UK shopping centre launches 'fast lane' to ease 'walk rage' this Christmas

A UK shopping centre has introduced a new "fast lane". Photo / Twitter

Being stuck behind crowds of dawdlers when you're in a hurry is one of the most annoying First World Problems there is.

But now, a UK shopping centre has launched a new strategy to help impatient shoppers avoid slow walkers — and the rage that goes with them.

The Lakeside Centre in Essex has introduced a 220 metre "fast lane" reserved for fast walkers only, just in time for the Christmas rush.

The centre is one of the largest in the UK, according to The Independent, the centre's management team said the lane would help shoppers "who know where they want to go quickly and don't want to get caught up behind leisurely shoppers on this busiest time of the retail year".

The fast lane was launched after a MasterCard survey found that 80 per cent of consumers found slow walkers to be their biggest annoyance while shopping.

The research also found that the average walking speed slowed down by 21 per cent during the Christmas trading period, as most shoppers spent more time window shopping and browsing during this period.

Queensland University of Technology retail expert Gary Mortimer said he wasn't surprised by the hype surrounding the launch of the fast lane, and thought the concept would appeal to shoppers Down Under as well as in the UK.

The fast lane seems like a clever idea.
Would be especially good for navigating the shopping centres this Christmas.https://t.co/AdlazA80if pic.twitter.com/2B8SlbeA0F

— Blair Hughes (@MrBlairHughes) November 30, 2017

"Crowded car parks and busy shopping centres tend to be two of the biggest gripes of shoppers over the festive season," he said. "I think the fast lanes are a novel approach, however I suspect it will be a bit like fast lanes on a highway, so it might end up being more trouble than it's worth.

"I think it's a great idea. Certainly it's a frustration of many shoppers trying to get through a mall from one retailer to the next without bumping into people.

"The idea is great and I think most shoppers in the UK will accept it and comply with it, however, how you police it, I don't know."

The MasterCard survey also identified the four most common types of shoppers.

They include "Skaters" — the 31 per cent of shoppers who try and manoeuvre their way through crowds politely, "Dodgers" — the 51 per cent of customers who move paths to avoid slow walkers, "Bulldozers", the 11 per cent who barge through crowds, and "Tutters", the 15 per cent who vocalise their frustrations with slow walkers.