Editing Waiting room (section)

==Order in private rooms==
[[File:ASC Leiden - Coutinho Collection - E 38 - Infirmary in Candjambary, Guinea-Bissau - Waiting room - 1974.tif|thumb|Medical open air waiting room. Infirmary at Canjambari, [[Guinea-Bissau]], 1974]]
People in private waiting rooms are [[queue area|queued]] up based on various methods in different types of waiting rooms. In hospital [[emergency department]] waiting areas, patients are [[triage]]d by a nurse, and they are seen by the doctor depending on the severity of their medical condition. In a doctor's or dentist's waiting room, patients are generally seen in the order in which their appointments are for, with the exception of emergency cases, which get seen immediately upon their arrival.  In [[Canada]], where there is publicly-provided health care, controversy has arisen when some important people or celebrities have [[queue jumping|jumped the line]] (which is supposed to be based on the appointment order or by severity of condition). In some government offices, such as motor vehicle registration offices or social assistance services, there is a "first-come, first-served" approach in which clients take a number when they arrive. The clients are then seen in the order of their number. In the 2010s, some government offices have a [[triage]]-based variant of the first-come, first-served approach, in which some clients are seen by the [[civil servant]]s faster than others, depending on the nature of their service request and/or the availability of civil servants. This approach can lead to frustration for clients who are waiting, because one client who has been waiting for 30 minutes may see another client come in, take a number, and then be seen within five minutes.

In car repair businesses, clients typically wait until their vehicle is repaired; the service manager can only give an estimate of the approximate waiting time. Clients waiting in the entrance or waiting area of a [[restaurant]] for a table normally are seated based on whether they have [[Table reservation|reservations]], or for those without reservations, on a first-come, first-served approach; however, important customers or celebrities may be put to the front of the line. In restaurants, customers may also be able to [[queue jumping|jump the line]] by giving a large [[gratuity]] or [[bribe]] to the [[maitre d'hotel]] or [[head waiter]]. Some restaurants which are co-located with or combined with a retail store or gift shop ask customers who are waiting for a table to browse in the merchandise section until their table's availability is announced on a [[PA system]] or via a [[pager]]; this strategy can lead to increased purchases in the retail part of the establishment. One combination restaurant/store is the US [[Cracker Barrel]] chain. Some restaurants ask customers who are waiting for a table to sit in the restaurant's bar or its licensed lounge area; this approach may lead to increased sales of [[alcoholic beverage]]s.

Waiting rooms may be staffed or unstaffed. In waiting rooms that are staffed, a [[receptionist]] or administrative staffer sits behind a desk or counter to greet customers/clients, give them information about the expected waiting period, and answer any questions about their appointment time or the appointment process. In doctors' or dentists' waiting rooms, the patients may be able to make additional appointments, pay for appointments, or deal with other administrative tasks with the receptionist or administrator. In [[police station]]s, [[check cashing store|check cashing stores]], and some government waiting rooms, the receptionist or administrator is behind a plexiglass barrier, with either small holes to permit communication, or, in higher-security settings, a microphone and speaker. In reception areas with a plexiglass barrier, there may be a heavy-duty drawer to enable the client to provide money or papers to the receptionist and for the receptionist to provide documents to the client. The plexiglass barrier and the drawer system help to protect the receptionists from aggressive or potentially violent clients.