After you. Thanks, but you’re actually blocking my way out.
I’ve always found it very interesting when I am standing at the corner of a full elevator, all the way in the back, and someone who is getting off on the same floor as me and standing at the front of the elevator tries to let me out first. It’s a very kind thought, but at the same time, I can’t really squeeze past you. What ends up happening? I awkwardly try to make myself as skinny as possible to walk past you without making any physical contact with you.
The same thing happens when someone is holding a door open with just one arm – except it’s worse. Doors are much more narrow, and when someone opens the door by using one arm to push it open (they’re still inside the building while their arm is outside of the building) instead of pushing it, walking out, and holding it open normally for the person behind, there really isn’t much space.
The best solution I’ve found so far (at least for a regular door) is to try and walk as fast as possible to get to the door before the other person is there to open the door with one arm – or just open the second door myself if there is one. It makes exiting much easier! For elevators…I’ll have to figure out a different way. There has to be a way.