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At 27 Minutes, Russians Wait in Line the Longest

People spend an average of 27 minutes waiting in line in Russia, longer than anywhere else in Europe, according to a new survey.

Russia's dismal showing is mainly because of long lines at post offices and banks, as well as the fact that workers at places where Russians line up never do anything to reduce the lines, said Oksana Aulchenkova, head of the Nextep marketing company, which carried out the survey.

Italy had the second worst result, with lines taking 14 minutes on average, while Sweden and Britain provided the fastest services, with two- and three-minute lines, respectively.

The 18-country study examined lines in grocery stores, banks, post offices, drug stores, fast food restaurants, bus stops and train stations.

The average time that Europeans spend in a line has doubled from five to 10 minutes since 2008, the survey said.

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