It seems there are a few possible wear-points: shifter-handle on the upper column, shift box on the lower column (in the engine compartment), and gear selector "fingers" on the inside of the cover plate on the transmissions.
One way I often avoided this problem (which seemed to occur most often from 3rd to 1st) was to push in the clutch and mover the shifter mechanism to second, and then to first. All my friends used to know how to jump out, open the hood, and move the shift lever.
