Escalator Etiquette

If you're like me, escalators bring back fond childhood memories. What kid doesn't like escalators? Ok, sure, when you first encounter an escalator there are a few fears to overcome. After all, there's the leap of faith as you step from the solid footing of the first floor department store to a set of moving stairs. It's a little unnatural at first. And you have to be alert at the end of your ride. Otherwise you may find yourself facedown on the ground, which would be a bit embarrassing -- who wants to have folks ask, "Hey, what happened to your nose?" when the honest response is "Well, I was on an escalator..." Once you master the art of boarding/deboarding, the escalator becomes a thrilling ride.

Once you're an adult, the escalator ride is still special, because you reflect back to those experiences as a youth. But now, you see an escalator for what it is, a time-saving transportation device. And....if you actually walk up a set of moving escalator steps, you are now able to travel at a super rate of speed, far surpassing what you could normally do on foot. But that leads me to my beef. Recently I was in a store with a single set of escalator steps. I boarded, but my progress was impeded by someone in front of me. And they were just standing there! And I thought to myself--this would be acceptable if this were a child. But in this case, I was behind an adult! I wanted to scream, "Grow up, buddy!" I did bite my tongue, however. Instead, I'm calling this person out in my blog. So now, Mr. Clogging-Up-The-Escalator, maybe you'll come across this and think next time....and show some maturity for crying out loud.