Woman Waits For Slow Elevator—Not Ready For When it Opens: 'Losing It'

A health care worker’s routine wait for a notoriously slow elevator turned into a standoff that has struck a chord online.

As Reddit user NothingImportant1207, the woman described trying to leave work from the sixth floor of her building, where only one elevator services the area.

The lift, the original poster (OP) wrote, is already, “infuriatingly slow,” and can be delayed further when used for priority transport.

After waiting as the elevator traveled up to the seventh floor and then began its descent, she prepared to step inside. Instead, she was met with a demand from the lone passenger.

“As I’m stepping in, this freak goes, ‘DON’T come in here, I don’t ride elevators with people not wearing masks. YOU can’t come in here,’” the OP shared.

"She starts losing it again going, ‘YOU CAN’T COME IN HERE, it’s uhh, for health reasons,’” she wrote.

Ultimately, she decided to let the doors close and wait for the elevator to return.

“Seriously, I’m kicking myself for backing off, but I got cold feet because I’m staff and I didn’t recognize this lady, so I have no idea if she was just some rando, or a new higher up or something,” user NothingImportant1207 added in a follow-up comment.

“Also the fact that she said, ‘I don’t,’ instead of, ‘I can’t,’ makes me think this is a personal preference and not an actual medical issue.

"If I see her again, I’m telling her she can get off and wait if she doesn’t want to ride with anyone else.”

Fellow Reddit contributors weighed in with how they would have handled the situation amid 260 remarks in three days.

"I would’ve still got on and said… 'If you don’t want to share the public elevator then YOU get off," a supporter declared, adding, "I’ve got places to be'."

Another person offered, “Next time tell her she has two options: 1) SHE can wear a mask and keep as far away from you in the elevator as possible, or 2) she can get off and try to catch a free elevator next time.

"Make waiting for it to be empty HER problem.”

According to Day Elevator & Lift, one basic rule of elevator etiquette is “Wait for People to Exit,” advising riders to stand clear of doors and allow others to move freely before entering.

The company also notes that passengers should, “protect personal space,” and avoid unnecessary conflict in the confined setting.

Psychologists say brief hostile encounters with strangers can linger long after they end.

In a Psychology Today article, the author described being yelled at by a jogger and admitted, “I was too stunned to respond.”

Reflecting on such incidents, the author concluded, “All of this is to say that, sometimes, random acts of meanness teach us that who was right and wrong is not so important.

"Rather, recovering emotionally and trying to learn from these situations is the best we can hope for.”

For the the OP in the latest clash, the moment was less about public health policy and more about basic courtesy in a shared workplace space. As she lamented, “I swear to God, people get weirder every day.”

Newsweek has reached out to NothingImportant1207 for comment via Reddit. We could not verify the details of the case.

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