During Ramadan in 2022, bakery lines lengthened in Tunisia as people sought bread for the meal after sunset. A 44-year-old clothing seller told a reporter that if one bakery lacked the quantity he wanted, he went to another and chose whichever had the shortest queue. Rising wheat costs and shortages of basic ingredients had closed some bakeries, concentrating demand at those still operating.
Bread during the fasting month is not a purchase that can be postponed indefinitely. It needs to reach the table for the evening meal, so the length of the queue shapes the time available to return home. Customers compared bakeries, reading both stock and waiting time as they moved through the city.
In this line, finding the shortest queue becomes part of shopping itself. A global wheat shortage is translated into a small decision measured by the minutes before sunset and the number of people standing ahead.