You’ll notice a few everyday habits when you spend enough time out in public. Beyond the typical trends, these are simple behaviors that practically everyone does while they’re doing their everyday routines. But Americans say a lot of these habits have gotten worse. Apparently, a lot of the things we do in public feel different from how they used to be, and not in a good way. Here are eight public behaviors that Americans say have gotten worse.
Not cleaning up after dogs
It’s not hard to miss what a lot of people are complaining about in most city neighborhoods, as dog waste is on practically every sidewalk. It’s on the grass strips between the curb & street, and it’s on the park paths, too. Yes, some selfish owners simply walk away from their dog’s waste without ever bothering to clean it up.
There are a few owners who do bag it up, but then they’ll leave the tied bag sitting next to a tree or hanging on a fence. They’ll straight-up refuse to put it inside a trash can. Sadly, the situation is even worse near apartments because there are more people, and it seems as though people lack the basic skills of caring for their environment.
Talking loudly on speakerphone in public places
Gone are the days when it was unusual to hear someone’s full conversation on the phone in public. Nowadays, many people walk around with their phones on speaker in stores & waiting areas. They don’t care that everyone else can hear what’s going on. Some of these conversations can last several minutes, and they’ll cover all manner of topics.
It’s the same story at airport gates and on public transport alike. Anyone standing nearby will, whether they want to or not, hear both sides of the conversation, because some people no longer seem to bother to think about how their phone calls are disturbing those around them.
Ignoring basic queue etiquette
Line etiquette used to be quite predictable, as you stood behind the last person and moved forward when it was your turn, simple as that. But a lot of people have said that it doesn’t feel so straightforward anymore because some customers don’t know how to line up properly. They’ll drift toward the front, regardless of the fact that other people are still waiting.
You might notice that boarding areas in airports involve more clusters than clear lines, for example. There are usually people hovering near the counter, and maybe a few sliding into the open spaces near the front, leading to a line that’s only organized when you look at it from far away. It’s rather different when you’re standing in it.
Blocking aisles in stores while scrolling phones
The quickest of grocery trips can slow down much more than most people expect. It’s mostly because of people who decide to stop their carts in the middle of the aisle as they check messages or compare prices on their phones. Such behavior is quite common in frozen food aisles & pharmacy sections.
Stopping in the middle of the aisle causes everyone behind the cart to suddenly stop and wait quietly behind. Most of the time, the person blocking the aisle is so focused on their phone that they don’t actually realize how much traffic is building behind them. It’s really quite selfish.
Leaving messes behind in restaurants or movie theaters
Anyone who’s worked closing shifts knows what’s up. After customers leave, their mess stays behind, including popcorn crushed into the carpet at a movie theater and soda all across the table at a restaurant. Don’t be surprised when you find napkins crumpled everywhere as well. It’s the norm.
Unfortunately, the staff is left to sweep it all up between groups so that the next customers never see what was left behind. Many American workers have said that it’s almost like customers don’t care about cleaning up after themselves, so they never bother to do so.
Letting children run unsupervised in public spaces
Most of the time, kids run around public spaces like they’re in a playground, and they’ll zigzag between the tables & spin around the empty chairs. Their parents? They’re simply sitting nearby, having conversations with each other, and not bothered whatsoever about the trouble that their kids are causing.
In some cases, it gets so bad that the restaurant servers have to step around them when carrying trays. Shoppers are forced to push their carts slowly so that they don’t bump into anyone. Sure, you might think that the parents would feel embarrassed by such behavior, but they very rarely are.
Aggressive driving in everyday situations
Sadly, aggressive driving has become a lot more common, and many drivers have spoken about cars riding right on their bumpers through neighborhood streets. It happens even when the speed limit is low. When you’re at a stoplight, you might also see that some people honk their horns almost immediately because the car ahead hasn’t moved the second the light turns green.
Merging lanes is another issue. It becomes a small standoff that involves one car speeding up to close the gap while another one tries to slide in. No matter where people are going, it’s clear that they’ve lost practically all sense of driving etiquette.
Treating service workers disrespectfully in public
The way that customers deal with service workers has completely changed. Nowadays, conversations become heated relatively quickly, and the customers will often blame the cashier for prices ringing up differently. They’ll complain to the airline gate agents about delays they never caused, simply because they think they’re deserving of it.
A lot of customers ask for exceptions that staff aren’t allowed to make, too. Since these exchanges happen right at the counter, everyone nearby gets the pleasure of hearing the entire conversation, and they’re silently judging the customer for reacting in that way. But they’ll probably end up doing the same thing at some point.
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