Lottery Tickets or Milk and Bread — Who Should Wait?

(KNUE-FM) I tend to be one of those kinds of people who don't like to complain. However, in this regard, I feel inclined to ask people in Longview and Tyler, Texas, if this is something they can relate to or not.

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Do you think there should be a separate line for people coming into our East Texas convenience stores to buy lottery tickets? Some people do. 

OK, I get it. Money is tight, inflation is crazy, and people are highly motivated to buy a ticket in hopes they'll be spared at least a few of life's financial pressures, right on, y'all. Go for it! At the same time, should we consider it may be helpful for the rest of us in East Texas to avoid long waits while lottery ticket buyers make their purchases?

A Common East Texas Frustration at the Corner Store

Recently, I was at one of our many convenience stores in Tyler, Texas. It was after 5:00 p.m. on a Friday. So, it was pretty busy in there. You can imagine that most people were weary after a work week and just wanted to stop by and grab some necessities before heading home to start their weekends. However...

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While the people were standing in line with their milk, bread, six-packs, or whatever they needed to grab, three people were buying lottery tickets. As mentioned above, that's great! We certainly support the choice to dance with Lady Luck, and we wish everyone the best with their tickets.

Why Lottery Ticket Buyers Take So Long

But the truth is...those people buying lottery tickets needed some time to pick their numbers, or to choose the variety of scratch-offs they wanted. I get it, that takes time. At the same time, the rest of the people just kinda had to stand there, shifting their weight from one foot to the other, while their items began to weigh more heavily in their arms.

The Case for a Separate Lottery Line

Does it seem fair to make everyone else in East Texas wait in line for an extra long time while the few purchasing lottery tickets try to pick their numbers and casually ponder which various scratch-offs they want to add to their order?

I'm not one to complain, and likely neither are you. And again, this is nothing against people buying lottery tickets--GO FOR IT. It just makes sense that, whenever possible, we should find a way to let people trying to buy milk and bread get what they need without having to wait an extra 15 to 20 minutes.