The unwritten rules of riding the elevator

GonzoStyle · 10-19-2005, 12:45 AM

This has been one of those unimportant but puzzling questions that have been bothering me for years but I never really asked cause the moment passes usually.

For years I have noticed this trend of elevator rule but I wondered if it's just an anomoly, this applies to apartment buildings not work elevators like in big office buildings, cause I have no experience with those. When you're going up or down no matter which way and it stops on a certain floor and the person asks "up or down?", if they're going the opposite way then 9 out of 10 times they close the door and wait. I never understood it, is it somehow impolite? Are you disturbing the other persons ride, is it an offense?

I mean in reality you are wasting time because the elevator now has to make an extra stop to come back to where you are, instead of you having got on and then made the trip straight.

Did I miss some rule of elevator riding where you're not allowed to get on, if its not going your way? Plus you get to keep an eye on things, make sure the asshole doesn't push all the buttons and make your wait longer, or doesn't close the door properly, etc. I never ask and always get on, yet these assholes always make sure to announce "going up", yeah I don't care. I never do that and the load rags fuckin stand there and wait a few seconds then do the stupid up or down signal with their fingers, along with saying it, incase I miss the gesture.

fbd · 10-19-2005, 12:50 AM

well if there are two or three elevators, it makes sense to wait for the one going the right way...but with one, no idea

Keyser Soze · 10-19-2005, 12:50 AM

i dont bother. whats more interesting to me is whether in a packed elevator the people closest to the buttons asks the people getting on what number they need. im a pretty nice person, so i usually ask, but some people are real pricks and dont bother. i also wonder how far away a person has to be to not hold the elevator for them. its a slippery slope.

crx girl · 10-19-2005, 12:51 AM

isn't that why they have the little arrows above them that light up in the direction. if i'm going down and it's going up, why would i get on and ride all the way up when it's going to stop on the way back down, and if there's more than one elevator a down one will probably come first anyway. but i've mostly only experienced office elevators outside of my dorm in college and in that place it was always safer to take the stairs.

GonzoStyle · 10-19-2005, 12:55 AM

the closing of the doors depends on my mood at the time, if its in my building then it depends on which neighbor it is. there's no fancy arrows on the elevators here it's brooklyn, you're lucky if theres lights inside the elevator.

As far as pressing buttons for others, only they're carrying bags or something otherwise fuck them, they got fingers. What busts my balls is when you get these hoity toity twats who are standing in front of you and even if you got 20 bags in your hand they will wait until you open the fuckin elevator door. What is this fuckin Now Voyager, i'm not a fuckin gentleman and we're not fucking so open it bitch.

Galt · 10-19-2005, 01:25 AM

Why would you stand in a place going further away from your destination than stand in one place remaining how far you are from your destination?

Stepping in also adds variability. What if the the elevator gets stuck? If there is more than one elevator, what if you going for a joy ride makes you miss the second elevator? What is someone else gets in beneath you and makes an additional stop and slows you down even further.

The Sleeper · 10-19-2005, 02:18 AM

Quote:I mean in reality you are wasting time because the elevator now has to make an extra stop to come back to where you are, instead of you having got on and then made the trip straight.

not if you already pressed the "down" button. it's not like the elevator knows you got on it.

Goatweed · 10-19-2005, 02:22 AM

I dont ride in crowded elevators, I like a little space.

GonzoStyle · 10-19-2005, 03:38 AM

The Sleeper Wrote:
Quote:I mean in reality you are wasting time because the elevator now has to make an extra stop to come back to where you are, instead of you having got on and then made the trip straight.

not if you already pressed the "down" button. it's not like the elevator knows you got on it.

but if you get on then the trip back down will be straight down cause the elevator already stopped, by not getting on you're making the same wait either way while it goes up but it's an extra stop to re-pick you up again. It has to stop on the floor you are on again.

crx girl · 10-19-2005, 03:46 AM

if you've hit the down button to call the elevator, and it stops on the way up to let someone off, it's not gonna cancel the down call, it'll stop on the way back automatically.

GonzoStyle · 10-19-2005, 03:54 AM

well mine doesn't, only the down button works anyway and it doesn't stop again after the initial stop, so for argument sake imagine every elevator is as shitty as mine.

crx girl · 10-19-2005, 04:07 AM

take the stairs

fbd · 10-19-2005, 04:49 AM

if possible and less than 5 floors, stairs are the way to go. the only time i take an elevator here at school(nothing goes higher than 5) is if i'm with someone else and they want to take it. so whenever i need to go to the office of any teacher in the psych department, i walk 4 floors. its refreshing

GonzoStyle · 10-19-2005, 05:43 AM

i'm on the 5th so which ways the cutoff point

crx girl · 10-19-2005, 05:59 AM

doesn't matter, your elevator sounds scary. take the stairs

Goatweed · 10-19-2005, 02:24 PM

I dont like this whole "let the ladies off first" bullshit either, I mean if its only a few people on the ride then fine but when its easier for me to get off first then I will. Why should I move over to the side to let YOU off, all the while forcing myself on the guy next to me and creating a weird situation.

Also, letting out a silent but killer gasser is always fucking funny.

Arpikarhu · 10-19-2005, 04:14 PM

please insert "gonzo in an already sketchy elevator" joke here:

I would but I dont do that shit anymore

GonzoStyle · 10-19-2005, 05:15 PM

Goatweed Wrote:I dont like this whole "let the ladies off first" bullshit either, I mean if its only a few people on the ride then fine but when its easier for me to get off first then I will. Why should I move over to the side to let YOU off, all the while forcing myself on the guy next to me and creating a weird situation.

Also, letting out a silent but killer gasser is always fucking funny.

agreed.

also I hate the asshole neighbors who I know and they know, they get off before me but they won't move to let me get in the back of the elevator and then create that whole weird thing where you don't know to move left or right and then you decide to go left and asshole moves in the same direction and before you know it, they missed the stop and yell at you.

Keyser Soze · 10-19-2005, 05:18 PM

i hate when people are afraid to step out of the elevator to let someone behind them get out cause they think the elevator is going to close on them. how stupid are these people?

GonzoStyle · 10-19-2005, 05:19 PM

I hate the assholes who hide drugs on top of the elevator and then hold it up the entire day slinging rock, thank god we moved out of the projects.