Queuing Dilemma@Kool Foods
Hyderabad-based Kool Foods is a dairy parlor that serves dairy products for half the cost charged by other local dairy product suppliers in the region. When the dairy parlor was started, 2 years ago in mid-2012, it was an instant hit with the customers and in a short span of time Kool Foods had opened three more outlets in the city.
Kool Foods had a simple system in place wherein, customers selected the products in a basket and paid at the counter to finish the purchase process (Exhibit I). Initially, the speed at which the customers were served during the peak business hours (morning and evening hours) was outstanding, with minimum waiting time ranging only a couple of minutes.
Within few months, Harish Bhargava (Bhargava), the owner of Kool Foods, observed that the waiting time of his customers in the queue kept increasing as the days progressed. Sometimes, few customers even complained of the long waiting hours. There was only one service cash counter and product packing counter...........
Assignment Questions
I. Discuss the waiting line concept and how it helps in decision-making.
II. .................
Exhibits
Exhibit I : Kool Foods: An Overview