Ok, so I admit it I’m a small town girl. I grew up in a very small town. (<1000) A place where it was like Cheers and everyone knew your name!
I was taught to always hold doors open for people if they are in a close proximity to the door. Always say thank you when someone holds the door open for me, and the obligatory your welcome when someone thanked me. Over the years I’ve noticed how some people almost rush out of a door rather then hold the door for a few seconds longer for someone. To me it’s just its one of the common courtesy’s that I always practice no matter how busy I am. I hold the door for everyone, male, female, in the city, weather etc etc…
So Canada I’m curious. Do you hold the door open for people or is that just old fashioned? Is it ok to let the door slam in their faces?
I was also taught to always hold doors open for people if there close & to always thank people who do the same for me.. 🙂
I to always hold the door for anyone behind me and I thank anyone who hold the door for me. If a person just walks past me I do say in a sweet voice ” Your welcome”. 🙂
I do if they are about 5 -6 steps behind. But if they are a bit far off , I don’t bother :evil:. I always thank people who hold it open for me.
I always hold doors for people but I had two uncomfortable experience. The first one was when I exited the back door facing the parking lot of our building, an old couple were getting out of their car. There was quite some distance between the door and the car so it didn’t occur to me that I should hold the door for them. And then the old lady literally yelled at me, “I thought you would hold the door!” I was a bit shocked, stepped back and opened the door with my key, holding for them. I waited for quite a while for them to walk slowly from their car to the door. The old lady walked past me without saying thanks, and when the old man walked past me I heard him say ‘I’m sorry’ in a low voice. I figured there must be something wrong with that old lady and tried not to let it bother me much.
The second experience was at a mall. I exited the mall and saw a young man coming towards the mall. The door was opened in his direction so there wasn’t a threat that it could hit him if I let go, but I still held it for him. To my surprise he didn’t even touch the door and walked straight through, making me look like a door man. I wouldn’t mind if he was very old, but he’s only in his twenties without any physical difficulty.
If they were a few inches away from me yes. But if they were far away, im not going to stand there….and wait for them
I actually just did a study on this in my undergrad… The sample size was <1000, but people WERE more likely than not to hold the door for a follower (about 70%) of the time. Also men were more likely than women to hold the door, especially if they were holding for a woman.
I found some studies that corroborated my findings also. But I did observe lots of rudeness, which obviously stood out to me more than the times people did hold the door.
I have always been a door holder even if it means having to wait a few extra seconds for someone behind me. However, I am finding that many people are not practicing these common courtesies anymore. I have had people of all ages not hold the door when I am trying to manoeuver a stroller, eventually I gave up on people and started using the handicap entrance. It is very sad and sometimes pisses me right off how rude people seem to be becoming. I have every intention on teaching my sons to hold doors, put down the divider at the grocery store, say thank you, help people in need etc.
I always hold the door for people unless they are more than ten or so steps away. I also base that on age, if they are “older” I will wait for them a bit longer. I hate when people drop the door in my face; even when I’m a step behind, so why would I do it to them??
Always. I could write an entire post on elevator door courtesy alone. I’ve learned however a lot of people don’t. Especially when you have a stroller with you.
Yes, I try to always hold the door if someone is a couple of steps behind me. It does tick me off though when I do that and the person doesn’t even bother to say “thanks”.
@ry&tysmom – the divider at the grocery store!!!! People, could you NOT just put it the belt when you put your last item down?? Hello, I can’t reach it when you are standing in front of me or if I have an armful of stuff!!
I do the same as Travelnut,lol…i don’t care if i have to remind you of your manners!
My kids have also learnt to hold the door for people and to say thank you to those that offer it to them. I am always proud of them when i see them lagging behind to help others.
I`ve gone from being the one to hold the door open, to the one the door is kept open for. It`s an odd feeling .. but I thank them always, then if there`s 2 doors I get to return the favour. …lol
I always hold the door if they are too far away I don’t bother since I might be there all day holding the door. Not a lot of people will Thank you for this. What I do is when someone doesn’t say Thank You I just say “Your Welcome” even if they don’t Thank me its sort of a way of pointing out their rudeness without being rude to them. I actually had one man point out to me that he didn’t Thank me and I said “Yes I know” but I have manners. He goes “OK Fine, Thank you but I never asked you to hold the door for me I can open my own door” I just walked away. I felt bad that I should have not told him I had manners but he was just so rude I just had to said something.
