# Where have all the good manners gone?(post your own etiquette pet peeves)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-good-manners-gone-post-your-own-etiquette-pet-peeves/272020>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [October 30, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-good-manners-gone-post-your-own-etiquette-pet-peeves/272020 "2004-10-30T15:02:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-good-manners-gone-post-your-own-etiquette-pet-peeves/272020/101 "2004-11-02T19:12:16Z")

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> [@bizzwire](#):
>
> when some (invariably) middle-aged woman will walk up with never an “excuse me,” or “I beg your pardon,” but will just start accosting said service person as if I was not there.

A similar thing that drives me stark raving bonkers: I’m in a store aisle quite obviously surveying a selection of items. Two people (it’s always two) come into the aisle, step right in front of me, and proceed to have a loud discussion about which item they should get. How about this one? I like that one over there. This one’s cheaper . . . as if I don’t exist. Excuse me, I was here first, and you are not the only people on the planet!! When I find someone looking at the stuff I want to shop for also, and there isn’t room for both of us to look, I either wait a little ways off until they’re done or come back later.

I can pretty much extend this to any situation where people are seemingly oblivious to the fact that other people exist.

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**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-good-manners-gone-post-your-own-etiquette-pet-peeves/272020/102 "2004-11-02T19:15:51Z")

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The HR director at my office reapplies her foundation in the ladies room and splatters it all over the sink. Wipe it up!

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**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-good-manners-gone-post-your-own-etiquette-pet-peeves/272020/103 "2004-11-03T01:14:10Z")

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Shit, I’m STILL not done!

More phone annoyance. I have an answering machine. Not surprisingly (based on my prior rants), I don’t like to talk on the phone. So I let my machine pick up sometimes, and I normally screen my calls. Not always, but most times. Here’s my favorite machine message:

Hello? Hello? Are you there? Hellooooooo…hello? HI…ARE YOU THERE??? PICK UP PICK UP PICK UP PICK UP…ummmmm…hello…it’s me…hello…OK, I guess you’re not there then…hello? hello? _click_

fucking idiot. If I’m there and I want to talk, I promise I"ll pick up. Otherwise, fuck OFF! Sheesh!  
:mad:

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**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-good-manners-gone-post-your-own-etiquette-pet-peeves/272020/104 "2004-11-03T01:26:11Z")

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Has anyone mentioned people who leave 5 or 6 or 10 messages for you? Like they’re afraid the machine might not have recorded the last few. Believe me, if it didn’t record the first, it doesn’t get the next one either. And if your first message doesn’t get me to call back, your 8th is going to have me boycotting your phone number forever.

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-good-manners-gone-post-your-own-etiquette-pet-peeves/272020/105 "2004-11-03T01:30:54Z")

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> [@Shirley Ujest](#):
>
> Why not have two seperate lines?  
> Mr. Ujests dad needed his own line because - here is a shocker - the teenagers were always on the phone - so a business line was installed and the kids had their own line. They were responsible for the phone bill, too. So there was much hilarity for the first few months after installation.  
> But, I hate call waiting and have it myself on my cell and home phone. Damned if I know how to use either of them. Yay for being technologically retarded! Can I still use the word _retarded_ in the pit, or is that a faux paux? Cause saying " I’m a technological cocksucking felcher. " just doesn’t do it.

Because we weren’t able to afford it at the time, perhaps?

Nowadays, though, we have voice mail, caller ID and my dad relies on his cell phone, so it’s pretty rare that we actually get an incoming call on call waiting. But my father still considers it important for his job. And we have another line, but it’s for the computer.

Again, a lot of times I’d just say-“Hey, I’ve got a call on the other line, I’ll call you back.”

I personally don’t feel very strongly about it one way or the other.

My phone pet peeve-people who hang up on wrong numbers. I HATE running to the phone, only to have someone hang up. Look, just politely admit you dialed wrong. I won’t kill you.

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**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-have-all-the-good-manners-gone-post-your-own-etiquette-pet-peeves/272020/106 "2004-11-03T01:44:14Z")

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I got a wrong number hang up the other night. At 130am. If I had the presence of mind I would have \*69’d them so I could call them back to hang up on them.  
Bastards.

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