The Disappearing One-Way Door |
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Is this happening only in California? As I'm about to enter a 7-11, or a mall, or one of a number of the usual stores I have to go in - much to myreluctance - I realize - but only too late - the huge "PULL" signs all over the door.
Too late, I say, because I absentmindedly did what seemed natural and got ready to PUSH on the door. And now I'm about to make a fool of myself. But - surprise! Belying its prominent signage the door DOES open inwards after all, and I can proceed in the store with my dignity unscathed. Now that has been happening with increasing frequency - and what's interesting is that in most cases people haven't even bother taking off the "PUSH/PULL" stickers. Which can only mean one thing: I wasn't the only one constantly splattering myself against one way door that opened outward. But for store owners to give in must have required a fair daily number of such embarrassments. So, after years of having the pull handle clearly marked with "PULL" and usually a big PULL sign on the doorhandle itself, I guess the retail industry is throwing the towel. The thing that it boils down do, I think, is that the affordance of the pull/push handles on these doors is just a bit ambiguous. Especially on the "pull" side: it's very difficult to make a handle that you can only pull. And that's something that no amount of signage can correct. |