AARoads Forum

Anybody else notice this? It's most prevalent with pairs of doors I think, but also happens with whole banks of doors across an entryway. People will cram together and all go through the same single door (usually the one at the end), both entering and exiting alike. They will try to crowd through, or will stand back and wait for someone going the other way, even hold the door for each other, etc., but nobody at all will just go up to one of the other, completely unused doors and open it, even though they'd have it all to themselves.

I always head for any of the doors that nobody is using, and once in a while I'm thwarted because it turns out that one of each pair of doors is locked closed. (I don't understand who these people are that sign off on buildings' door budgets in the knowledge that fully half of the ones they buy will go completely unused.) But the majority of the time, I just get to enjoy being a unique human being for that brief instant. :thumbsup:

I use the one door that everyone else is using due to my concern that one of the others might lead to Narnia, and I just don't have the time to deal with that right now.

Sometimes I'll go for a door that's being "avoided" as long as I know it's unlocked. If I'm unsure, I'll follow the crowd for fear of walking up to a locked door and looking like a moron.

Quote from: empirestate on April 09, 2015, 12:39:35 AM

I always head for any of the doors that nobody is using, and once in a while I'm thwarted because it turns out that one of each pair of doors is locked closed. (I don't understand who these people are that sign off on buildings' door budgets in the knowledge that fully half of the ones they buy will go completely unused.)

This chaps my ass to no end!  :verymad: I hate, and criticize out loud, when a business establishment has 2 doors side-by-side and they leave one of them locked.  As big as I am and as quickly as I want to leave some places **cough scary Quickie Mart cough** I may accidentally break the locked door.

I always pee in the center urinal of three.

Oops, wrong thread.

In the post-9/11 world, I have also had the experience of walking up to a bank of doors and walking into an unmarked, undifferentiated door and then getting pounced on by security for not obeying the unwritten rule of knowing which unmarked door in which to walk.

My pet peeve is people who, when entering a building, walk up to a set of double doors and wait for somebody exiting the building to open the left door rather than opening the right one themselves.

Quote from: roadman on April 09, 2015, 12:54:24 PM
My pet peeve is people who, when entering a building, walk up to a set of double doors and wait for somebody exiting the building to open the left door rather than opening the right one themselves.

Quite often double doors don't really offer a comfortable clearance for two people moving at typical speed (i.e. not doing a delicate dance around one another) in a typical vestibule to pass.  A little patience can create a smoother entry/exit for everyone.

I don't care about what doors people  use.  I just have little use for the self-absorbed people who can't be bothered to hold the door for the person two steps behind them.

Quote from: Pete from Boston on April 09, 2015, 01:14:48 PM
Quite often double doors don't really offer a comfortable clearance for two people moving at typical speed (i.e. not doing a delicate dance around one another) in a typical vestibule to pass.  A little patience can create a smoother entry/exit for everyone.

Sometimes that's true, yes. But that wouldn't be the type of instance I'm talking about; in fact, one building I visit often has two revolving doors at its front entrance, about six feet apart. People will still line up to go through just one of the revolving doors, leaving the other unused except by one or two intrepid stragglers.

(This building also has a couple of conventional doors, and quite often people will dart over to those because they prefer not to use a revolving door at all, if it can be avoided.)

Another example might be your typical shopping mall entrance, where there are maybe four pairs of doors or more. I think that when exiting, people are more likely to choose any of the doors, because they can just smack the crash bar and proceed along through the door. It seems that it's more common for people to file up when entering, I guess because they find it more convenient to wait a bit for an already-open door than to make the effort of pulling open a closed one.

"Follow the Leader"

Technically, I think all these front doors are supposed to be unlocked in the case of an emergency.  If they only allow people to exit, that's one thing.  But generally, they are completely locked.

Another example of this following occurs at sporting events.  Many people like to go thru the turnstyles at the midpoint of the entry area.  So while those lines are many people deep, I'll just head to one of the outside lanes, which have few if any people waiting.

This stuff occurs at toll plazas as well.  One lane may have a half-dozen vehicles in it, the next lane has no one.  I'll watch motorists with EZ Pass on some of the NJ Turnpike exit ramps use the shoulder as permitted, but frequently, you'll get the one person without a tag that followed everyone and ignored the signs.  That motorists suddenly realizes they are going into an EZ Pass lane and stops at the last moment, now blocking the lane that they shouldn't have been in in the first place.

