I Queued For Minions

That’s right I did.

I was supposed to meet my friend for breakfast and reached McDonald’s at 9.20am, 10 minutes early for my appointment. My plan was to purchase the Happy Meal and get the toys for Phoebie after my breakfast date. But when I saw the queue already forming when I got there, my plan changed.

Counting from the beginning of the queue, I was probably one of the first 15 in line. While queuing, I sent a text message to my friend and told her what happened. Later, when she arrived with her daughter, she told me it was okay because she could have some mother-daughter breakfast time (she has a baby boy at home).

I was very grateful because my friend bought me breakfast as I waited in line.

These people were with me at the very front portion of the queue.

I noticed a lot of grandparents queuing up. The lady behind me said she was queuing so that her grandchildren can have the toys they like. I told her that I know when she sees her grandchildren happy, her queue is worth it. She smiled.

Slightly after 10am, the McDonald’s staff started giving out coupons for the number of Minions each person in line is allowed to buy.

Another staff later came along with an order form to help facilitate the speed at the counter later. Here was my order, one happy meal for Phoebie, and the other 2 sets to be donated to MINDS.

At about 10.55am, the queue started moving and the counter was ready to sell the many happy meals people were going to order to get the Minions.

As the queue moved, I turned and saw the super duper long queue that had formed behind me. If anyone knows Hougang Mall, the queue went from McDonald’s, past Tori-Q and I heard someone say that the queue stretched round the building to OCBC.

Once inside McDonald’s, the staff directed those in line to the counters in an orderly manner. I could see the looks on those who were there not for the Minions and they looked annoyed at the queue. But the McDonald’s staff did direct them to join the normal queue, so that they didn’t have to wait like those in line for the Minions. I must say that I thought the staff handled everything quite well.

There everyone was, most of them leaving with boxes of Happy meal. I also saw a lot of adults dining in with the boxes on their tables.

The staff had the drinks all packed and ready so that the sales can be as quick as possible.

And here is Phoebie, happy with the Minions of the week, making my 1hour 40minutes queue all worthwhile.

We missed the first 3 Minions but Phoebie looks happy with the 6 she now has.

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As per any long queues that form in Singapore, people sent in pictures to Stomp and wrote all kinds of things about it. Some criticize McDonald’s for giving away toys with their meals that create long queues time and again. Others “pity” those who queue. Some say people who queue are throwing their money away, and there are those who think that people who queue are simply being foolish.

This was my first time queuing for something that McDonald’s gives away with its meals. If it had been bad at handling queues before, I would think that it has come a long way. And surely one can’t blame a company for promoting merchandise that brings in the profits. Which company doesn’t want to make money? The important thing is how they handle the queues and improve with experience.

And McDonald’s now allows customers to donate meals they may not to MINDS, so as to minimize food wastage. Customers get the toys they want, children who may be under-privileged get a treat of a McDonald’s Happy meal. It’s a win-win, if you ask me.

I certainly cannot vouch for every single person in the queues but I know why I was there – to get some toys that my daughter likes and to see her happy. I am sure those grandparents I met this morning were thinking the same of their grandchildren.

So, no, I do not think I am pitiful for queuing, nor do I feel foolish or that I was throwing my money away. I am a willing party who queued, I donated the meals I didn’t need so that there will not be food wastage. My daughter got the Minion toys that she is currently into and is happy. I certainly don’t feel pitiful or foolish about that.

This whole queuing for Minions is no different from people who queue for IT sales, clothes sales and conventions of all kinds. People who queue find value in what they do because of what they will have at the end of the day.

And don’t just be too quick to say you won’t be “foolish” enough to queue for something, because I think I once said something like that, and look what happened today. 😉