In February 2020, a shortage of US dollars in Suriname left many exchange offices unable to sell the currency, or able to offer only small amounts. Local reporting found one exchange where customers could buy up to US$300, but only after a long wait.
A currency queue carries a special uncertainty: people may not know whether notes will still be available when their turn arrives. Even reaching the counter does not guarantee the amount requested, while the exchange rate can move during the wait. An invisible shortage in foreign-currency reserves becomes visible as time spent one customer at a time.