Why do many people from Mexico not know about waiting their turn in lines?

Question

I've noticed on multiple occasions that a lot of people from Mexico don't wait their turns in a line. And I've noticed this while I have been in Mexico and while I've been in areas with high hispanic populations in the US. Just yesterday I was in a store at a border town and I was waiting in what appeared to be a line to order some food, and 2 different people cut in front of everyone else and ordered their food. I know that they were Mexicans because they had just gotten off a bus that had come from Mexico and they were only speaking Spanish. I rarely see people cut in line when I'm in a store with just Americans (and when I say Americans, I say that because they're all speaking English with the accent that is common to the area that I'm in).

Doesn't it make sense to use lines? Why would a culture have a lot of people who don't use this custom? To me, waiting in line seems to be a practice that displays fairness and respect.

Answer 1

I have seen this in tourist areas in Mexico too.

However, having said that there are people in the US/Canada that try to jump the que especially when the line up is especially long.  

This is also a problem when a traffic lane is closed for some sort of repair. Some drivers race along the closed lane to the point where they need to change lanes and expect you to let them in when you have been patiently waiting for traffic to proceed.

I don't think it is entirely a culture thing.  There are boors in all cultures.

On a more positive note, the children and adults in Mexico are very respectful of older people and the disabled, offering assistance whenever they can.

In my home town, it seems to be every person for themselves and they trample over you instead of opening the door for you and letting you go in.

Answer 2

This is very comon all over Mexico, except the tourist areas.  In the tourist areas, the sales girl/guy will approach the customer and ask what you want.  But in the Mexican areas, the sales girl will stay behind her counter and wait on the first person that asks for something.  So you could be in a store in Mexico waiting for the sales girl to wait on you when a bunch of kids come in and shout out their candy orders and she'll wait on them first.  So the lesson I learned was to get your order in first, don't wait for anyone.

Answer 3

I've seen it there and I've seen it in the US, it's not people from mexico its just people with no manners.

Answer 4

Hmmm, that might be an issue of rudeness, not nationality.

In Mexico we are very used to make lines, you should see the banks on a "quincena" day (pay day)! About a year ago I attended an exhibit at a Mexico City museum, where we had to make a line that turned around all the museum block. Nobody cut the line, or tried to get advantage of anyone. In some bus depots we have to make lines to take the bus, even to take a taxi.

And last time I was in New York, making a line to take an elevator to the top of Empire State Building, two clearly American girls cut the line in front of me and entered first. Go figure.

So no, its not a Mexican thing. You just have found rude people, who happen to be Mexicans, as I have found rude people who happen to be American.

Answer 5

You got some great answers...esp. from Mike ans Rhino.  I , too, am an American living in Mexico and have experienced this.  I learned not to be shy...I challenge anyone who tries to do this to me.  Mexicans are usually so very courteous and friendly...the exceptions to this are when they are in line and when they are in their cars. I have just had to earn to be a little "nervier" and not hang back.  These behaviors bother many other Mexican citizens too.

Answer 6

Part of the reason may be that the concept of personal space in Mexico is much closer than in Anglo culture.  When people talk to you or when you are waiting in line, Mexicans stand closer to each other than Anglos.  Therfore anglos leave more space between themselves and the person in front of them which invites someone else to step in, wether they think you are not in line or see it as an opotunity I am not sure.  It has happened many times here in Mexcio when friends from the US are waiting in line and I tell them to get closer.  They make a face and say "what you want me to climb on top of that person."  And if they do not move in closer, inevitably some one tries to step in.  

Mexico is not the only culture where I have observered this.  I have also see it in North Africa.

Personal space is defined differently in Mexico than in the United States.  Conversations occur at a much closer physical distance in Mexico, and moving away is considered unfriendly; many Mexicans will follow you, closing the distance again.  Mexican men are often warm and friendly.  They often touch shoulders or hold the arm of another, and withdrawing from these affectionate gestures can be perceived as an insult.



Frequent eye contact can make Mexican businesspeople nervous; it should be infrequent.  The  O.K.  gesture, with the thumb and forefinger, is considered vulgar.  Placing your hands on your hips signifies that you are making a challenge, and men should avoid putting their hands in their pockets in public.  In stores, Mexicans pay for their purchases by placing money directly in the clerk s hand, rather than placing the money on the counter.  Leaving a payment on the counter is generally considered rude.

The use of space and the idea of spatial relationships are important characteristics of Mexican culture. Many cultures, such as ours, are highly territorial. Space can imply power, and this space is defended to keep power.1 Americans tend to be comfortable at arm's length, and when this personal area is lost, Americans can feel attacked or violated. Mexicans, on the other hand, are comfortable in closer proximity than are their North American counterparts.

Just google mexico culture and personal space and you will see many of the same statements.

Take a look at the following link to look at how culture can impact "waiting in line"   Different things are acceptabe and standard for different cultures and what is considered rude in one culture may not be considered rude in another.

http://samueljscott.wordpress.com/2008/0...

http://www.jstor.org/pss/2775696

Answer 7

See it everyday in Acapulco. Cant understand it myself. I know its a " dog eat dog" mentality here but I too think its cultural and possibly education.\

I just label it dog eat dog catagory and keep the morals and values my parents taught me. As an American I'm not here to change things just observe.

I cant figure out why they just throw trash everywhere.

Answer 8

You are in Mexico. The customs are different. Get used to it.

Sometimes, such as in banks, Mexicans show an amazing patience and acceptance for waiting in long lines. We drove into Mexico at Christmas time a few years ago. It was a Saturday morning. At the Banjercito near Juarez there were over a hundred people waiting for the office to open. Everyone patiently stood in line. We talked and joked with each other in a mixture of English and Spanish, but I heard very little grumbling or complaining. The  officials finally came out and handed out numbers, but before they did, the line was orderly.

In a tienda however, it is a different story. It is every person for themselves. If you notice people are pushing in front of you, gently push back. I am not suggesting shoving little old ladies to the ground, but resting your hand or arm on the counter and making eye contact with the clerk and smiling with coin purse in hand generally works.