I always do, and am thankful when others do it for me. My son learned to do this from an early age, and still does it as a 20 year old – and sometimes he’s surprized people that he does do this courtesy.
Absolutely!
ALWAYS!!!! And I taught my kids too, but DH only do it once every blue moon.
Interesting topic.. at work I always hold doors open for people behind me. Some guys refuse to go through them and let me go first – guess it’s because I’m a girl? lol
One awkward situation for me was when a sr. person in my dept was in front of me and instead of holding the door open, he just swings it out with more force so that it stays open longer and says “there you go”…. is it just me or is that kind of rude? I’ve always felt this person never really wants to acknowledge me @ work, i.e. simple hello, but I felt pretty awkward after having to grab a door that was swinging….i think it would have been better if he did nothing at all.
oh and i should add that he went through the door first… in case that wasnt clear
I run into this a lot, as I live in a big apartment building. I always hold the door if the person is close behind me and I will wait if they’re a bit further behind but have their arms full with bags, a stroller, walking a dog, etc. I can’t stand it when people let it slam in your face! It takes two seconds to hold the door and show a little courtesy.
I’ve been raised to ALWAYS hold the door for others, and everyone else in my community must’ve been raised the same, because everyone else does it too. It’s very rare for someone to not hold a door here. 🙂
I hold doors open for people until they are close enough to hold it themselves. I never had anyone just walk by me.
I remember this one commercial where one person picked up another girls mess at the store (she didnt work there either). Someone saw her do it out of pure kindness. It basically started a chain of random acts of kindness. I’m bad at explaining.. lol. Just remember that other people may be watching you and learn to do nice things for others, despite the bad apples. Always set a good example!
I do if I can.
I’m disabled and on crutches. If the door is not too heavy or I won’t be standing there for more than 30 seconds, I hold the door. Sometimes, I just can’t do it. Either the door is too heavy, the people are too far away or I’m too tired/sore.
The thing that gets me is the people who wait for ME to open the door for them. They stand outside the door because they see I’m coming, and instead of nicely opening the door for someone who’s disabled, they wait for me to open the door, not hold it open for me at all, and then go in. It drives me crazy!
I ALWAYS say thank you and “that’s very kind of you” to every single person who holds a door open for me, because I really do appreciate it. It’s incredibly awkward and sometimes quite painful for me to open doors so when someone takes the time out to help me, I truly am grateful.
I was out with my mom on Friday and 2 able bodied late 20 somethings came out of Dollarama just when mom and I were getting to the door. They never even thought of holding the door for an elderly woman and a woman on crutches. That really annoyed me. I don’t feel entitled to have doors opened for me but come on, if you’re literally just leaving and I’m going to enter right after you, common courtesy says you hold the door open!
No. And the simple reason is I’m sick and tired of not even getting a measly thank you while keeping a door open.
Let’s just say I’ve been hardened by the rude, inconsiderate people in the city that I live in. However, I will always say thank you to the person who does hold open a door for me.
Always… sometimes do the 5 sec wait for the avg person longer for someone who i feel could use the extra assistance… I notice a lot of people hold doors nowadays.. it is not old fashion behavior.. Just polite… good quote from an even better flick…”…good manners are just a way of showing other people we have respect for them…” know it?
Lol, I love the cartoon. Yes I do and I find most people do. I also make an extra effort to wait for or run ahead and grab the door for moms with strollers.
It’s common courtesy my friends! Here’s a YouTube to watch that showcases this to the extreme!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpRO39X1rTk&feature=colike
Love the comic! LOL. I don’t like being rushed on the receiving end of the door courtesy, so I would only hold the door when the following person is within conversational distance. It is really awkward when someone holds the door for you while you are more than 50 feet away.
I remember reading a study on Improbable Research on various countries with their door-opening tolerance. It was a small (funny) study, but Canada came first. The Canadians were holding doors for anything withing sight! They only studied up to about 200 feet and they gave up on grounds that Canadians are notorious with holding doors!
