A Debate Over Separate Lottery Ticket Lines in Texas Convenience Stores

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

We wanted to ask people in Longview and Tyler, Texas if this is something they've ever wondered since we've been hearing more about this as of late. Granted, some stores do offer a separate line, but those don't seem to be the norm.

Here's the thing: Yeah, 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! Some of us at the station have talked about going in and getting a few as a group.

That being said, it may be kinder to the rest of the convenience store shoppers in Texas if they didn't have to wait for a significant amount of time on those of us who are lottery ticket buyers.

We're not talking about those who come in and know exactly what they want. But some people seem to stand and ponder every possibility as if that tired Mom or Dad isn't standing there behind them after a long day at work.

Recently, I was at one of our many convenience stores in Tyler, Texas. It was after 5 on a Friday. So, it was fairly 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 to the house to start their weekends. However...

This is a huge pet peeve when it comes to shopping at our East Texas convenience stores.

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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 in line 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.

At the same time, those people buying lottery tickets needed some time to pick their numbers or to choose the variety of scratch-offs they wanted.

And so, 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.

Do you think it's right to make everyone else 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?

This is nothing against people buying lottery tickets whatsoever. It seems to some of us that, whenever possible, we should find a way to let people just trying to buy milk and bread get what they need without having to wait for an extra 15 to 20 minutes.