# Would it kill you to unlock BOTH doors? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 14, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377 "2005-04-14T23:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/1 "2005-04-14T23:20:11Z")
How many times have you tried to enter or leave a building where there two doors side by side, and only one of them was unlocked? So what happens? You either bash into the door, or yank on it to no avail, and then use the other one. WTF?! Why can’t we unlock BOTH doors? Two doors were built and installed. Why not use them? I hate that. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/2 "2005-04-14T23:31:57Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > How many times have you tried to enter or leave a building where there two doors side by side, and only one of them was unlocked? > > So what happens? You either bash into the door, or yank on it to no avail, and then use the other one. > > WTF?! Why can’t we unlock BOTH doors? Two doors were built and installed. Why not use them? > > I hate that. fuckin a! They do this at KFC. So I have to look like a tool trying to get in through the locked door. How fuckin hard is it to unlock a door!? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/3 "2005-04-14T23:36:25Z")
With many of those doors, it requires bending over to unlock the second door. Latch at top, latch at bottom, seldom is the bottom latch foot operated, it’s usually a recessed lever of some sort. So maybe they don’t like bending over for some reason? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/4 "2005-04-14T23:48:38Z")
That would take all the sport out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/5 "2005-04-14T23:58:14Z")
I thought this was going to be about Monty Hall. Dammit, I want the car! ---
**Author:** ![Creaky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@Creaky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creaky)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/6 "2005-04-15T03:28:37Z")
Hee. For some reason the thought of you fuming over that cracks me up. Like, all red-faced and all, pushing on that door and snorting like a wild boar or something! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/7 "2005-04-15T03:34:53Z")
Next time, turn around after going inside. Many businesses have a tape measure attached next to the doorway to help get a description of criminals. If so, they obviously want to route people through the door next to the tape. ---
**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/8 "2005-04-15T04:33:55Z")
I once bruised up my knee and my forehead because I tried to walk right through one of those things without slowing down. And while I am often clumsy, I refuse to feel like an idiot for assuming that both sides of the double doors were open. ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/9 "2005-04-15T13:13:23Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > Next time, turn around after going inside. Many businesses have a tape measure attached next to the doorway to help get a description of criminals. If so, they obviously want to route people through the door next to the tape. They do?! Really? :eek: Sounds like another good reason to be living this side of the Atlantic! ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/10 "2005-04-15T14:34:28Z")
I’m paraplegic and use a scooter with a reasonable amount of power for shopping. If a door is meant to be pushed open I use my scooter to do most of the pushing. Well, several years ago I was in a store that had a pair of doors, only one of which was unlocked. I got in OK, but when I was leaving I tried to shove open the other (locked door) with my scooter - the glass shattered! I said something to the effect of “Oops! Sorry!” and left by the unlocked door. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/11 "2005-04-15T14:43:50Z")
I can’t speak for KFC, but when I worked at Circle K, we locked what we called the “beer door,” generally in the evening, and I notice that most convenience stores do this. This is the door on the right that opens outwards as you leave the store. This is to slow down, or at least piss off, beer runners. It rarely worked, but when it did, it was hilarious. Picture a sixteen year old with a six pack under each arm smash into the door, expecting it to open. Sometimes they’d panic, drop the beer, fumble around until they realized the left door was unlocked, and run out of there. Ah, good times, good times . . . ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/12 "2005-04-15T15:04:28Z")
[quote] Sounds like another good reason to be living this side of the Atlantic! [quote] Y’know I jus6 realied I’ve never seen one in my entire life, which has hardly been spent in the boonies. Maybe its a regional thing. Anyway, it still doesn’t answer the question. Why would they have two doors and make it so they never use or want to use one? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/13 "2005-04-15T15:41:41Z")
My gym does this. I’ll never understand why they can’t just unlock both doors. It’s like they hate us or something. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/14 "2005-04-15T15:47:38Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > Next time, turn around after going inside. Many businesses have a tape measure attached next to the doorway to help get a description of criminals. If so, they obviously want to route people through the door next to the tape. Exactly; because it’s terribly expensive and incovenient to put a _second_ tape measure next to the _other_ door. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/15 "2005-04-15T16:02:42Z")
The corollary to this rant being: If there’s two doors available, why are you standing _directly in front of one_ waiting for everyone else to come through the other!? FYI, that big pane of glass in the brass frame with hinges can also be used as a means of entrance and egress, dumbass! ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/16 "2005-04-15T16:12:01Z")
> [@Martiju](#): > > They do?! Really? :eek: > > Sounds like another good reason to be living this side of the Atlantic! Sorry, they do it on this side too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/17 "2005-04-15T16:15:52Z")
When I see one of the doors locked I just unlock it. Usually there’s a switch on the edge of the door that will release the lock. If they don’t want it open, that’s too damn bad. That’s a fire hazard and in violation of most fire codes. If they give me a hard time about it I usually offer to call the Fire Marshal and ask their opinion and that ends that conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/18 "2005-04-15T16:21:56Z")
Oh, dear god, I sure hate this. I can understand if you’re a liquor store and the sun has set, but the fuckin’ Au Bon Pain near my office does this. How many muffin-stealers do you get in an ordinary afternoon? –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/19 "2005-04-15T16:31:10Z")
> [@Martiju](#): > > They do?! Really? :eek: Mostly just in convenience stores and gas stations. I hate this whole thing of leaving one door locked. The whole point of double doors is so more than one person can use those doors at the same time, and you don’t have to wait for someone else to get out the door before you can go in. I always, always, always try to go in the door that’s locked first. **Dante,** I feel your pain! Double doors–_two_ doors. Use them both. And don’t stand right in front of the other door when you’re opening one door, so I can’t get out. Stupid cows. **Canadjun,** you’re my hero! ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377/20 "2005-04-15T16:57:15Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > Next time, turn around after going inside. Many businesses have a tape measure attached next to the doorway to help get a description of criminals. If so, they obviously want to route people through the door next to the tape. Anyone else ever stop at the tape and measure your height and your friends heights? No? Never mind then. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-kill-you-to-unlock-both-doors/299377.md?page=2)