Was at the National Gallery in London 2 weeks ago. This very nice Japanese guy was holding a very heavy door for a group of ladies, and then people just kept going through like he works there. The poor guy held the door for over a minute with at least 80+ people passing!!! I take that he doesn’t speak English, so I went rescue him by blocking the stream of people so he can pass. LOL,
yes always and always thanks , yesterday im entering nofrills and lady infront of me is very old she is using stick so i am waiting for her to enter i dont want her to rush but lady behind me has some problem she said to be will you walk up
Yes of course! And I teach my children to do the same. Years ago when I was using crutches for a fractured pelvis after a car accident I was approaching a building with two sets of doors through a vestible. I was appauled when the lady and her teenage daughter walked through right before me and didn’t hold the doors open. I struggled to go through the doors backwards using my backside to open the doors for myself. I mean come on!
Definitely.
However, I also do the swing the door wider thing as well, especially on campus when I’m rushing from class to class. If someone isn’t immediately behind, but by swinging it wider they can catch it easily, I do that instead. I’m not standing there for everyone when everyone is in the same boat of needing to get to class.
absolutely…my husband and i both practice this courtesy…it is so disrespectful not to…
I live in a town outside of GTA and have been hanging around in Toronto pretty often. I find most people in Toronto don’t appreciate my common courtesy gesture and don’t say ‘thank you’ so I’ve gradually stopped holding doors for others. So for me, it’s not a consistent habit but I do always say my thank you’s.
I hold doors open for people. I find that teenagers nowadays don’t hold doors open, not all, but most. When one does, I credit their parents with teaching them manners. It is common courtesy to hold a door open for someone. Sadly, we live in an age where so many only care about themselves.
Adorita…lol about the guy holding the door open for tons of people. I have made the mistake of holding the arena door open when my sons hockey team was coming off the ice. I HAD to hold it for every kid, as not to be rude. So Canadian of me.
Always – when they’re right behind me or i can see the whites of their eyes. It’s just common courtesy. There’ve been times where i was treated like a doorperson, groups of people will go through without saying a word or even eye contact, but that never deter me from doing it.
By the way, i don’t think you will find those who don’t do it admitting it here.
Thanks to the one who was honest and says they don’t hold the door, b/c they’ve been overcome by rudeness. Sorry to hear that.
I notice more and more rudeness too, but it shouldn’t stop anyone from holding the door open. Rudeness only begetts more rudeness…is that LC’s philosophy? So what if more people started going out of their way to hold a door for anyone regardless of their age, gender, or social economic status? maybe kindness would beget more kindness, intead of the other way around.
While I thank LC for honesty, I think the idea is a bit self-centered.Thanks for the post Sally, I’m going to be more concious of my kindness towards other’s where a door is concerened…maybe I’ll receive more kindness in return…and if I don’t…who cares. I’m only responsible for my own actions and my own responses to others.
I always try to hold the door open for others, but there is a very definite “awkward” area. I like the “conversational zone” distance. Of course, even if the person is farther away, but they are struggling with a stroller, wheelchair, lots of bags, small child, etc., the I would definitely hold the door open for them.
Oh, and Tammy, I do exactly the same thing as do my two teenage boys.
I actually hate people holding the door for me. I purposely walk the other direction or really slow so the person doesn’t have to. It’s definitely a nice gesture from those who do it but I’m all about the flow of traffic. Thank you but no thank you. If I’m a couple steps yes, please do it but more than 5 seconds, please go on your way.
I always hold the door if the person behind is reasonably close to me (i guess within a 5 to 10 ft range maybe). I will also certainly hold the door if the person is making an effort to acknowledge my presence, like saying thanks or picking up the pace if they’re further away.
I did have this awful experience at a GO station once….I was hauling my luggage up a staircase and just as I got to the top I held the door for a few seconds, seeing as there was a man (prob in his 40s) following maybe 15 stairs behind. Well my luggage was visibly difficult so I pushed it through and let the door go. Shortly thereafter to my surprise the guy yells out, and definitely not sarcastically, “You couldn’t hold the door for me?” Sheesh!
I agree with holding doors for people, but…. what about when you are entering a key-entry building? For example, I live in a condo, and every condo owner has a key to get into the main building. I’ve always felt uncomfortable about letting anyone in after me, especially if they don’t have a key.
What’s the protocol there? Seinfeld addressed this very issue in a few episodes, but it is kind of serious; how do you know you’re not letting in a thief?
I will usually hold open a door for people behind me unless they’re slow/too far away..but I just generally find people to be jerks about it. Example: I held the door open for a lady pushing a toddler in a stroller, she walked right by me without saying thank you or acknowledging me, meanwhile, the child was the one who looked up and said “thankoo”. Apparently the mother wasn’t the one teaching her baby good manners.
