Long checkout lines cost retailers real money, but many of the statistics quoted about them cannot be traced to any study. This page collects queue and wait time figures we could trace back to the organisation that produced them, with a link to each source. At the end you will find popular figures we could not verify, so you know which ones to avoid.
How much sales are lost to long lines
- USD 37.7 billion. Adyen and 451 Research estimate that long lines cost US retailers about 37.7 billion dollars in potential sales in a year. Source: Adyen
- AUD 12 billion. The same Adyen research series estimates that long lines and purchase abandonment cost Australian retailers about 12 billion dollars over twelve months. Source: Adyen via AP News
- Like a 5% price increase. A Columbia Business School study of a supermarket deli counter found that a moderate increase in the number of people waiting reduces sales about as much as raising prices by 5%. In the study, a queue growing from 10 to 15 customers lowered purchase incidence from 30% to 27%, roughly a 10% drop in sales. Source: Lu, Musalem, Olivares and Schilkrut, Columbia Business School
How long shoppers are willing to wait
- 79% will not wait more than five minutes. A Retail Week and Toshiba white paper found that 79% of consumers will wait no longer than five minutes in a store before going elsewhere. Source: Retail Week
- Patience is shrinking. Waitwhile's 2025 State of Waiting in Line report found that 75% of consumers are willing to wait up to 15 minutes in a physical line, down from 81% a year earlier. Source: Waitwhile
What happens after a shopper walks out
- 89% have left a store because of a queue, 65% went to a rival. In a Visa Europe survey of 2,000 consumers, 89% said they had recently left a store because of the length of the queue, and two thirds of them went straight to a competitor. Source: Visa Europe via Loyalty Magazine
Self-checkout
- 77% choose self-checkout for speed. An NCR Voyix consumer survey found that 77% of shoppers choose self-checkout because it is faster. Source: NCR Voyix
- One in three has walked out after a bad self-checkout. Self-service lanes remove one queue but can create another: one in three shoppers has left without their intended purchases after a bad self-checkout experience. Source: Retail Customer Experience
Airports and public services
- Crowding halves satisfaction. J.D. Power research shows airport satisfaction falling from 736 points on a 1,000-point scale when terminals are not crowded to 429 when they are severely crowded. Source: J.D. Power, reported by FeedbackNow
- Happy passengers spend more. In the same J.D. Power study, delighted passengers spend an average of 44 dollars in the terminal, disappointed passengers 29 dollars. Source: The Moodie Davitt Report
- 44 minutes at the DMV. A DMV.com study found the average American waits 44 minutes for service at a DMV office. Source: DMV.com
Popular figures we could not verify
These numbers appear on many websites, but we could not find the original study behind them. Treat them with care until a source turns up:
- "73% of customers abandon a purchase if the line is longer than five minutes", often attributed to McKinsey or ICMI.
- "86% of shoppers avoid a store if the queue looks too long."
- "Queues cost retailers 71 billion dollars a year globally."
- "Every walk-out costs 1,247 dollars in lifetime value."
- "Perceived wait time explains 72% of queue satisfaction."
Measuring your own queues
Industry averages tell you the problem is real. Your own data tells you where and when it happens. Sensors over checkouts and service points measure queue length, waiting time and how many people leave the line, hour by hour, so staffing follows actual demand rather than the rota. See how queue management works with Vemco.
Last reviewed September 2026. If you know the original source of a figure listed as unverified, or spot a newer study, please tell us and we will update this page.