What is a Stanchion?
What is a stanchion? The Dictionary.com definition of a stanchion is: An upright bar, beam, post, or support, as in a window, stall, ship, etc.. What many people don’t know is that it also refers to the posts and belts used to create a queueing corral. Despite their usefulness, most people hardly notice these essential tools in their daily environments. For instance, when waiting in line at a nightclub, rope stanchions create orderly queues and help the bouncer manage the crowd. Similarly, at an airport, retractable belt stanchions guide travelers through check-in and security areas, ensuring smooth and efficient movement even during peak hours. While often overlooked, stanchions play a crucial role in maintaining order and enhancing safety in a wide range of public settings.
Why You Need Stanchions
Any organization that has customers coming in and requires them to wait for service needs stanchions. Stanchions help create a clear and easy to understand way of creating waiting lines which reduce customer stress and increase customer satisfaction. Stanchions play a pivotal role in implementing the key principles of good customer queue management. Some of the key principles include:
First-in, First-out (FIFO) and Organization: This principle ensures that the first people in the queue get served first, promoting fairness and predictability. Stanchions organize customers in a way that they can tell who is in front of them and who is behind them. Once in a queue formed by stanchions the customer can relax because they know they will be served when they are next in line. Without stanchions there isn’t a clear line, and customers can just cut in front of one another creating unnecessary stress. Having a stanchion formed line also makes it easy for customers joining the line to know where the end is.
Queue Length Management: Keeping track of the number of people in a queue helps employees determine wait times and plan resources. It also aids in crowd management and ensuring safety. Having waiting customers organized with stanchions makes it easier for staff to monitor the number of waiting customers and adjust the number of service positions in use as required.
These principles and more are key in increasing customer satisfaction. Furthermore, by implementing these principles with stanchions, businesses can significantly improve operational efficiency and improve how easily each principle can be met.
Setting Up A Queue
Setting up a queue involves several key steps to ensure efficiency and customer satisfaction. First, choose an appropriate location that allows enough space for people to line up without obstructing other areas. Next, use stanchions to create a clear path, guiding customers from the entry point to the service area. Signage should be used at the start and end of a queue to notify customers with relevant information like “Line Starts Here” or “Wait Here Until Called”. Arrange the stanchions in a way that maximizes space, such as a zigzag or serpentine pattern, to accommodate more people in a smaller area.
Different Kind of Stanchions
Now that we know what they do and how to set them up, let’s dive into which stanchion you should buy. There are many different types of stanchions, and they all vary in what they do, how they do it and what they are made of. Each stanchion has its own niche, and it is important to note which stanchion you need and what you need it for.
Post and Rope: First, you have the Post and Rope stanchions. These stanchions give a more elegant look akin to a fancy hotel, club or red carpet event. These stanchions are made up of a vertical post, a finial (post top) and a base. The finial choices are Ball Top, Crowd Top, and Flat Top. The post can be found in: Black, Satin Stainless, Polished Stainless, Satin Brass, and Polished Brass and the ropes materials are Velour, Naugahyde, and Twisted Polypropylene in a range of colors. The most popular combinations are a Crown Top polished stainless post with a red Velour rope. In Polished Brass the Ball Top is more popular either with a red or maroon Velour rope.
Retractable: These stanchions are the best selling on the market, used by many retail stores, movie theaters, sports stadiums etc. Retractable belt stanchions excel at being versatile in regard to the crowd type and size. If there is a big crowd you can extend the belt to the full length ranging from 8.5 ft to 16 ft based on the stanchion you purchase. These stanchions make use of an automatic retracting system that winds the belt inside the post when not in use. This makes the retractable belt stanchion a far more convenient option for setting up queueing systems.
Safety Stanchions: Safety stanchions are retractable belt stanchions specifically designed for use as safety barriers rather than for queueing. They are mainly used in hazardous areas such as work sites, construction zones or areas where machinery is present. These stanchions are typically made out of plastic, but at Crowd Control Depot we make ours out of steel, ensuring a long lasting product that doesn’t need to be replaced. Our safety stanchions are also powder coated to increase their resistance against rust and corrosion. Safety stanchions come in high visibility yellow, red, and orange each indicating different levels of danger. Yellow for caution, red for danger and orange for construction or moving equipment.
Conclusion
Stanchions are vital tools for managing crowds either to form waiting lines or to restrict access. They provide a clear and organized way of directing customer flow, adhering to key principles of queueing that enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. From the elegant post and rope stanchions for upscale events to the versatile retractable stanchions used in retail and entertainment venues, and the durable safety stanchions for hazardous areas, each type serves a specific purpose. By utilizing stanchions, businesses can effectively manage queues, optimize service rates, and create a safer, more pleasant experience for both customers and staff.
If you want to see more products like this one be sure to check out our other Post and Rope
If you want to see more products like this one be sure to check out our other Belt Stanchions
If you want to see more products like this one be sure to check out our other Safety Barriers
