proper etiquette dictates you should hold the door for people and especially females.

proper etiquette also dictates that you should allow females to exit an elevator before you exit when the elevator is not crowded.

so my question is, what do you do in the following scenario.

lets say there is a small room in front of the elevator when you get off and the small room has a door leading into the garage. if you are riding with a female in the elevator, you would let her exit the elevator first. however, you would not be first to the door, and she would be opening it for you. so...would it be proper to (a.) forego letting the female exit the elevator first and open the second door to the garage or would you (b.) let the female off the elevator first and then run to the door and open it for her or (c.) let the female exit elevator first and let her hold the door for you...???

i was thinking that choice (a) is correct because opening a regular door trumps first to exit an elevator...

also... lets say the elevator door is positioned on the right relative to inside the elevator cabin. if a female is standing on the far left corner and you are standing right in front of the door, do you still have to let the female exit first?

 

...







really?

a. but in all honesty the girl in question will very likely not notice either way. dunno what you're so worried about, this isn't the 50s.

 

Jesus lol.. let her exit first and don't worry about the door. It's not poor etiquette to walk behind a woman and let her open the door, but it is to exit the elevator first. So this way you are not breaking any "rules."

 

haha, i know it aint the 50s... but i was just wondering about it the other day while taking an elevator ride. i often ignore these rules because i am in a hurry.

but it just reminds me of cop dramas with moral tradeoffs...

 

^^ It may not matter much in the North.

But, yah, the first option is best. Elevator etiquette will be overlooked if you're to the door first and hold it open. Only elevator etiquette I'm aware of is people inside exit first, and then people outside come in. But HOLY SHIT is that hard for people to understand sometimes. I usually walk out the elevator first, quickly, just in case there are people right in front of the door.

 

my second question is about the female standing as far away from the elevator door as possible really bothers me. cuz it happened to me the other day. i was standing right in front of the elevator door, and there was only another female standing as far away from the door as possible. when the elevator door opened up, i did a pause to allow her to go first, but she did like a stutter step or a jab step or something and pulled back, so i thought **** it and went before her.

 

i think B is the best course of action

 

Address the obstacles in sequential order.

Allow her to exit the elevator first (and hold the "Door open" button, if necessary, or block the door sensors with your hand to ensure the door remains open as she exits). Then, if she wants you to open the garage door for her, she'll pause and give you an opportunity to do so. Otherwise, she'll get the door for herself and if required, you can assist as soon as you get there.

With regards to your final question, I'd say that "ease of egress" is more important than etiquette in that case. If you're going to slow everyone down by allowing the female to go first, then don't do it. Just exit and get out of the way.

When it comes to elevators, since the doors open on their own, I usually treat them as any other walkway. Exit in an orderly fashion. Last-In-First-Out. The person standing nearest the control panel may want to hold the "Door Open" button until everyone else exits. This will keep someone from balking if the doors start to close as they exit.

That's my take on it, anyway. If you want something more official, you should write to Emily Post

 

Id start with "A". If she acknowledges my ettiquette or says thank you id then opt for "B"

 

let her exit first. walk slow enough to not be there to open the door for her. but dont walk too slow.. or else she might hold the door open for you and you'll feel dumb.

either way, this aint the 50s. they usually dont care.