For business appts I try to be ready to go 5-10 minutes before the meeting. A Doctors appt is minimum 15 minutes because there is usually some form to fill out.
Confession time. I have been known to screech into the parking lot and put on my golf shoes on the first tee because I arrived at the appointed time as opposed to early enough to warm up. That may be the reason that is why I am a 14 handicap :smack:
For my first good job, I showed up 1.5 HOURS early. I had no idea what LA traffic would be like, so I headed to Century City early. I then discovered that there are NO side streets in Century City, so I headed for the parking garage. I then found a coffee shop and sat nervously.
I walked into the interview 15 minutes early. The receptionist asked for my parking card to validate. She saw the time and looked at me. I gave a sheepish smile and said that I had no idea what the commute would be, and I didn’t want to be late.
I got the job.
Another time, I came in 10 minutes early and went to the bathroom. Spotted my resume sitting on the sink. Out of the stall came a future co-worker.
Depends on where I have to be. At school? I get there almost thirty minutes early because I’m paranoid my car will break down and if I leave 40 minutes early I can run to get there in time. Yes I know. I have anxiety issues.
For professional appointments I try to be there twenty minutes early, but I’ll usually get to the general area earlier and hang out in a fast food restaurant. Because yes, I’m crazy.
It entirely depends on the context. With professional appointments, fifteen minutes early there, five to ten before walking inside. First doctor’s appointments, twenty minutes early, because I know there’ll be paperwork. Subsequent doctor’s appointments, no more than five minutes early, because I will be waiting anyway.
With friends, it entirely depends on the friend. I have one friend who considers anything less than fifteen minutes before the appointed time to be late. I had another friend who considered anything less than half an hour after the appointed time to be way too early. My own natural inclination is to be there as close to the time as possible (maybe a couple of minutes late), unless what we’re doing is time sensitive (for instance, catching a movie). In that case, I’ll be there 5-10 minutes early.
I’m 10-15 minutes early for just about everything. I start to sweat if I feel there’s a chance I’m even one minute late.
If it’s business-related, I’d be there by 1:55. If I get there any earlier because of allowing extra travel time, I’d kill some time elsewhere before going in.
Personal, I’d try to walk in on the dot at 2:00, but not sweat a few minutes either way.
It depends on when the public transport arrives, but usually I like to be there five minutes early. No need to be earlier, because, if anything, they’re going to start late. They never start more than ten minutes early, so why show up at that time?
somewhere between quarter to and five to.
Five minutes early. I don’t like to arrive too early for business appointments. I hate it when I get a call from our receptionist saying someone is here to see me, and he or she is 15 minutes early.
Same for personal appointments.
I note that Icarus says he arrives 15 minutes early and freshens up. I’ll do this, but I don’t consider myself to have “arrived” until I’m actually ready to meet. So maybe we’re just using the word to mean slightly different things.
I’m always early by 10 or 20 minutes, depending on the engagement.
Maybe it does in your country, but etiquette states no such thing in the US. For parties, maybe.
What kind of appointment? If it’s a dr. appt., I don’t bother getting there early, because I always have to wait at least 20 minutes past the appointment time anyway. If it’s a job interview or something like that, I would get there around 1:50. But I rarely give myself enough time to get somewhere. Take now, for instance. It’s 7 pm here, and I have to be somewhere at 8 and between now and then have to walk my dog, change, and stop somewhere and buy a card, and yet here I lie on the couch, pretending I have all the time in the world.
Another depends. For Court, I prefer to be at least 30 minutes before docket call, sometimes more. Other appointments, at least 15 min early if at all possible.
Depends on public transit, though I try to be about 10-15 minutes early.
At first, 30 to 45 minutes early. But for every appointment at the same place subtract a minute or so, with a minimum of 5 minutes early.
For friends, no more than ten minutes early (or it may inconvenience them), but never late.
For dentist/doctor between 15 and 30 minutes early - I like to sit and read and sometimes it works out that I get seen earlier than my appointment. I don’t want to be the cause of a whole day’s cascading late appointments.
For a job interview, I will arrive in the area maybe an hour early, make absolutely sure I can find the place, then retreat somewhere to read or have a coffee - then make sure to arrive five minutes early.
Same here. My time is valuable and my own. I’m not fond of cooling my heels in waiting rooms, and neither my doctor nor dentist require filling in forms at every visit. (Why would they?) And conversely, don’t keep me waiting. If I’m there at 1:55 and our appointment is at 2:00, at 2:10 I’m out the door unless there’s a very very good reason why I should give you the benefit of the doubt and hang around.
10 minutes early for pretty much everything. I was starting to show up late for doctor’s appointments because they always kept me waiting so long, but my new doctor is much more punctual, so I’m back to showing up 10 minutes early again.
Fifteenish minutes early.
For an appointment at 2pm: by myself 1:55pm, with my wife 3:30pm.
Five minutes early is what I shoot for. Like Saintly Loser, it is actually a nuisance when people come too early.
State the time when you need me to be there. If you have paperwork you need me to fill out, factor that into the appointment time. It is complete bullshit to expect someone to show up twenty minutes before the designated time because of your paperwork—particularly when your office is making the offer of appointment times.
L’heure, c’est l’heure, as Edith Piaf sang. Avant l’heure, c’est pas l’heure. Après l’heure, c’est plus l’heure. (On time is on time. Early is not on time. Late is not on time.)