Yes and yes!!
Also, interestingly enough, most of the kids at my school hold doors for each other, visitors and staff…great kids!! Although, we do have to work on the thank yous!!
Yes and yes. I have found lately that more & more people don’t say thank you. They just walk through the door like it is expected..lol. I could be snarky and your “You’re Welcome” after they silently walk by but I would never be that rude. Go figure :/
And thank you to all the poeple that hold doors open for people with strollers. It can be like an obstacle course getting through a door with one!
Funny story. I personally always hold the door, as does my boyfriend. Except on one occasion, he held the door for a elderly blind woman. This woman proceed to make a giant scene at the restaurant, advising how rude it was I be so inconsiderate. I can understand that she sees why sebwould prefer to do the door herself – but to make a giant scene for being courteous!
My 2 1/2 year old daughter loves holding the door open for others and she always always say thank you when others hold for her. I don’t even have to ask her. I must say I didn’t teach her that she must do it all the time. She just does it. I do notice people don’t acknowledge her and they don’t say thank you to her. Rudeness!!!
I try to hold the door for others. I find that I am more cognizant of it if the person is elderly, disabled, or with a stroller or multiple children. I find most times people acknowledge me with a thank you. I wouldn’t stop doing it, but I have found myself a few times replying with “you’re welcome” if they don’t say thank you.
On a side note, elevators/subways/LRTs – is it SO hard to understand that people must disembark before others can get ON the train? How hard is that people? I can’t get off the train if you are all huddled waiting to get on outside the doors! And really, if someone is disabled or very pregnant or elderly, get off your healthy young butt and let them have your seat. Ok…rant over….this happens EVERY day when I go to work.
Haha that picture you have their depicts it perfectly! I usually don’t open the door for people, unless they’re carrying a lot of bags, have a stroller, is a senior etc, but usually not for anyone else. It’s because I find that most people DON’T hold doors for other people much anymore. As for people holding the door for me, it’s usually only guys and I always say thank you. It gets awkward when I’m too far away though and they’re there waiting for me.. ><" But otherwise when I'm in the right proximity and they hold the door for me, it's nice 🙂
I just witnessed this! A petite, stylish woman in her 60s had an arm load of books. She used her forearm to keep the door open for the 18 year old guy behind her. He stood behind her and rudely said, “you’re blocking the door”. She replied, “no, I am trying to hold it open for you. It is the proper thing to do.” He stormed out. I caught the woman’s eye and shook my head in disgust.
I am annoyed when I am exiting somewhere and I hold the door for a group entering. I always think it is natural for the first person in the group to take the door, but instead, the whole group walks through as if I am not there or I am a paid doorman. Rude.
It drives me CRAZY when people don’t hold a door for me when I’m standing right there! There is nothing more rude than letting a door slam in someones face. I get so upset when I do it for someone too and then they don’t even say “thank you”. Who is raising these idiots now adays?? It’s absolutely common courtesy to hold a door for someone in close proximity and to say “thank you” to those that hold it for you. ALSO, when you walk in front of someone in a store while they’re looking at a shelf (i.e. the grocery store)…..say “excuse me”!!! It’s not difficult! 9 times out of 10, there’s always some ignorant idiot that walks in front of me (or better yet, stands right in front of me) while I’m looking at something on a shelf in a store and they don’t say a word. Arggggg! Where are our manners?
yes all the time but I find I do not always receive that same courtesy in return from some:(
I hold the door for people, no matter what and I’m teaching my kids to do the same. When I was in my mid 20s, I fractured my ankle really badly, requiring surgery and I was in a cast for almost 8 weeks. I was going to my physiology appointment one day and as I’m walking… With crutches… A man ahead of me, sees me, then rushes through the door to the physio office, closing the door behind him. It took me a while to get thought the heavy door (the handicapped button wasn’t working) and when I caught up with him at the elevator I’m pretty sure I called him a jerk. After that I made a mental note to always hold the door for someone …
That should be ‘physio’, not ‘physiology’ … Auto correct strikes again!
Yes I do! I feel good when I do!
