« Frozen in time | Main | Leave him alone! »
September 17, 2007
Door etiquette
![](http://farm1.static.flickr.com/48/125784292_3ad5c97939.jpg?v=0")
[Pic]
My law school's building has almost nothing but revolving doors; the building where I work also is predominantly revolving doors, as are all the buildings I visit. I really dislike revolving doors, but I have a begrudging acceptance for them now because almost every door I use is of the revolving variety.
Presumably, everybody else in the city spends all their time pushing revolving doors. That is why it really bugs me that people don't seem to know revolving door etiquette. Granted, I don't know much of it either, but it seems to me there are certain rules you should follow when using these doors.
First and foremost, I hate to see people blocking the door. The bad thing about a revolving door is, if somebody doesn't want to move, that door isn't going anywhere. Just a few times this past week, I've had to bustle my way through a door when one person has actually stopped in the door to talk to a person who is standing outside the door. I've decided in this situation, I am going, and if that person needs to continue talking, she can get out of the door. Doors are for walking, not for talking.
Another one that sort of annoys me, but that I wouldn't necessarily classify as rude, is when a person exits the door, sees another person coming to use the door, but leaves the door halfway open. So, the person entering the door must squeeze through into one of two spaces, and risk getting an arm chopped if the door starts to revolve again.
Are there any other revolving door rules I'm missing? Are there even revolving door rules? Or, am I simply trying to stir up trouble?
entry no. 964
Posted by oz115 at September 17, 2007 12:41 PM
Comments
There's always the question of when a male/female couple goes through a revolving door, which one goes first. With a regular door, gentlemanly etiquette says the man holds open the door and lets the woman go first. But if the woman goes first with a revolving door, she bears the burden of pushing the door by herself (or at least until it rotates enough for the man to take his turn), which is hardly the chivalrous thing to do from the man's perspective. I've asked several people, both male and female, about this situation, and the general consensus is that with a revolving door, the man should go first.
Posted by: Pete at September 17, 2007 02:48 PM