Yeah, as most have you have inferred, I am P2, and my annoyance is at least partially at myself for not getting there in a timely manner. Mostly I’m annoyed about the fact that I didn’t see the movie, which I’d been looking forward to – whereas if I’d just said “screw him, I’ll go see the movie by myself” I could have a) seen the movie, and b) found my friend.
P2 has a definite right to be miffed. I’ve been P2 several times.
Once, I was supposed to meet some people at a coffee shop at 7:00. I was late. I arrived at 7:01. The other three (none of whom had a reputation for puctuality) decided that I was not showing up and so moved to another location. They’d moved less than a minute after the rendezvous time. What with my building in time for dinner and everything, I’d lost about three hours of my day over that. Yes, I was pissed, yes, I had a right to be, and yes, I let it be known.
On another occasion I was going to meet some friends at a cafe around the corner from a concert venue, some 45 minutes before the start of the show. I arrived on time. They weren’t there. I finally asked the box office if someone had left a ticket for me. As it turns out, they did. I missed the first three songs of the show.
If you promise someone you’re going to meet them at a certain time and place, then do it, and give them a little leeway for traffic.
I think both P1 and P2 are within their rights to relish a little miffedness, provided it is of the very brief variety.
If I am P2, I would be thinking that P1 was awfully quick to rush into the theater.
If I am P1, I am thinking that I love previews, so the “experience” that I am looking forward to (and paid for) does indeed start at 4:10 PM.
This is probably a regional thing, but I was a little surprised that 4 PM was the planned meet time for a 4:10 PM show. I feel like I always need more time.
And just to mention for the future, there have been one or two times where I explained a similar dilemma to the movie theater ticket person, and he/she was happy to let me look in the theater to see if I could find my person before purchasing the ticket. Again, I’m sure this depends on the policy of the theater, and the layout of the building, but it’s worth asking.
Yeah, it’s usually why I end up meeting friends to see the movies at about half an hour before. Sometimes even 45 minutes if it’s a crowded area/popular movie. I’d do ten minutes if it was a tiny little movie theatre, like in my old hometown.
For the record, I wouldn’t have gone in either.
Given that there may be confusion about the precise start time of the film and that the inside is dark (making it difficult to see if your friend is inside), I blame both of them!
‘4ish’ is not precise enough to know when to meet, given there is a deadline shortly afterwards… “see you by the box office by 4.05 at the latest”
I must cast my vote for P2 being in the right, and P1 being in the wrong. When you say you’ll meet them out front, you stay out front until they show up. You don’t show up around the meeting time and go in. On what planet is that considered waiting for them out front? Upon finding out that they had shown up basically at the same time I had and had gone in rather than wait a few minutes for me, I would first be stunned by the convoluted logic that made that seem like a good idea, then I would be cheesed off. I would plan events with this person extremely carefully in the future, because it’s obvious we don’t think alike at all.
You are wrong. The movie experience starts with the trailers. It’s in the rulebook.
If I were P2 I’d be a bit miffed. But I go for the whole experience: sneaking in a can or 2 of movie juice (Rock Star Sugar Free), previews, flipping through the Playbill at the Ritz, etc.
What usually happens to me is that my movie partner runs late (she is notorious among her friends for this), so I buy two tickets and wait out front for her.
Which movie theatre did you go to?
Franklin Mills, adding to the overall hellishness of the experience.
So why didn’t you all use your cell phones?
Eww. Customers walk in, but they don’t walk out.
I have one, but never use it – so I don’t keep a phonebook on it, and didn’t have his number with me. I didn’t remember to turn it on until 4:10. Why he didn’t call me – dunno, I’m miffed with him at the moment, haven’t asked.
It’s not really worth getting too miffed about. It’s just a call for better logistical organization next time. It’s certainly not worth damaging a friendship over.
Remember: today’s friends are tomorrow’s organ donors (or potential food in a soccer plane crash type situation).
Is it fair to assume P1 has since told you he didn’t call your cell phone at the time?
I can imagine P1’s version of this story being a lot more favourable to him, which would also explain everybody working out that you were P2. However, there is no way to put a positive spin on his going into the cinema before the movie would’ve even started, unless he called you on your cell when he arrived at 4.05pm, found it turned off and guessed that you had turned your cell off because you had already gone into the cinema (remembering that he, too, was late).
Back in the era before cell phones (circa 1983), I’d agreed to drive my brother half way to Mom’s house where she would pick him up. That way, we’d split the 300 mile drive. We were to meet at a particular restaurant. Just in case, we agreed to call a mutual friend Jeanie if something went wrong (we were late, decided to wait somewhere else, whatever). I arrive at the designated spot, on time. No mom. I wait. I call Jeanie–no message. I wait. After about half an hour, I give my brother the keys and have him drive up and down the street, stopping at other restaurants to see if she’s there. I wait. Another half hour and he’s back with mom. She “felt uncomfortable” waiting at the restaurant we decided on, so she left. She didn’t call Jeanie because “it was a long distance call.” She just figured we’d eventually find her. Of course, she was right, which makes my level of “miffed-ness” still pretty high even after 25+ years.
I have to side with P2 pretty heavily on this one. I was supposed to meet a friend recently ‘at the top of the stairs down to the Harbourfront Streetcar’. I got there plenty early (surprising for me, but I didn’t want to make her wait) and stood and waited. And waited. And waited. Didn’t have cell coverage without leaving the fare zone, so I couldn’t call her, but figured she’d show up eventually (neither of us are exactly what you’d call punctual).
Eventually, I found a spot where I had cell coverage and tried calling her, but just got voicemail. So then I started wondering if I’d misremembered what we agreed and started wandering around looking for her. Found her downstairs and around the corner at the streetcar stop waiting. She hadn’t wanted to wait at the top of the stairs because she had arrived early and there was no place there to sit.
But she didn’t come look for me at the appointed time. Or call my cell and let me know she’d be waiting in a different spot. Or anything. So I stood around for half an hour (because, you know, no place to sit)–the 15 minutes that I was early, and the 15 minutes I waited before I went off looking for her–which was a tremendous pain given that the rest of the evening we had planned involved a lot of walking and standing, as well, and I am fat and can’t stand that long without my knees hurting.
I’m not really miffed, because what’s the point? But it was a pretty WTF?!?!? moment.