Culture

Why We Wait in Line

And how to stand in a queue without losing your mind.
Before Thanksgiving even ends, shoppers willingly endure hours-long waits for Black Friday deals.Eduardo Munoz / REUTERS

Last Friday, we found ourselves standing in a two-hour line for the grand opening of Milk Bar in Washington, D.C. Neither of us knew much about it, but we were more than willing to endure what seemed like the longest wait of our lives for a taste of their buzzed-about breakfast-dessert combos.

But had you asked us to endure the same wait at, say, a grocery store or the DMV, chances are we would have given up long before the two-hour mark.