I always try to keep the door open for the next person, and it surprises me that so many people don’t, or don’t say thank you. It’s definitely different depending on location though; maybe it’s not true, but it kinda seems like people aren’t as polite in the big city.
haha but the comic is true, sometimes i don’t know whether to hold the door for someone if they are semi- far away because I feel bad if I have to make them run for the door, but I feel bad if I close the door when I see them right there.
Yes! I was taught to hold the doors open and I think it is a nice thing to do, especially for those that are older than me.
And re: saying “Excuse me” when walking in front of someone… it drives me nuts that people are so rude these days. If you need to get by me, then just say excuse me instead of bumping into me and forcing me to move. Nobody says sorry these days either!
I’ve always b een a door holder. I find, it makes older men kind of laugh to have a woman hold the door for them. Like it kind of throws them off or something. LOL I’ve also found that since having my son, people are much more tolerant to hold a door open, especially when I have him in the stroller. But with automatic doors and the handicap button, a lot of people don’t bother anymore. …and that’s a shame
I like to hold the door open for people that are far away and see if it makes them rush lol
Absolutely, always.
LC, I understand that you are frustrated by rude people, but do you think that is a good reason to discontinue common courtesy? By refraining, wouldn’t you agree that you are putting yourself in the same lot as these rude people?
On the same lines as door holding: I occasionally pass someone on the sidewalk who refuses to move from the centre of the sidewalk to accommodate another pedestrian. Ie. two girls walking side-by-side in the opposite direction as me, the one on the same side as me will not move to her right to allow passing space. I’m happy to walk on the grass when there is a stroller or senior with a walker coming along. I walk a LOT, and I was so frustrated by being run off the sidewalk that when a girl who, with her friend, took up the whole sidewalk, I refused to leave my right part of the sidewalk, and we walked into each other. I was somewhat amused (and again frustrated) that she proceeded to holler at me that I needed to watch where I was going…*sigh* HEY, POT, THIS IS KETTLE lol
Absolutely! There are some gentlemen left in this world and there are some ladies who actually appreciate them!
Tie
I always hold the door for others coming behind, or in front of me. And I always say thank you to someone holding it for me. Always.
I’ll hold a door for just about anyone, and most of any age usually acknowledge. the rare times I don,t hold the door is when their over 50′ away or if I’m loaded down groceriers etc… and if they catch me at the elevator I’ll apoligize
NOT COOL: Squeezing past a pregnant lady or a mommy with a stroller, who has opened the door for herself.
TIT FOR TAT FUNNY: Opening the second door for someone who has opened the first door for you.
I try to do all of the above, but I get a little annoyed when the person turns out to be a feminist that I hold the door open or open the car door for and then she proceeds to tell me off!
I always ALWAYS hold the door open, even if I have to wait or laugh because I move from the door behind to the one in front to the stupid metal arm that will swing back and hit you. I’ll even grab a cart for you…. and so on and so on. And when you Forget your manners I will loudly but politely remind you of them with a Your Welcome 🙂
I saw this a few years ago….quite funny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_td1X_c5Gg
I almost always hold open doors for people. It depends on how I am feeling, how far the person is from the door, and age.
With elevators (my building has some), I will hold it open if a person appears to be struggling to get their keys out. However, there is one guy in my building who thinks he’s funny and that I am attracted to him, I will try to beat him to the elevator or pretend I forgot something so I don’t have to be on the elevator with him.
I try to hold doors when I can. Once, when I was trying to get a stroller through a door on my own, this man walk through the door at the same time! Appalling! If I wasnt working so hard to get through, I would have said something.
I always hold a door open and find a lot of people also do .If traffic is heavy the door will always be open, so I don’t stand there and let everyone go by as traffic has to flow. In small towns almost everyone is courteous and not as rushed. In larger towns it seems more people have the phone to their ear and aren’t even aware of what is going on around them, and often seem stressed. These are the ones who rarely hold the door for someone. It is too bad they miss out on all the small social interactions that are important in life. While I am sure they know common courtesy their world is their world, and in a way I feel sorry for them.
My husband and I hold doors for everyone if it is required and say thank you. But one time we were going to put down a deposit on a condo to rent and my husband held the door for this guy who was interested in the unit and also had a deposit…guess who got the unit…but we still hold doors for people. the world is a different place today…instead of saying excuse me they say sorry…what are you sorry that you don’t know the words excuse me. I am also sick of people walking in front of me when I am looking at something or speaking to someone.
or for that matter giving up your seat for someone who is sick, pregnant, or for older people.
