So I work in inner-city Sydney. The most direct route to get food and supplies, whatever is to go into the mall which leads into the train station. There is literally nowhere else.
At peak hour, when I go into the trainstation mall to grab a bite to eat, I am constantly frustrated by slow walkers.
By these I mean those people who stroll three, sometimes four abreast and block anyone else who can pass them. These people are sometimes so slow I literally have to take one step and stop for three seconds and then take another, etc. Please understand, these seem to be normal, healthy people. I’m not pitting people with disabilities etc
I understand that some people may not be able to walk as fast as others, but you find these people making bottlenecks everywhere - not keeping to the left on the escalators so other people can pass them, and just in general not demonstrating basic politeness.
Thank you for listening to this very ordinary pitting, somewhat subdued by a very bad headcold. I’ll use lots of swearwords next time.
Unless someone else wants to increase the vitriol. Then it’s all yours.
There’s a special place in Hell for people who walk slowly, oblivious to the fact that there are other people in the world. If you’re going to stroll and admire the scenery, stick to the side. Don’t pick the spot where you obstruct as much of the passage as humanly possible.
I think it’s time for that “There’s a special place in Hell for people who…” Pit thread.
These people have cousins – The groups of people that exit a store and decide to regroup on the sidewalk or hall, directly in your path. Usually while carrying on a conversation that requires slow bodily movement.
And then there’s the suits – High powered captains of industry who, when in groups of three or more, cannot negotiate the complex task of exiting an elevator or going through a revolving door without staring at it, much the same way a chicken stares at a joke.
You take a step that lands your foot one millimeter behind theirs, hard and loud enough to make it clear that their heel is going to be crushed like an insect if they don’t speed it up or move aisde.
People are going to yell at you and say “Why not just relax, take in the sights, enjoy life for a minute instead of your A lifestyle.” I would use a rolleyes but I hate those things.
I am also a relatively fast walker. Please get out of my way! It’s not that I’m in that much of a hurry, or that I don’t enjoy life - who are you to judge whether I am enjoying life or not anyway - but I just feel comfortable at a fast walking pace. SO MOVE!
Or just stop, put your hands on your hips, and give the backs of their heads your best Gaze of Death. Most people will get the hint, offer an apology, and move aside. Most. Not all.
Nice to know I’m not the only one who encounters those oblivious bastards. I tend to walk fast, and on those occasions I’m not, I try to make room for others, so I don’t get bumped if not out of courtesy.
Maybe I should just load a sock with a handful of pennies.
Not around here. If you even say “Pardon me.” in a genuinely polite tone, the gaggle will make sputtering sounds, roll their eyes and say “What’s hisproblem?” “Sheesh. Asshole.”
That happens sometimes. Once, when I was on vacation, I was stuck behind a group of teenagers on a narrow sidewalk. When I tried to get around them, I said “Excuse me.” Their reply was “What do you want?” I said, as politely as possible, “Nothing, I just wanted to get around you.” The response, in a very snotty tone, was “Oh, sir, yes sir!”
Thank you people of the Dope! I encountered it on my morning walk into work yet again, but was secure in the knowledge that other people feel the same way!
I’m a tall girl, my stride is long and I move relatively fast - I’m very aware of that, and check myself accordingly depending on the situation - I KNOW I must slow down in these crowded areas. I guess I get frustrated at people who can’t see beyond themselves and how they’re affecting potentially hundreds of people behind and around them.
**TDN ** - I so agree with you. I just don’t understand how they could possibly not realise it’s inconveniencing countless others!
I’m a slow California stroller, but I like to pretend that I’m aware of my environment and feel bad if I realize that I’m inconveniencing others.
After the 3 abreast slow walkers reach the grocery store, they will leave their cart sideways in the aisle and block all those trying to pass. When buying their groceries they will forget something and then wander around the store for 5 minutes while their cart reaches the cashier. After the cashier totals their bill they realize that they are paying with a check and spend 5 minutes trying to find their checkbook. After paying for their groceries, they will have a 5 minute conversation with the cashier about the most ridiculous mundane and boring topic imaginable. They will stop at the exit and block the door trying to remember what to do next. Ah yes, go to my car! They will then get on the freeway and drive 55 in the fast lane.
I am convinced that all these cows are one and the same. I yearn for the times of large predators where you actually had to pay attention to what was going on or else you would leave no descendents to block others on the hunting trail.
These people have an annual convention, you know. It runs 365 days a year on the strip in Las Vegas, NV.
They award special recognition to the sub-group, the escalator-stoppers. These usually elderly people will exit the top of an escalator, and rather than move away or to the side, will form a little clutch to discuss their new plight. “Oh my God! The magic stairway stopped! What will we ever do now? And why are all these people coming right at us from down there and yelling?!”
I have absolutely nothing to add, but man, if that ain’t the God’s honest truth. And I’m a slow walker myself, so if I’m irritated by your turtle’s pace, then there’s a problem.
They have another set of cousins: the people who get into the left lane on the interstate and then match exactly the speed of the slow-moving car beside them in the right lane.