I'll always use the door on the right in a double-door situation. Maybe it's because I'm right-handed, or maybe it's because in school they told us to stay the right. In most cases where there are multiple doors, I tend to always use the rightmost available door.

Part of it may be the innate "herd"  tendency in humans–everyone looks up; you look up.

But I think it's due primarily to two factors:
1. The assumption that there must be a reason everyone is going through that door
2. The fear of looking stupid when you find the other doors are locked

Regarding #1: We've all been in situations where traffic is at a crawl and suddenly everyone ahead of us in our lane is trying to move over. What would most people do in that case? Probably try to move over as well–not because they know why they should, but just because they're assuming that the people in front of them wouldn't be trying to move over if they didn't have a reason.

And on #2: A few times I've buzzed past a line of people queued at one open door to use one of the five or more other doors only to find that all of them are locked. I think it only takes being burned a time or two to make people gun-shy about gambling in the future.

Because people are busy, tired, distracted, and yes, conditioned.  People don't devote a lot of their mental energy to choosing which door to open.  Should they?

Quote from: Pete from Boston on April 09, 2015, 02:32:19 PM
Because people are busy, tired, distracted, and yes, conditioned.  People don't devote a lot of their mental energy to choosing which door to open.  Should they?

Maybe.  Who said the person in front of them is going thru the correct door?

Quote from: Pete from Boston on April 09, 2015, 02:32:19 PM
Because people are busy, tired, distracted, and yes, conditioned.  People don't devote a lot of their mental energy to choosing which door to open.  Should they?

A lot? No.

Moreover, everyone choosing one door means clear doors for the rest of you.

Planners talk about things called "desire lines"–people go the way they want to go, and this is what you have to work with.  People apparently don't want to choose between eight doors, and one or more of them is going to become the popular choice. 

Like I said, most folks don't care that much, but this just leaves a clear path around for the opportunists.

Quote from: Pete from Boston on April 09, 2015, 04:59:18 PM
Moreover, everyone choosing one door means clear doors for the rest of you.

Yes indeed, it can work out to be favorable; please don't mistake my curiosity for intolerance.


iPhone

Quote from: Pete from Boston on April 09, 2015, 04:59:18 PM
Moreover, everyone choosing one door means clear doors for the rest of you.

Planners talk about things called "desire lines"—people go the way they want to go, and this is what you have to work with.  People apparently don't want to choose between eight doors, and one or more of them is going to become the popular choice. 

Like I said, most folks don't care that much, but this just leaves a clear path around for the opportunists.

During a short stint working at Wawa, the manager showed me the 2 rows, 4 columns each of 2% milk.  He said people will more often pick from the top row, 2nd from right. 

And sure enough, people would rather reach back to get milk from that spot, rather than take the same milk from one of the other 7 spots.  Amazing.  (Me - I look around at the expiration dates first!)

At Target it's because one set is automatic, and the other set is manual. This setup causes everybody to cram into the automatic doors, while the manual doors basically never get used.

This setup is annoying, especially since some people, especially woman, walk really slow.

In restrooms with three stalls, the majority of people use the middle stall. I've noticed this pattern, and later, Mythbusters did testing and proved it.

Quote from: NE2 on April 09, 2015, 07:04:18 AM
I always pee in the center urinal of three.

Oops, wrong thread.

I secretly enjoy peeing in the urinal next to another bathroom-goer, avoiding open urinals farther away. . . just to freak him out. BWAHAHAHA!!

As for the topic at hand, I have neither noticed the phenomenon, nor do I have any opinion at all on the matter.

Quote from: kphoger on April 09, 2015, 10:52:05 PM

Quote from: NE2 on April 09, 2015, 07:04:18 AM
I always pee in the center urinal of three.

Oops, wrong thread.

I secretly enjoy peeing in the urinal next to another bathroom-goer, avoiding open urinals farther away. . . just to freak him out. BWAHAHAHA!!

As for the topic at hand, I have neither noticed the phenomenon, nor do I have any opinion at all on the matter.

