Self-sighting ... yeah, it's after hours, so what?

[Pixilated]

For the last month or so I've been entering and leaving the college through two sets of sliding doors that open onto the adult retraining section of the college, rather than using the main doors that open into the lobby. There are two sets of sliding doors, then the lobby/staff offices of the adult retraining program, then another set of push/pull doors that lead to the corridor of the adult retraining classrooms. At the end of that corridor is another push/pull door that leads to a corridor of the main college (it bears a sign warning that it's an emergency exit and an alarm will sound if it's opened. It's always open. There is no alarm. This has no bearing on the story, it's just ... funny, sorta.)

Recently I was at school later than usual one night -- didn't leave until nearly 8 p.m. Without thinking I headed down my usual corridors towards my usual entrance/exit. I went through the 'emergency' door and past the adult retraining classrooms, towards the adult retraining program's lobby.

Oh my, look how dark that lobby is. Oh well, no problem. I flung open one of the doors and marched on through.

Only to find (to nobody's surprise, I'm sure) that the sliding doors were locked.

Well, crap. I turn around to retrace my steps ... and the push/pull door was also locked ... at least from the side I was on.

So there I am, neatly trapped in the lobby.

For a couple of minutes I just went blank. What to do, what to do ... Because I was now stuck well away from the main body of the college, the chances of somebody else coming down this corridor anytime soon were pretty remote. I also wasn't sure how many people would even be passing by outside, whose attention I might attract.

Finally I saw a sign on the sliding doors saying in an emergency, just push them open. Turns out they are extremely easy to unlock from inside -- it's just a knob that you twist. The automatic function was of course disabled but I managed to push both open and then close them behind me.

Then I got to go to the security desk and 'fess up, so they could go re-lock the doors. They were very kind about it.

And yes, I had indeed forgotten about the security staff, who do periodic patrols throughout the building ... somebody, at some point, would probably have found me in the lobby (especially as I'd also turned the lights on) and let me out.

Moral of this story: either don't stay late, or take the main hallways.

[Dentarthurdent]

Oh gods. Oh gods, this takes my brain to a bad place. When I was in college, there was a huge line/queue that wrapped through an entire building several times. It was people waiting in line to get their leftover financial aid money checks (whatever didn't get spent on books and tuition). I tried to take a shortcut to another part of the building and got trapped in a stairwell. The door at the bottom, to the parking garage, was locked, and the door I had entered was also locked from the other side, so I couldn't get out.

When I banged on the door at the top of the stairs and shouted, people in line looked at me disdainfully and ignored me. It was only about 10 minutes before someone else let me out, though. Wish there had been an emergency release like in your situation!

[Pixilated]

You really wonder about people who can see somebody pounding frantically on a door but can't be bothered to go over and find out what the problem is ...

The real irony is that I stopped in at the office next day to tell them about it ... and the woman in the office said, "Oh, how long was it before somebody heard you and let you out?"

Me: "... What?"

Yep ... apparently I wasn't the only person to get caught this way recently. The other person thumped on the doors and shouted until somebody heard them (from the way the woman talked it sounded as though there was still a teacher in one of the classrooms) and came to let them out.

[wolfie]

I tried to take a shortcut to another part of the building and got trapped in a stairwell. The door at the bottom, to the parking garage, was locked, and the door I had entered was also locked from the other side, so I couldn't get out.

IMNSHO, that warrants a call to 911. I'm sure the fire department would like to know of an establishment accessible to the public where people can get in but can't get out without assistance.

[EricKei]

When I banged on the door at the top of the stairs and shouted, people in line looked at me disdainfully and ignored me.

Sadly, it sounds like they just didn't wanna lose their place in line >_<

How's that saying go...? "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity/laziness" ...?

[Kittykat]

Not entirely the same, but once when I was little I was at the movie theater with my dad and had to go to the bathroom. I thought I was going out the right door, and ended up going out of the fire doors. It of course locked behind me, leaving me in the pitch black darkness. I thankfully managed to get out and push the exit door open, but I set off the alarm. Mind you, I was 6 or 7, and promptly burst into tears lol. My poor dad, panicked trying to find me and an employee who was on a smoke break found me and realized what had happened. We got inside and he explained things.