h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You know the scenario; you're behind someone as you and they head for the same destination through a series of doors.

Do you keep saying 'thanks' for every door they don't slam in your face, or is the 1st time adequate? It seems rude to me to stay mute during the subsequent door encounters, but on the other hand, repeating the same word each time also sounds odd.

Or maybe you alter the pitch and intonation of each 'thanks'? Perhaps alternating it with a 'thank-you' or a jaunty 'cheers!' ? I usually peter out in both jauntiness and word length, ending up with a barely audible 'ta' as doors 4 and 5 are passed...

Fake an incoming phone call or text to let you pause just long enough to break the cycle.


I do think we overdo the courtesy rituals regarding doors. One of my personal petty hates is when I'm heading for a door and someone gets to it well ahead of me, like dozens of steps ahead of me, and holds it open for me. Now they've forced me (through perceived required reciprocal courtesy) to hasten my pace.

Personally, I only stand and hold a door if someone is either carrying a load, or arrives at the door just as I do. If someone is a few paces behind me, I go ahead and enter the door, but push the door open wider so that they can catch the door as I pass through it. If they're farther away than that, I just walk through it normally.

I wish others would show me this same amount of courtesy.


Oh, and no one should hold a door from the INSIDE of the door way. This is just awkward and annoying.

I reckon a friendly smile will do the job after the first thank you.


Didn't you post a similar question on askh2g2 a few years ago?

Oh yes, you did F19585?thread=651338

Wow, that's a blast from the past. I wouldn't even know how to find that conversation, or indeed have any recollection of having posted that. (I have it my head that the hootoo search function doesn't work that well, but this may have been fixed in recent times!).

It sounds like me though

I usually thank people anyway, the first time anyway if there's more than one door.

When my father and I are approaching a door, there's a gray area. We're both elderly, technically speaking, so either one could open the door first. In practice, my father goes at a steady speed. If he gets there first, fine.

At my work there are a series of doors very close together, some of which are keycode operated, so you really do end up closely following someone if you are both going the same way. So there isn't really the option to not hold the door for them; you would have to go out of your way to close them in their face! I'm really just wondering when folk consider it unnecessary to continue verbally thanking the person in front.

Thanking the person once should be enough.

Normally when I open a door for someone I stand back and let them go through first. If there is a second door they will reach it before me and it is up to them how to react.

I have spoken to woman who think it is an insult for a man to hold a door for them, thinking that it is to prevent them from touching the knob with 'unclean hands'

Personally I am as likely to hold a door for a man or a woman, especially if they are carrying packages or disabled in some way.

F S

Yes Winnoch - I thought someone had dug up the old thread.

You could ring the changes by saying "good morning" instead of "thank you".

For health reasons I walk very slowly. If someone some distance ahead holds the door open, I try to get them to let the door go. There's no way I'm going to speed up and I don't want to have them holding the door for the amount of time it will take me to reach them

The people who annoy me are the ones who can't be bothered to open a door for themselves. One shopping centre we visit from time to time has two rows of four doors. One door in each row is always open. Almost everyone heads for those doors. I can understand it when they have lots of shopping or they're pushing a pushchair or wheelchair, but a lot of them are empty-handed. Sometimes there's virtually a queue of people waiting to get through the open door rather than open one of the others.

I don't live in the big city, but I really appreciate revolving doors. Not only are they more energy efficient regarding A/C, they obviate all these issues of ritual courtesy.

I rather like those doors that open automatically when they sense my approach.

On a slightly different courtesy tack, I've had some work done on my house (a water ingress insurance job) and I've had on Monday two men removing asbestos, Tuesday a male plasterer and mate putting up a new ceiling, yesterday the plasterer back making everything pink and smooth. All left with something like "Cheers mate".

Today I had two women painters in. As they left, one of them said "Thanks for having us".

PP.

I like that, PP. Cheers mate can be goodbye as well as thank you. Thanks for having us is more like the old-fashioned "Thank you for your custom." Unless, of course, there was more to "having them" than just painting.

Nooooo! If there was I missed it!

PP.

You can't open Doors and light my fire at the same time.

People are strange around here.

I'll just use the backdoor, man.

"the backdoor man"? A new superhero?

Troubadour had a small cafe' in the Louisiana bayous. One day one of his customers came in and told him 'You have a fine four door building here.'

Troubadour looked at him and replied 'I only have two doors, the in front door and the behind door'

His friend bet him $20.00 to prove his point, Troubadour accepted.

'You have the in front door and the behind door true enough – You are Troubadour and that should count too – and that big brass spittoon is called a cuspidor -making four doors altogether.'

The host had to admit he was right and handed over his money.

'”Don't feel bad, just make the same bet with the next person to come in here and you will win your money back!'

When the next customer entered Troubadour was ready 'How do like my four door cafe'?'

The customer replied that there were only the in front door and the behind door, so he could only see the two of them. Troubadour placed his bet.

'I have the in front door, the behind door I am Troubadour - and – and that D#%*n brass spittoon just cost me $40.00 TODAY!

F S