Maybe you are an exhibitionist

Quote from: US81 on April 09, 2015, 07:08:56 AM
In the post-9/11 world, I have also had the experience of walking up to a bank of doors and walking into an unmarked, undifferentiated door and then getting pounced on by security for not obeying the unwritten rule of knowing which unmarked door in which to walk.

I think security is the reason for limited access.  Architects design grand wide open entrances and concourses.. Only to be shunted to one.. Last me courthouses, schools and airports

I've always assumed door behavior is "monkey see, monkey do."

I would definitely use whatever door the monkey used.

quote from Pete From Boston:

QuoteI would definitely use whatever door the monkey used.

If the monkey threw his feces, would you throw yours too?

I... can't say this is something I've ever really thought about.

But I feel like I just do whatever is easiest in a given circumstance. If someone has opened a door in front of me, I will follow them through it and hold it for anyone behind me. But if there is for whatever reason a minicrowd of people trying to cram through one door, I will open another and go around them.

The exception is if there is a revolving door. When there is a revolving door I must use it, even if opening the non-revolving door is faster. Why? A lot of places that have a revolving door (including my office!) explicitly prefer you use it unless you are carrying some item that cannot fit through it or are handicapped and require the door to be opened for you - reason being, revolving doors let less air out than regular doors, and therefore save the building on cooling and heating costs.

Quote from Duke 87:

QuoteThe exception is if there is a revolving door. When there is a revolving door I must use it, even if opening the non-revolving door is faster. Why? A lot of places that have a revolving door (including my office!) explicitly prefer you use it unless you are carrying some item that cannot fit through it or are handicapped and require the door to be opened for you - reason being, revolving doors let less air out than regular doors, and therefore save the building on cooling and heating costs.

That got me thinkin'...if you farted in a revolving door, how many times could the fart go around?

Quote from: Brian556 on April 10, 2015, 11:58:34 PM
quote from Pete From Boston:

QuoteI would definitely use whatever door the monkey used.

If the monkey threw his feces, would you throw yours too?

That's a different thread.

Quote from: Brian556 on April 11, 2015, 12:17:40 AM
That got me thinkin'...if you farted in a revolving door, how many times could the fart go around?

Depends on your diet, I suppose.

Quote from: NE2 on April 09, 2015, 07:04:18 AM
I always pee in the center urinal of three.

Oops, wrong thread.

You're definitely a dick.  Pun intended.

Also, I always use a door that no one else is using, especially if it says exit and I'm entering or vice versa, because thug life, motherfuckers.

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F0FVqoQH.jpg&hash=bed718a1eafc704d8097b5d01e2654e3b12b6d47)

I would like to know why Wal Mart has two sets of doors that one is supposed to be an entrance and the other an exit, despite the layout of the doors? Both are side by side and both sliding and not the old supermarket ones where it opens inward or outward, so it makes no sense to add words above the doors that no one pays attention too anyway.

In this case everyone uses both doors and not one over the other. Plus the Exit door will open from the outside sensor and the In door will open automatically from out going shoppers.

I basically have really never seen anywhere where one doors used more than the other.  I have seen, though, where one person would use one door over another if there was a charity group at the other one soliciting.  Of course that one is obvious why they avoided that one and in some cases excusable.

Quote from: roadman on April 09, 2015, 12:54:24 PM
My pet peeve is people who, when entering a building, walk up to a set of double doors and wait for somebody exiting the building to open the left door rather than opening the right one themselves.

Doesn't make much difference at Wal-Mart:people go in the OUT doors and out the IN doors.

Quote from: roadman65 on April 11, 2015, 06:39:28 PM
I would like to know why Wal Mart has two sets of doors that one is supposed to be an entrance and the other an exit, despite the layout of the doors? Both are side by side and both sliding and not the old supermarket ones where it opens inward or outward, so it makes no sense to add words above the doors that no one pays attention too anyway.

In this case everyone uses both doors and not one over the other. Plus the Exit door will open from the outside sensor and the In door will open automatically from out going shoppers.

I basically have really never seen anywhere where one doors used more than the other.  I have seen, though, where one person would use one door over another if there was a charity group at the other one soliciting.  Of course that one is obvious why they avoided that one and in some cases excusable.

