There are un-written rules that everyone who rides elevators follow
whether they know it or not. It's not something that anyone has placed
into effect by law. It's just the way things are ...
1. When you are waiting for an elevator and there are two sets, the
one that is the greatest distance from you will open first.
2. While you are riding the elevator, it is not permissible to look
anyone in the eyes. The proper place to stare is at the floor or at
the numbers.
3. The person at the very back of the elevator will always be the one
who needs off first.
4. If you are on the top floor of a 32 story building and needed to go
the 1st floor, the elevator will stop 31 times before you reach the
ground.
5. If you get off on the wrong floor and realize it the instant your
foot hits the ground outside the elevator, it's much too embarrassing
to admit you are wrong, so you stay outside the door and act like you
know what you're doing then catch the next one and hope all the people
you were with have gotten off.
6. When there are six elevator doors, the one you stand in front of
will be the last to open.
7. When the elevator is the most full, one of two people will be on
with you: an extremely sick man who coughs constantly and then gets
off on the same floor you do, or a lady with a baby that screams
through the entire ride.
8. Don't pass gas in an elevator even if you are all alone because
when you do, the very next stop will have ten people waiting to get on.
It's always best to wait until the elevator is full then no one knows
who to blame.
9. If you speak to a stranger in an elevator there will always be
nervous laughter.
10. The friendliest person on the elevator that insists on talking to
you will always have bad breath and body odor.
11. Elevators force us to be close to people that we would never
choose to be around otherwise. If you want a cultural experience,
spend a day riding elevators around town.
12. The first person to get on the elevator gets the command position
next to the buttons so that they can feel important when people ask
them to punch their floor for them.
13. While waiting on an elevator, there will always be one person to
comment on how slow the elevator is and then push the up or down
button over and over as if that will make it speed up.
14. Once inside the elevator that same person will repeatedly punch
the button for their floor thinking that this also will speed up the
elevator.
15. On top of the list of the most annoying elevator pet peves is the
parent who will allow their child to push the buttons and then smile
at you after the kid has pushed all 26 buttons while you are on the
first floor needing to get to the 25th floor. Then at every floor the
kid will yell "Is this where we get off?"
16. The floor that is labelled the 1st floor is not really the 1st
floor, but the basement. The 1st floor is actually labelled the 2nd
floor.
17. If you are not in any hurry, there will always be an empty
elevator just waiting with the doors open just for you by yourself.
18. In buildings where smoking is allowed, there will always be one
person who insists on taking the last drag of their cigarette before
putting it out, then waits to exhale when the elevator door closes ...
with you trapped inside.
19. If a child rides the elevator, they will have a balloon that just
happens to be at your face level and there is no place to turn.
Popping the balloon is a strong temptation.
20. I would rather ride the elevator with people than take the stairs
alone!