Get Out of the Way
When standing between someone trying to exit and the door, do your best to move out of the way for them. If necessary, exit the elevator, allow them to leave and re-board.
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January 19th, 2006 at 5:57 am
What if I get stuck with them? I hate getting stuck in an elevator…
January 19th, 2006 at 9:18 am
I’m on the last page now and I haven’t seen any rules about what to do when stuck in a malfunctioning elevator. If you’re stuck for hours, is that an exception to the “no using the elevator as a toilet” rule? Or the “no sex” rule? If you must give someone a boost up to the escape hatch, should men go first? Is it acceptable to touch a lady’s bottom in that case? Is it acceptable to look up her dress? If the elevator is stuck between floors, should the man go out first to make sure the elevator won’t slip and slice him in half, or should he allow a lady to escape first and incur that same risk?
January 19th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
Good questions ‘represser’, what DO we do in case of emergencies?
Most of us already have the common courtesies ingrained in us from our youth, except for maybe americanboomer…
In fact, meeting up with americanboomer at an elevator just might fall into the category of ‘What-do-we-do-in-case-of-an- emergency’! ;D
January 19th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Great site, but what about grain elevators? There are rules and regulations there too you know!
January 19th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Did you know that the elevator was invented in Eleva, Wisconsin?
January 22nd, 2006 at 1:29 pm
If you are stuck in an elevator how long is an appropriate time to wait before resorting to cannibalism? I say thirty five minutes. Anyone?
January 25th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
Really, I would recommend checking cannibalismrules.com for that… Sheesh!
January 27th, 2006 at 10:44 pm
Are there any rules for elevator shoes?
February 12th, 2006 at 1:39 am
Somebody has way too much time on their hands!
February 12th, 2006 at 12:39 pm
For emergency situations (including those locked-out stairways!):
There exists a mathematical proof that, in situations where cannibalism is necessary for survival, and you want the greatest number of people to survive, the heaviest should get eaten first. This of course puts us Brits at a natural advantage in the USA…
February 25th, 2006 at 5:32 am
Americans – Cannibalism. It would have to be a huge elevator to get two Americans in it at the same time.
February 27th, 2006 at 5:55 am
Hmm…Cannibalism.
If a group of us were stuck in a lift I guess Elevador, A. Britt, gee, granny, buster, bobby joe, buiding engineer dan and I would probably band together and eat american boomer, Tim, Manny and(not the official)elevator rules in that order.
Or, we could just eat Salmon.
March 11th, 2006 at 11:47 pm
Being a man of personal experience. It is required to attack and eat before you get chosen as the meal. I reccomend to start salavating as soon as you get on the elevator, and at the first sign of emergency, start gnawing. For even better results try a pre-emptive strike and start bringing silverware onto the elevator(not the cheap stuff… real silver). this will help you to avoid being dead meat, pun-intended…Or you could take the stairs. With so many rules, the elevator now scares me in quite a few ways.
April 24th, 2006 at 10:08 am
Of course none of these are really “rules”, they’re all just social norms, and most of us know them intuitively. Besides, if you want to try a norm-breaking experiment, elevators are perhaps the easiest and most amusing! Just do everything this site says not to.
May 24th, 2006 at 3:52 am
just because i live in america doesnt mean im fat. although its becoming that way… way too fast
July 20th, 2006 at 4:31 pm
Bozzie – unlike in most of Europe, Americans know how to make elevators large enough for more than 3 people, and have them actual work. The whole “let’s build one person lifts” idea never really caught on in America…go figure.
April 15th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Kaia – Bozzie means that Americans are fat. Which we are. Well, I’m not. Like the other portion of America, I’m a bone-thin anorexic. Go figure.
April 15th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
“Americans – Cannibalism. It would have to be a huge elevator to get two Americans in it at the same time.”
Ok, have you actually been to America? Yes, there are a quite a few that are, but the vast majority isn’t. There is a difference between being “overweight” according to some statistics and being “fat.” Please don’t stereotype, as it offends people.
April 15th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
OK, so no sex at all? NONE?
November 17th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Very much fun, reading this site, from Americanboomer to farmer Jack. Lois was pretty much at the top.
Y’all are a riot, especially you who don’t have a clue
November 20th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Get out of the way? You mean like move to let others off the elevator?
I don’t understand.
December 18th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
It’s funny how Americans get all upset and whiney when you insinuate that they might not be perfect.
January 23rd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
i love all these self righteous, holier than thou responses to americanboomer’s obvious humor.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Actually here in the good ol US we learned how to make stuff work and make em big. You know like refrigerators and elevators.
December 7th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
This is site is very useful if you dont understand how to socialize or you are very introverted.
AS for the comments about americans, we do have a bad eating habit and should change our diets. Its unhealthy!
For those Brits who are leaving comments have you seen your own teeth! let me know and ill send you to a great dentist in America! they can really help you with that =P
Sterotypes are bad, and this isnt my impression but it is a sterotype of Brits.
We could all do a little change in our habits.