The layout of the doors makes sense: The ones closest to the registers are the out; the ones further away, and most likely where the carts are located, are the in.  Unfortunately, the Walmartians that use the doors want to defy authority any which way they can, so they go thru the wrong doors and eventually walk further than they needed to.

I don't understand the people who, when you open a double door intending to enter a building, think you're opening it for their convenience as they leave and proceed to try to walk through as you're entering. I'm usually willing to hold the door for someone, but I resent the idea that people who don't want to open a door themselves think I should stand there holding a door open for them to exit on the wrong side.

They probably have had people do just that and now it's difficult to tell.  I've encountered people who will stand outside for 10 seconds holding the door open for me and allowing me to go first (OK, so I've only really seen this with men who were born back when chivalry was still a thing).  I've also encountered people who won't hold the door open even when they're right in front of me.

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 12, 2015, 11:25:20 AM
I don't understand the people who, when you open a double door intending to enter a building, think you're opening it for their convenience as they leave and proceed to try to walk through as you're entering. I'm usually willing to hold the door for someone, but I resent the idea that people who don't want to open a door themselves think I should stand there holding a door open for them to exit on the wrong side.

What I've decided is that there are few things that happen on a regular basis that are more consistently awkward than strangers encountering each other in the vicinity of a door. I now accept that anything that I do that relates to a door will be perceived as strange/overly polite/rude/something else by the other person (I tend to do as you do, for the record, at double doors), and roll with it.

Quote from: corco on April 12, 2015, 03:46:32 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on April 12, 2015, 11:25:20 AM
I don't understand the people who, when you open a double door intending to enter a building, think you're opening it for their convenience as they leave and proceed to try to walk through as you're entering. I'm usually willing to hold the door for someone, but I resent the idea that people who don't want to open a door themselves think I should stand there holding a door open for them to exit on the wrong side.

What I've decided is that there are few things that happen on a regular basis that are more consistently awkward than strangers encountering each other in the vicinity of a door. I now accept that anything that I do that relates to a door will be perceived as strange/overly polite/rude/something else by the other person (I tend to do as you do, for the record, at double doors), and roll with it.

When there's a conflict, I step back and/or hold the door.  No need making a big deal about the obvious difficulty of passing several people, often with items in hand, through a small space.  These are good practice for real awkward moments.

Quote from: kphoger on April 09, 2015, 10:52:05 PM

Quote from: NE2 on April 09, 2015, 07:04:18 AM
I always pee in the center urinal of three.

Oops, wrong thread.

I secretly enjoy peeing in the urinal next to another bathroom-goer, avoiding open urinals farther away. . . just to freak him out. BWAHAHAHA!!

As for the topic at hand, I have neither noticed the phenomenon, nor do I have any opinion at all on the matter.

Annoying, but not as much as the people that want to stand there and make small talk with complete strangers while taking a whiz...

I should start doing that. "So, have you ever tried pulling up your shorts leg and peeing out the bottom?"

Or you could do as the Capitals' PA announcer notes:

"That awkward moment when you walk into a crowded men's room reading e-mail on your smartphone, but all anyone else notices is some pervert with a camera...."

Quote from: NE2 on April 12, 2015, 10:18:31 PM
I should start doing that. "So, have you ever tried pulling up your shorts leg and peeing out the bottom?"

I tried REALLY hard, but I literally could not get all the words out through my laughter when I read this to my wife just now. And I ended up spitting all over my phone in the process. Definitely LOL! It cracked her up too.

For the record, I've been known to lift up my shorts leg and pee out the bottom.

I use whatever door is equipped either with an automatic opener or a button I can push because I need that with my wheelchair, if one is available. Otherwise I try to avoid the crowds because I don't want to hold them up struggling with the doors.

Another thing is that I don't encounter too many automatic revolving doors that slow down enough to use in my chair. The one that I know of, is being replaced with a traditional sliding door.

Quote from: kphoger on April 09, 2015, 10:52:05 PM

I secretly enjoy peeing in the urinal next to another bathroom-goer, avoiding open urinals farther away. . . just to freak him out. BWAHAHAHA!!

As for the topic at hand, I have neither noticed the phenomenon, nor do I have any opinion at all on the matter.[/quote]

People who do this don't freak me out.  I just write them off as morons who can't even comprehend basic courtesies.