How To Use A Door...

[BrassCowboy]

So, I work Loss Prevention at my job. I'm a glorified door greeter, kinda like Costco, except unlike Costco, I am in charge of both the ENTER and EXIT doors. Truth is, you can enter through either door, but you can only exit through a certain door. The other one simply will NOT open for you. Here are some stories:

1. Customers will walk up to try and leave through the wrong door. If I'm busy with someone else, I may not see them immediately. So, I've turned around to see people standing an inch away from the door, with the most confused look on their face. What makes it even more funny, is that their face is right in front of the sign on the door that CLEARLY says "DO NOT ENTER." People have hit the door with their fists, knocked on it, yelled at me to fix it, and probably the funniest, one guy tried to fit his own house keys into the key hole to unlock it.

2. Now, some customers try and find the loophole in the rule: They will try and sneak out the exit door, while another customer enters. This usually entails me loudly stating, to the delight of other customers and employees: "THAT IS NOT AN EXIT! YOU NEED TO GO AROUND TO THIS DOOR!"

Some responses to this:
"Why can't I exit here?"
"But, I came in this way"
"What's the difference? I just want to leave."
or the one arrogant jerk who said "No, this door will be fine." and then pushes his way past incoming customers, pissing them off in the process.

3. OK, last one. A guy was in situation #1, standing face to face with a "DO NOT ENTER" sign, and wondering why a door wouldn't open for him. I told him what I tell everyone like in example #2. As he goes around to the real exit, he examines the door.

Guy: "Hey, why can't I go out that door?"
ME: "It says "DO NOT ENTER." Thats why."
Guy: "But, it says "EXIT" in big letters above the door."
For those of you who don't know, he was referring to the emergency exit sign that we have placed over every door, including fire exits. In fact, not only do we have these exits signs, every building that has passed inspection does too.
Me: "Yeah, we've got those signs all over the store *points* Those are emergency exits."

The guy finally leaves. A moment later, one of our computer salesmen comes in from his lunch, laughing.

Computer salesman: "Dude what happened with that guy that just walked out in the gray shirt?"
Me: "What do you mean?"
Computer salesman: "Well, I was walking in, and that guy turned to me and said 'That guy at the door is a real asshole.' What did you say to him?"

I explained it to him and a few others, including the store manager, who all got a good laugh at that.

[Emrld]

And I can understand some of that . . . .

If I see the exit sign above a door . . .I expect to be able to exit.
Let me ask this . . .
are these the exit signs that can light up? if so are they lit during business hours or just in an emergency?
Is there also a label on the door that says "Emergency Exit Only"?
Because that would make sense to see a door in a store with an exit sign over it . . .and then the Emergency Exit only . . .or Alarm will sound type sign on it.

And yes, I am a creature of habit . . . I like to be able to go out the door I came in . . .or really close to it. It really bothers me when stores have say their entrance at the north facing end. . . then the exit is on the south facing end. I understand from a LP logic why that is . . .but for remembering where you car is . . .it can mess some of us up.

[BrassCowboy]

OK, these are the EXIT signs that are required for every building to have in case of an emergency so that everyone knows how to get out of the building. (one good example was earlier this week when the power went out. Customers were then able to leave the store safely through the doors.)That does not mean that can leave those doors nonchalantly whenever you please. And yes, the door is clearly marked on the glass with a sign that says "DO NOT ENTER."

What really makes this interesting is that the doors are not that far apart. You don't have to go to the other side of the store to exit. The doors are merely separated by six feet, at most...and me standing in between them.

[mattm04]

We once had a SC who decided they didn't want to buy anything and tried to leave the store via the back room. The used the logic that their was a EXIT sign above the door, since it leads to the exit but ignored the "EMPLOYEES ONLY" and "EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY" sign on the door. A co worker caught then about two feet from leaving via the loading dock exit, which would have set off the alarm, since you need a key to open the door without the alarm sounding.

[South Texan]

I have to agree with the Exit Sign customer. (Note that I am not using the "SC" label on him as he had a legitimate complaint.)

Exit signs are required for a reason. That being so that people inside the building can see how to exit should a fire or other situation come up requiring a quick evacuation of the building. A business that puts up Exit signs on non-exit doors "just to pass an inspection" is violating the law that required the building to have a certain number of emergency exits.

Locking doors marked as exits or making it impossible to open them from the inside is inviting disaster should an emergency happen. The store may find the fire or building code inspector coming out to investigate those doors and emergency "exits" if this customer complains about this.

[PepperElf]

i'd agree to... if there wasn't a working exit door right next to the enter-only door.

i suspect the exit sign covers both doors?

[CancelMyService]

There's a difference between a normal exit sign and an emergency exit. Anyone over the age of 5 who's ever been in a department store should be well aware that any door can be forced open to exit in an emergency. If the lights are on and you don't smell smoke, read the effin' sign that's right in front of your face.

[BrassCowboy]

Locking doors marked as exits or making it impossible to open them from the inside is inviting disaster should an emergency happen.

OK, once again, the doors don't lock or make it impossible to leave in an emergency. With a simple push, any door will open. That does not mean, however, that every door SHOULD be pushed anytime a customer wants to.

[rvdammit]

If I'm tracking this right you have a way in and way out door. over these doors are emergency exit signs, as they can both be used to escape, which customers are deciding means regular exit

[Difdi]

And I can understand some of that . . . .

If I see the exit sign above a door . . .I expect to be able to exit.

Those exit signs are required by law, and are liberally applied, even when it makes no sense.. I've seen them adorning glass doors that are the only way out (that a customer had to come in through to see the sign), loading dock doors, employees-only back rooms, and the capper, one of them I saw once is on the only door back into the building on a balcony on the tenth floor of a highrise apartment building...a balcony, I might add, that unless you are Superman, a BASE jumper or suicidal, only has one way off it, and that door is a sliding job literally as wide as the balcony is.

[Sableonblonde]

People have hit the door with their fists, knocked on it, yelled at me to fix it, and probably the funniest, one guy tried to fit his own house keys into the key hole to unlock it.

That is funny!

I've gotten really paranoid about leaving stores and making absolutely sure I'm heading for the proper exit door before I approach it. I've had my share of walking up to doors, pushing/pulling them, and nothing happening because it was the wrong way out. A small bit of pre-planning goes a long way

[Becks]

one guy tried to fit his own house keys into the key hole to unlock it.

Sadly, I think I work with some people who would try that.

[PepperElf]

and ... this just happened to me a few hours ago.
i went to one of the stores about 10 minutes before closing. (that part's ok cos i knew exactly what I needed and it took me about 3 minutes to find & buy).

on the way out i pushed the first door open... nothing. i looked up and realized they only had one door open for exit. so, i laughed at myself and left through the single open door.