Allow Them to Exit
While waiting to board, stand AWAY from the door opening. DO NOT board the car unless you are sure no one is getting off on your floor. If there is someone exiting, allow them to clear the door before attempting to board.
>> Continue to: Boarding – Check the Direction …
December 17th, 2005 at 8:50 am
look people, do not expect me to stand idly by while you exit the elevator. it is only acceptable to me that you exit the elevator PRIOR to it opening on my floor.
January 19th, 2006 at 10:23 am
WOULD ALLOW THE PERSON 2 STEP OUT I MEAN WHATS THE BIG DEAL?/
January 19th, 2006 at 10:47 am
Hey! It’s a me first mentality. Go ahead, barge right in as the doors open and fall over the person in the wheelchair or the senior with the walker. Knock those packages right out of the exiting passengers’ arms.
I’ve learned it’s a waste of breath revisiting elevator etiquette with transgressors and even makes me a fair target for their unhappiness and agression.
And many elevators now open and close so quickly, if you follow the rules you’ll find the doors closing in your face and you’d have to waste precious minutes calling the elevator all over again.
January 19th, 2006 at 1:48 pm
americanboomer you are as ignorant as they come. you probly push old ladies out of the way to get farther up in line. I hope those doors open up, you rush in, and fall down the shaft.
January 19th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
Everyone who is inconsiderate deserves what they get: misery, anxiety, unhappiness. americanboomer, this means you.
January 19th, 2006 at 5:27 pm
You should step aside to let people off the elevator. The people STILL ON the elevator should hold the door so that it does not close in your face.
January 19th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
All we need to do is to say “you first”…..it works well for me even in the Bronx or china town SF.
January 20th, 2006 at 12:58 pm
If you’ve studied Salmon at all you know we are genetically programmed to swim upstream. We can’t help it. So when the doors open there is no way we are going to stand back. We have to swim upstream through the exiting passengers.
January 22nd, 2006 at 12:47 pm
I am offended by the comments of american boomer. You see, I suffer from a total inability to recognize sarcasm. American Boomer, I’m disappointed in your lack of grace. If we are to ever meet in an elevator, I will politely greet you, seeing as I am very ettiquettiful, but I will secretly think you are a jerk. You have been warned my friend.
January 22nd, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Finally someone has expressed what I think is one of the most fundamental rules of elevator etiquette. I am overjoyed! I work in a hospital with elevators that are always crowded and it never ceases to astound me how often people stand right in front of the doors to board and walk forward as soon as the doors open, oblivious that almost always, there are people who need to exit. As far as elevator operations go, exiting stands hierarchically above entering. A small space needs to be evacuated into a much larger space. The same people make this mistake over and over and over, as if they just cannot conceive of the possibility that there exist other people than themselves, and an elevator, more likely than not contains passengers, some of which will need to exit. This behavior so poignantly demonstrates how wrapped up in their own heads and how unaware most people are in our society. It is a problem of awareness, or situational awareness if you prefer. So please, spread this gospel and make elevator riding a more pleasant experience for everyone.
January 22nd, 2006 at 6:10 pm
I find it sad that such obvious elevator etiquette is being disputed here.How on earth does one enter a small elevator that has people coming out of it ,without plowing into those people? Even if the elevator door is large enough to accomodate 2 way foot traffic,to be so pushy and not allow others to exit first is rude, crass and plain ignorant.In some instances it could be seen as assult.The correct etiqette for entering is ,obviously , to wait until the other passengers have exited the elevator,and if the doors start to close,guess what fancy pants,you can push the button,ya ,that’s right the SAME button that you push to call the elevator .”Salmon Says: We have to swim upstream through the exiting passengers.” Very cute Salmon,but, guess what ,YOU ARE NOT A FISH.Believe it or not ,humans have the ability to quickly assess a complex or simple situation,like whether they should move over or plow ahead into people exiting an elevator,and make decisions based on that assessment.Guess what,deciding to potentially hurt other human beings,by mindlessly plowing into them,does not reveal a stable ,thoughtful or civilized mind .On the plus side,it allows ,”us,”,thoughtful,rational civilized people,know who the loser ,mindless,ignorant idiots are.
Hilarious Americanboomer!!!! americanboomer Says:
December 17th, 2005 at 8:50 am
look people, do not expect me to stand idly by while you exit the elevator. it is only acceptable to me that you exit the elevator PRIOR to it opening on my floor.
February 6th, 2006 at 11:54 am
This entire site is hilarious!
February 6th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
I have to admit that when preparing to board an elevator I stand in front of the doors..if I see a person is going to exit the elevator I move aside and then enter.
February 7th, 2006 at 3:55 pm
I don’t see this issue addressed. What if you are a woman alone, waiting to board. The elevator opens and there is a lone man there. He may or may not be a bad guy. I think it’s best not to take chances, and I don’t board. But I sure feel like an idiot facing him and letting him know I think he’s a criminal and I’m afraid of him.
February 11th, 2006 at 9:17 am
Ah Maria, trust your 6th sense. Offending a complete stranger will not affect you the rest of your life …assault and rape will!!
February 12th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
Perhaps there should be an announcement, like there is on the London Underground (a.k.a. Subway!) ‘Please let passengers off first…’ In any case it’s only logical: I let the other guys walk off nicely, they in turn aren’t going to push/grope/pick my pockets etc.
