Hold The Door!
Why do
people always yell “Hold the door” at elevators?
When I
worked in the City, our building had eight high speed elevators on every
floor. Every building I visited had
multiple elevators on every floor. If
you missed an elevator, there was another one opening in about three seconds.
Why is there
always someone yelling “Hold the door?”
To make it
worse, there is always someone who jams his hand in the closing door so the
idiot yelling “Hold the door” doesn’t have to wait that extra three
seconds.
Meanwhile,
every one on the elevator has to wait the extra three seconds, plus the time to
“Hold the door!”
I know it is
not much, but things like this always bothered me. Why are people so impatient and also willing
to make others wait because of their impatience?
The other
day we were staying at a motel. Our room
was on the fourth floor. There were only
two elevators. They were very slow
elevators. The elevators always stopped
on every floor. When we were in the
lobby it took at least 5 minutes waiting for the elevator to come take us to the
fourth floor. Five minutes is about a
half an hour in elevator waiting time.
By the
second day of out stay, when we were coming into the lobby and needed the
elevator, if I saw the door start to close, I yelled “Hold the door!”
I thought
back to when I worked in the City and those people yelling “Hold the door”
used to bother me so much; I realized, a lot of people at work lived in an
apartment with only one or two very slow elevators. When an elevator was available you would not want
to miss it. Yelling “Hold the door”
was an instinctive reaction.
I get it
now.
Sometimes, when
things make no sense to us, it is because of experiences we have not
endured. I now understand why people
yell, “Hold the door!”
I do not
understand why people always push the close button when the door is going to
close automatically whether they push that button or not.
Sometimes there
is a rational reason for behavior; sometimes people are just stupid!
Now I know what I was doing wrong.... I should have shouted Hold the Door instead of suffering a long wait for the next lift to appear.
ReplyDeleteI've never understood the close button either. Maybe they're in a hurry and want the elevator to get moving right now. I've never yelled hold the door in my life. If the doors are closing, I just wait for the next one. I'm usually early for any appointment, so I have the time to spare.
ReplyDeleteAnd why do people keep pushing the darned button multiple times? Do they think that'll make the elevator come faster...?
ReplyDeleteI had many ups and downs in life when I worked as an elevator attendant in a huge office block in London.
ReplyDeletePeople always asked me, "What time is it?" as they looked at their watch to check. I got fed up with all their asking, so I put a clock in the elevator.
People then started asking "Is this clock right?" as they checked their watches for accuracy. This made me more annoyed. So eventually I took away the clock.
People then asked, "Where is the clock that used to be there? Do you have the right time?"
As I said, life was difficult then. Especially when the elevator was crowded and someone broke wind. I think farting in an elevator is wrong on so many levels.
God bless.
Eventually I
Gonna have to change the name of your blog to Wise Old Man if you're not careful.
ReplyDeletethis is realty that every one has different experience dear Joe and this is obvious that our experience and observations shape our opinion or our reaction to different actions
ReplyDeletereally few people have ability to be another's shoes and can imagine his problems
we learn the reason behind their actions when we get there where they were earlier
still it mostly depends upon one's nature whether he is humble like you to admit or hide it behind his ego
I do not believe I have ever said "hold the door' either at work or in the various apartments I have lived in. Then again, I was never in a rush to get to work lol.
ReplyDeleteI have never had to yell, hold the door! In fact when I saw the title, I immediately thought of Game of Thrones, which you would have had to watch to understand the reference. I remember a class I had that was on the third floor, for the first half of class I schlepped up the stairs until I spied the elevator and decided to spare myself the pain of going up the stairs in heels.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time people are just stupid. It's an epidemic of late.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day and weekend, Joe. ♪♫♪♫
You basically wrote my comment in the last part of your post. I have never seen a fast elevator. Most make you take to the stairs they take so long. So glad you saw the light.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I'm not fond of elevators. I've been stuck in a few, not for very long, but usually when I was alone. I try to avoid them if at all possible. I don't think I ever have yelled "hold the door" but I could see if being beneficial especially if waiting for a very slow elevator.
ReplyDeletebetty
We are all so impatient.
ReplyDeleteI too worked in the City. I stood at the elevator banks because I missed the elevator due to not yelling, hold the door. I just waited for the next one. The next one came, the elevator opened and it was full of very, very, very tall men. I got in the elevator and said hello boys - are short people allowed? They all laughed. They got off the floor of MSG and only then as they were departing did I realize these were NY knicks. (Had they been NYY I would have known them.)
ReplyDeleteThat is a funny story!
DeleteWe all know that pushing the button doesn't make the door close any faster, but it makes us feel better to be doing something than to just be standing there waiting while that elevator door takes so long to close.
ReplyDeleteAnd in these days of microwaves being too slow, waiting for anything takes "forever" and most of us don't want to have to wait ever.
Around here, nobody yells "Hold the door!" I guess that's because everyone holds the door, whether you want them to or not. I'd just as soon wait for a less-occupied elevator, but the self-appointed door-holder and button-pusher always tries to entice me onto the full one, even when I say I'll wait.
ReplyDeleteI've never had to say hold the door, but a few times some nice people would hold it for me.
ReplyDeleteThere have been times when I wished that close door button actually worked especially if we've already got a good amount of people in the elevator or if I'm the only one in the elevator and some sketchy people walk up. I just jump off the elevator then. I don't know that they'll do anything but I don't know that they won't.
ReplyDeleteSo...the motel did not have stairs???
ReplyDelete