In: Operations Management
In a grocery store, there is one cashier counter. Customers arrive at the cashier counter according to a Poisson process. The arrival rate is 30 customers per hour. The service time is exponentially distributed. The mean service time is 1 minute 30 seconds.
What is the expected waiting time?
Question: In a grocery store, there is one cashier counter. Customers arrive at the cashier counter according to a Poisson process. The arrival rate is 30 customers per hour. The service time is exponentially distributed. The mean service time is 1 minute 30 seconds.
Answer:
Given that:
Arrival Time () = 30 per hour
Service Time () = 1.3 minutes = 60 / 1.3 = 46.1538461538 = 46.15 per hour (rounded**)
Now:
The expected waiting time is:
Wq = / ( - )
Therefore:
Wq = 30 / 46.15 x (46.15 - 30)
Wq = 30 / 46.15 x 16.15
Wq = 30 / 745.3225
Wq = 0.04025103227 = 0.0403 hour (or) 2.418 minutes
**Note: Since you have not provided any rounding description, i have rounded "Service Time" to two decimals for this calculation. Refer accordingly.