How Rude!

Posted on May 30, 2006 in Strange

An Associated Press poll has found an impatient United States. To get to the point without further ado, it’s a nation that gets antsy after five minutes on hold on the phone and 15 minutes maximum in a line. So say people in the survey.

The Department of Motor Vehicles is among the top spots where Americans hate to wait. But grocery stores are the worst.

Almost one in four in the AP-Ipsos poll picked the grocery checkout as the line where their patience is most likely to melt like ice cream.

And it seems people don’t mellow with age. The survey found older people to be more impatient than younger people.

Nor does getting away from the urban pressure cooker make much difference. People in the country and the suburbs can bear a few more minutes in a line before losing it than city inhabitants can, but that’s it.

In short, Americans want it all NOW. Or awfully close to now.

Tick tick tick. Are we there yet?