Queuing for hours in front of McDonald’s or IKEA? No thanks!

I’m all for the return of shopping and restaurants – even if it involves a new way of navigating stores – but we will each have our own favourites we want to return to, writes Janet Street-Porter

Customers queue at IKEA, Nottingham before it reopens following closure on 1 June, 2020 in Nottingham (Getty Images)

On the day McDonald’s re-opened their drive-thru outlets, hundreds of customers sat in their cars for hours waiting to purchase a Big Mac. Understandably, they included mothers sick of cooking every day in lockdown, worn down by whingeing kids.

I’ve missed good food and companionship in lockdown, but not the chance to buy new tablemats. But maybe I’m weird considering that when IKEA opened its doors this week, shoppers waited patiently in line from the early hours for a chance to enjoy the mind-numbing experience that is shuffling around a confusing store. Apparently they desperately needed to pick up fluffy rugs they don’t need and flat-pack units that reduce most of us to tears when you try to assemble them.

On 15 June, a host of retailers will fully re-open – so what would you be prepared to queue for?

Shopping online has been a risky and often unsuccessful experience. So I would queue for a new bra, some cotton pants and makeup. I’d queue for a pre-booked meal at my favourite restaurants – St John and Sardine. But I’d never queue for fast food or lampshades.

According to the Financial Times, retailers and cafes are wondering how to regulate queueing as customers reconnect with their addiction to shopping. Some businesses are appointing “queue monitors”, others will be sending out texts to tell customers (who have pre-registered) when there is space in the store.

The boss of one group of City pubs said customers would have to pre-book tables to prevent queueing – otherwise it will be like VE day in 1945, they will go nuts.