Record Store Day in Britain sends collectors to participating independent shops for limited releases, often before opening time. A 2011 account documented customers queuing outside a London record store and pursuing records available specifically for the event.
The official rules prohibit reservations: stock is sold in person on a first-come, first-served basis, generally one copy of each title per customer, with online sales delayed until after the event. The line is therefore not merely a side effect of popularity. It is part of a system designed to bring buyers into independent shops and allocate scarce records according to visible order at the door.