February 14th, 2006 at 8:21 am
Hi there everybody
In Paris we tried to teach the few people who still didn’t know how to behave politely with getting in and out of the metro… A complete failure. Either you’ve been raised correctly or your parents didn’t provided you with the minimal amount of education. This website is therefore completely pointless, a rude bastard will always remain a rude bastard…
Moreover the standards are different all over the world, in some places (Zaragoza Spain) if you re board a bus after leaving it in order to make it easier for people who want to leave the bus to do so you’ll be considered as badly as a felon, in other places it seems that women believe they have a right to antagonize everyone because they feel so damn sexy and are sure that a mere male won’t be able to hold his horses, the bell won’t be functionning and the camera recording what happens in the car are broke… (I’m hammering my point home… sorry)
February 18th, 2006 at 6:27 pm
regular french guy Says:
February 14th, 2006 at 8:21 am,” the standards are different all over the world.”
True ,french guy, the standards are different from one country to the next,but what about plain old common sense,surely that translates across the globe? It is simply rude to barge into people as they exit a elevator/bus/taxi,and also counterproductive.How does one exit any elevator or bus if some nitwit is blocking the way? Oh right ,I should’ve guessed,you just walk right over them,how silly of me not to have realized that~!! French guy, I think there is more to it than just being a rude bastard, and although there are plenty of rude bastards to go around, I think it comes down to deliberate ignorance.People know better but they just don’t care. They don’t give a rats’ ass about anyone else’s level of comfort or feelings,let alone another persons ability to get on or off a bus , subway or elevator…. You see,we are just “too busy”(LOL) to think about the little details or trivialities of life,like being polite and courteous towards your fellow human being.Oh well ,c’est la vie.
April 24th, 2006 at 10:58 am
My reason for exploring this topic is a recent trip in my office from the basement to the 2nd floor. As I arrived and the door opened for me to exit a female from another department on the other side of the building rushed on and commented, “Excuse me, what happened to women first.”
June 9th, 2006 at 1:05 am
Anyone recall that episode of LA LAw where the bitchy old lawyer gets hers by stepping into the empty elevator shaft?
I say we should program ALL of the elevators so once a month the doors open well before the lift arrives. After a year there won’t be many of the obnoxious get-in-before-you-can-get-out types left and the rest of us can go back to a nice leisurely pace.
October 20th, 2006 at 7:43 am
politeness gets you everywhere…
April 15th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
I usually stand in the middle up front by the door-when the door opens-I dare anyone to push by my 6’5″ 270body to enter before I get off.
April 15th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
americanboomer you need to just stay home and hide away from the rest of the world. You are plain rude and self-centerered. The whole WORLD does NOT revolve around you and what you think is right. I feel for the people who come across you on a daily basis, elevator or not.
April 15th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
A tradition guideline is for men to enter the elevator 1st so that women can exit 1st. It is considered more courteous and safe for those closer to the door.
April 15th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Have been thought that the right way to step into elevators is Gentlemen first to make sure that it is safe for ladies to step in and so they would be able to hold the door open. Of Course, try to do that in NYC where some if not most women have never heard of the word “Chivalry”. You definitely would get more than a dirty look. Sad.
April 15th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
I do believe in letting others off of the elevator first before boarding first. That’s common courtesy.
April 15th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
What about the people who hide inside next to the buttons?, several times I’ve waited for someone to exit, then as soon as I start to step onto the elevator, they surprise me by stepping right in front of me–like they were trying to surprise me or something! I try to be curteous, but enoguh is enough, either get on or get off!!!
April 15th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
This rule is completely one-sided. Although the people boarding the elevator should wait for others to exit, the people exiting need to step lively. Sometimes it seems that people take their sweet time exiting. THAT is inconsiderate too. There have been many times when the exiters are so damn slow that the doors close before new people can get on. So, if I see someone dragging their ass getting off the elevator, I’m going in, whether they are out or not. They should pick up the pace, or get out of the way.
April 15th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
My wife is a great editor and immediately spotted “form” when it should be “from.” pbs
April 15th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
everyone, you know americanboomer was being sarcastic right? lol, how are they supposed to get off prior to getting on your floor? stop being so wound up. for God’s sake its an elevator. who the hell cares if someone gets offended because you pressed the button twice or squeeze in. i mean some of these doors close in lightning speed. take achill pill.
October 6th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I think this is one of the few rules that I encounter on a day to day basis. Why in gods name do these people rush the door when it opens. I can understand at 6 AM to do so because rarely does someone come down. But at lunch time? I mean common. Its been prevalent among women which is what I have seen the most (just from personal experience, no bias).
November 7th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
Listen, I’ve never ran over, or made the other Shulb side step when I barrel on the elevator. I’ve done this many times,and sometimes drunk. I can even manuver on with cocktail in hand, smile while we cross the threshold at the same time. Coming or going, buddy. Lets keep this thing moving!
June 13th, 2008 at 4:13 am
this rule actually makes sense… once everyone is off.. there will be more room for the people trying to board, not to mention, if there’s a crowd waiting to board, they will have a better sense at how many of them will be able to make it on.
June 25th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
When confronted with ignorance, I tend to be more ignorant! When approaching my exit floor I position myself in the middle of the door opening and CHARGE as soon as the doors part. I always win because that ignorant idiot ready to barge on is not expecting me to be charging off. And I usually have a snide remark ready such as let me off and there will be room for you to get on. Maybe there should be a web site for door holding rules also…..
August 4th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Why can’t people wait for you to get off the elevator before they board??? This really annoys me. I purposely stand right in the front middle of the door that is about to open (If I am in elevator by myslef)so people will have no choice but to wait. But wouldn’t you know it so idiot squeezed past me to get on elevator while I was trying to get off and had the nerve to grunt at me. How rude.