Elevator Etiquette

The building I work in has many elevators. They seem like a pretty straight-forward means of conveyance to me, but apparently some people are still mystified by them. I was alone in an elevator recently, and stepped out on the ground floor. A college-aged guy stepped in, looked confused and stepped out, looked even more confused and stepped back in. When I asked if he needed help, he answered “does this elevator go back up?”

I’ll give that guy the benefit of the doubt – maybe he was behind on his sleep. What drives me crazy, though, are folks who seem not to understand the most basic rule of elevator etiquette. Here it is – wait for folks to get OFF the elevator, before you get ON. Seems deceptively simply, doesn’t it? Why do folks try to slam into a crowded elevator as soon as the door opens, then seem surprised that they have packed in the people who hoped to get out? Isn’t the whole point of their taking the elevator, and of the door opening, that when the door opened they were hoping to get out? Can those waiting for an elevator not wait ten seconds before boarding? To quote that current ad for soda pop – “Wake up, people!”