Up, Down, and Across the Floor
I got back from lunch today and waited in my lobby for the elevator to arrive. Three of us got in after letting the elevator's occupants out.
As we waited for the doors to close, one of my fellow elevator occupants noticed two women coming through the front door of the building, and proceeded to hold the door open for them.
These women continued their walk through the lobby, then got into the elevator, never once breaking their conversation for any reason at all.
This conversation ensued when only door-holding guy and I were left in the elevator:
Me: Don't you hate it when you hold the door for someone and they just continue to walk at their normal pace? Like without even trying to speed up for you?
Guy: [chuckles] Yeah...
Me: Or when they don't even bother to thank you for holding the door for them!
Guy: Yeah, that bugged me more than the walking to the elevator. Bitches.
[We both laugh.]
I'm glad I'm not the only one who still thinks there's a protocol to be followed when it comes to elevators.
** UPDATE: (6:56 pm) So I just noticed that Wonkette linked to this post, driving an unprecedented amount of traffic here. Yay. Thanks. But then when I went there the blurb of me was quite snarky. Harumph.
8 comments:
I usually only hold doors if someone is near the elevator. I know this sounds rude, but I don't expect people to hold it for me if they see me entering the lobby- and if they do, i would run and say 'thank you', or, I might say 'thanks, I'll take the next one'. It's situations like yours that make me want to get a stun gun more and more ;-)
ever seen that episode of curb your enthusiasm? where Larry holds the door for a girl at his dr.'s office, only to be forced to wait an hour behind her while she's in with the doctor. he later says, "My days of elevator etiquette are over."
don't let yourself get jaded like Larry David.
Please keep holding doors open for me. I'll smile and say thanks! I promise. In college the door to the main hall where I worked and had several classes was this huge, old wooden door. When you let that door go it slammed shut fast and hard. It could lop off a limb if you weren't alert. Everyday at the same time, a certain professor (female (as am I) and apparently under the impression that she was the only person in the world) would open the door, walk in the building with me right behind her and drop that door on me. No amount of yelping, bleeding, or swearing ever got that woman's attention. Now, I always check behind me to make sure I'm not dropping a door on someone or letting an elevator door slam on someone. Usually, I get a smile, which is a rare and happy thing from strangers, down-town during business hours.
I didn't think it was snarky, just clever. Nice site ;)
Etiquette seems to be a topic in the blog world lately. I always hold doors and elevators and what not, but if you're more than 10 feet away, I don't usually wait because I know it will only piss me off when you don't say thank you.
I brought this up elsewhere, but will bring it up here again because it bugs me. Guys, particularly young guys who take a seat on the metro while women, particularly older women are forced to stand. I know we can't promise seats to all women, but if the woman is considerably older than you and you have absolutely no physical condition preventing you from standing, give her your seat. Maybe that's old fashioned or maybe I was just raised with some manners...but I typically will give up my seat to someone who's older, man or woman. I wouldn't let my parents stand, so why should I let someone else's. Then again, I grew up in a world where you always called adults by their last names and you were taught to say thank you to everything. I will say I am guilty of keeping my seat if the female in question is my age or so. After all, I am a gay man...its not like I'm trying to get laid.
Wonkette's a bitch. Seriously.
I want snarky love! This kinda shit never happens to me! Fuck.
Oh, I'm happy for you, by the way. :p
I will admit that my natural reaction when I step into an elevator is to select my floor and *immediately* press the "door close" button. This is regardless of whether I see anyone casually strolling through the lobby (or perhaps in spite of, as I've had the same experience described in the post). Ideally, it's just me and I've got an express ride, don't have to make small talk, or jockey for personal space. If I'm sharing the car, I secretly hope my companion is heading for a higher floor. And, to be fair, I never would expect a person in the car to hold it for me if I appear to be casually strolling through the lobby. Because I'm not, really; I'm dragging my feet, hoping you will let the door close and I can claim the next car for myself.
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