This is a good trait to have. Often people notice when others don’t do it for them but they too don’t offer the same courtesy. I say keep it up. It is one of the too many common courtesies that are becoming rare. It seems our society is losing basic small kindness. Don’t change, we need people lik you!
I always hold the door for people. I was raised to always be polite, hold the door open, help the old ladies/men cross the street, always say plz and thank you etc…. Its just common sense. I find the older the person the more polite they will be, ive never really had anyone ive never had anyone be flat out rude about not holdingh a door, unless they were young and with a group of friends.
I like it when people hold the door for me as sometimes I have a stroller with me and could use the extra help. Then sometimes I am by myself and people hold the door for me as well. I always hold the door for people as I find it be common courteousy. Most people say thank you and I always say thank you and loud enough for them to hear. i also look the person in the face when saying thank you as well.
My favorite people are the jerks who dodge around a closing door without touching it, so they get through but no one else. They aren’t even carrying anything, they just don’t want to reach out and shove the door back for the people behind them. Sigh.
I don’t always say thank you when people hold the doors for me, but that’s because I usually have my ipod on and it would be “THANK YOU.” I do try to smile or make eye contact and nod. And at the very least I pass on the favour to someone behind me.
Always, especially for men, as they are so friggin rude. I am a woman and not very often does a man hold a door anymore, especially in Toronto. Obviously we have far too many immigrants who have NO MANNERS WHATSOEVER. They expect their women to walk behing them. LEAVE MY COUN TRY YOU FRIGGIN IMMIGRANTS.
I always hold the door open for people and of course thank others who do the same for me 🙂
I never feel the need to be thanked for anything I do because you never know what people are going through (stress, illness, depression), I know from personal experience.
Smiling at people gives me joy, most of the time a very serious person will break into a beautiful smile because somebody noticed them.
Good things come into your life when you do good, it doesn’t have to be from the person you’re doing the good for.
I could write a book about all the wonderful things that have happened in my life from strangers etc. when I needed them most!
We all need to be there for each other 🙂
I try to hold the door whenever I can, and always thank people as well.
What I absolutely HATE is when I open a door, and someone going the opposite direction just walks right through, making me feel like a hotel doorman. We are not talking about old, disabled, pregnant women etc – just your regular 9-5 working folks. So annoying!
I always hold the door open for people when they are nearby. I also open the car door for my wife before I go around to my side. I’m only 34. Not very many people do that anymore. Over the past 5 years of actually looking around I have only noticed this being done once. It was by an older gentleman in probably his 70s or 80s opening the car door for his wife. Today’s generation just doesn’t seem to care anymore.
depends on how much of a rush i am in. If I am in a rush I’ll “bounce it” open for them.
However is someone is dodling because they are talking on a cell phone I will drop the door. It is a courtesy – try and meet me half way.
I have to admit that I do it if I have the patience/time-like this morning. I usually get appreciation from people who could be seniors/my parents ages. The ones in the 30s/40s-really depends if they are alone and carrying totes or not. I notice that parents/caregivers with little girls tend to be more likely to thank someone for a door held open but not so much if a little boy is with them and acting like the world is his play yard. Cellphone users tend to swan through a door held open.
Other times, if I am aware of an incoming group or outgoing group with members who need more time (walking devices, megastrollers, bags and little kids), I either wait out of the way or hurry out well before the group prevents me from moving through–you won’t be surprised that some groups take no notice if they preventing others from exiting or entering through the same doors or passageways…and then there is aisle blocking in the malls where stroller groups won’t move to the seating areas or out of the path of people walking by the storefronts…
I hold the door only if they are right behind me, I just think it’d be rude to just let it slam shut in their faces. If they are farther back, I still “pretend” to hold the door or rather hold it open as I walk in, just so they can see the gesture and the good intention lol. But I am not gonna wait around like a sucker while they take their sweet time getting there. What peeves me off is when you do that favour for someone and they don’t even thank you. I always make sure to thank people who do it. It’s like they feel entitled to be treated like royalty (not)! So many other rudenesses peeve me off about people ALL THE TIME but that’s a story for another day…
I hold open doors for men and women.
My pet peeve is when you go through a set of double doors and the person you held the first door open for doesn’t reciprocate. >:(
Another recent incident I had was when I held open the door for a woman with a stroller. She completely ignored me and insisted on hitting the handicap button instead. I have no idea why she had to do it.
