff in the queue line 🙂
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I’ve been known to pick up a thing or two myself.
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I usually hand it to the cashier and say I changed my mind, although sometimes I’ll just put it back myself if I’m not in a rush and the queue isn’t too long. Weekends In Maine
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I’ve had customers offer to put it back but it is just as easy for us to do it.
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Q or Queue line …I didn’t know that term was used here, since we aren’t British. I like it, though. … So many little items to look at as you’re standing in the line, makes me want to grab some, but I try not to. … I don’t get why anyone would do the paintball game, either. Doesn’t sound fun. 🙂
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I was pleasantly surprised when I heard them call it the Q-line at work because then I knew I had my letter Q for this challenge! Usually a tough one.
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It makes me crazy when people leave their unwanted stuff in the shelves where they don’t belong. I’ve even seen products that require refrigeration left in the queue line at the grocery store. Yikes! It’s fun to get a “behind the scenes” tour of Michael’s with you.
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Glad you are enjoying it. I was afraid I’d bore people. I am surprised at the different ideas I’ve ended up putting in people’s heads.
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In our “old” Michaels, the queue could extend from the front of the store all the way to the back. Anyone trying to get from one side to the other had to cut through the line – carts vs carts. What a mess. The new set up looks like your store and is much better. Sometimes the line looks really long, but most of the time it moves quickly.
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Yes, sometimes the line does wrap around a bit but if you add the fact that the carts do take up space and there are sometimes a group of people (parents with kids, etc) then you realize that it may not take so long to get to the front of the line. It also helps when the customer is prepared with coupons at the ready 🙂
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Very clever use of “Q”! That’s the aisle where I always pick up the little things I don’t really need. It makes me feel like a two-year-old in the grocery checkout having to touch everything and say, “Mom, can I have this?” I have since tried putting on imaginary blinders as I go down the queue line! Great post.
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Thnaks Dawn! It is interesting too that sometimes a customer will find something another customer has left in the line and bring it to the counter saying, “Where are these? I was looking for them!” LOL
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I always feel like cattle 🐄 in those lines. 😉 I do enjoy having things to look at when the lines are long.
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I know what you mean, Jill. Especially when they are REALLY long. I always tried to make eye contact with someone that was halfway down the line to let them know I knew they were there.
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That was nice of you. 😉
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I used to quilt quite a bit, but now, I only work on my postage stamp quilt. Rarely. It’s nice to sit and stitch, but I don’t have as much time as I used to.
I do not leave things in the checkout aisle, I hand them to the cashier.
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Thanks, Joey. It is so easy for us to take the “extra” items and put them in the bins to go back and it keeps the store looking nice. We appreciate you!
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Thanks, Joey. It is so easy for us to put the extra items in the baskets of “go backs” and it keeps the store looking nice. We appreciate you.
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Good description. I’ve been known to pick up on offer items from a Q line. Boredom? Hmm…
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Not so subliminal messaging?
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