I’m 22 years old and I hold the door open for people. It’s sad that everyone looks shocked when I hold the door open for them…even elderly people. But at least I made someones day. I also always thank other people for holding the door open for me. 🙂
My brother had a real bad experience. When he was young and trying to get into the back car door, he was struggling and a lady graciously went to help him out. However, when he got in, his hands weren’t all the way in, she slammed the door thinking he was in all the way, and yes, you guessed. It took his one finger right off and couldn’t get back on properly. He’s minus one finger today because of someone’s generosity and lack of carefulness.
I’m a door holder but I have to say that I am not impressed when people don’t thank you, even a nod or smile will do. But the saddest thing is the people who walk right through without touching the door like you are invisible. That’s just rude.
Yes, I am Canadian and I always hold the door open for everyone.
I usually hold the door because, like you said I was brought up that way, but in Quebec, people are rude and will butt in when you are trying to open the door to get out! They don’t say merci/thank you and that’s usually because they are so busy on their cell or texting. It’s very annoying. If someone holds the door for me, I always thank them, even if it is two doors in a row! Thanks for asking.
I won’t say I always do it, as I am sure there are times I forget or I am busy, but I do try to hold doors, put down the divider on the grocery belt, and all those other nice courtesies. I take notice when people do not do these things, so I make a point to do them. I also don’t mind pointing out when others are rude, I especially dislike Cashiers that are unfriendly. If I say “Have a nice day” and they don’t answer, I will repeat it louder and way more sarcastically. 🙂
It’s not old fashioned. Its just that there’s lots of rude people nowadays. I finished high school not too long ago and there were only two guys in my entire high school years that constantly held the door for me. As in held the door and waited until I got up the stairs! You think with the 10min travel time after each class it’d be a habit to hold it open for the next person behind you but nooooo. There are some boyfriends with selective courtesy though; holds the door open for their girlfriends and then just lets it shut in your face behind him!
Always, always HOLD THE DOOR!! It only takes a nono second and most appreciate it, if not, at least you know you were courteous!! Your Mom will be proud!! A note to Heather,above: I am a cashier and a damned good one. I am always pleasant regardless of the customers attitude. It is the most difficult to my job to the best of my ability when my customer is yammering on the phone. that is the rudest behaviour!!
Sure do….Always hold the door and always say: Thank You!
My boys (13&18) do the same, I never have to remind them. It’s like second nature to them.
Customers using cellphones at the cash checkout or loudly in the store whether with the earclips or not–pity that the National Enquirer does not have reporters to catch every word.
For humanity’s sake, turn off the phones or pull the battery packs out. Peace!
What is the name of the artist who drew the comic?
Thanks,
could be Oatmeal 🙂
Within reason I always hold doors open for people. I also ALWAYS say thank you since it is so rare to have the courtesy returned here in downtown Toronto. It drives me crazy how many people I see rush through closing doors when there are heards of people behind rather than open it up for everyone. In fact it wasn’t that long ago that a gentleman held the elevator door for me (instead of pressing the close door button as fast as he could) and as always I said thank you. After a few moments he looked up at me and said “thank you for saying thank you – so few people do”. I think that shows how rare it is when someone goes out of their way to acknowledge a thank you. Be kind people!!!
I always hold the door open, I don’t even think about it. Only when I DON’T hear ‘thank you’ do I notice that I’ve even held the door open. Other than that it’s just something you should do.
I always hold the door no matter what. I like to be nice!.
Always hold the door for people. And I’m teaching the kids to do the same!
Yes. I try to hold the door open for people who are coming in behind me. Most peole say ” Thank You’ which make one feel good. It is only common courtesy to do it.
Love the question…….
Yes. I was raised by wonderful parents (immigrants) who taught us the importance of simple kindness towards others – gestures such as holding the doors for others behind us, holding an elevator door, etc. I always say thank you for a kind deed (either verbally, with a nod, a smile etc). I have taught my two children from early on , (they are now aged 10 and 14) to do the same and am very proud to see them doing the same. I agree with the comments that there is a “general” lack of respect, kindness and common courtesy within today’s society. However, I am hopeful that the lessons I have passed on to my children, they will pass on to their children. This is what makes the world a better place for us all. We should all remember to display kindness at every opportunity. Something so little can brighten someone else’s day.