Pet Peeve: Shop escalators that only go up Blog Discussion

HelzBelz

Personally I hate stores/airport/trainstations etc that only have escalators and no stairs, I hate down escalators and always feel as though I'm going to fall (think it's because I went base over apex down a staircase when I was little )

andyrules

totally agree with this. As someone has said, it's surprising that stores are allowed to provide assisted access one way only without indication.

Also, agree with the person who points out the unhelpful policy of siting the start of the next one away from the end of the previous one!

before_hollywood

HelzBelz wrote: »

Personally I hate stores/airport/trainstations etc that only have escalators and no stairs, I hate down escalators and always feel as though I'm going to fall (think it's because I went base over apex down a staircase when I was little )

i hate them too.....
confession time- i nearly broke my legs on one when i was i think 19 so avoid them like the plague, trouble is i end up getting filthy looks off people if there are only lifts or escalators and i take the lifts- believe me if there were stairs i wouldn't be waiting for the lift for one floor would i?????

i try and find shops with stairs in them and if feasible for me to do so (i.e they aren't womens clothes shops or something similar) i will go in the shop, pretend to look round, go up/downstairs as necessary, pretend to look round and then go out :j :j :j

HelzBelz

At least I'm not the only one:T the flipping Arndale centre an Manchester does my head in!

BenL

The Arcadia group do seem to be the worse at this. I always seem to be having to walk down stairs from Top Man or wherever and then through the Top Shop bit on the ground floor trying to get passed women trying everything on in the aisle and not actually looking where they are going.

I only wanted a pair of jeans not an assault course.

Riviera_Kid

HelzBelz wrote: »

Personally I hate stores/airport/trainstations etc that only have escalators and no stairs, I hate down escalators and always feel as though I'm going to fall (think it's because I went base over apex down a staircase when I was little )

Same for me, and I think for me I probably don't like them as when I was little I saw someone fall down one.
I remember once I went to London and went into one of these tube stations with like three or four massive down elevators... every time I just took a deep breath, tried not to look down and waited impatiently to get to the bottom!

Having said that since I've been about 16 I've pretty much got over it... I still prefer the stairs but I'm ok on the down escalator as well

squashy

My husband has a bad knee and he finds coming DOWN the stairs more painful than going up! I agree they should have them both ways else warn people that they are gonna be stuck upstairs!

ben500

I personally apart from anything else resent the deviciveness of them, the deal is make it easy to get in and spend your money and fvck you once they have it!

Crown

Totally agree with the view that they should be better publicised. I had a road traffic accident a few years back and although I am fully able to walk around unaided it doesnt help when I have to clamber down stairwells.

Martin, I say that you start a Campaign to get this highlighted in the press. With your contacts maybe you could get them to change it but I doubt that it would help there profit margins so I wont hold my breathe

tenuissent

I'd like to mention Stansted airport where, flying home from Germany ealier this year with my daughter, two non-walking babies, hand luggage and changebag etc, and a heavy double buggy, we were faced with one very steep down escalator from the plane (no up escalator). There was no way the two of us could get onto the escalator with the babies and all our gear at once; and because there was no up escalator, I could not help her by taking luggage and buggy down bit by bit and coming back up to help with the babies. There are two lifts, kept locked, and an emergency phone, which we used.

We used this phone about 6 times over an hour and a half, and each time were promised someone was on his way to unlock the lifts.

[After the first 45 minutes she asked me to go ahead alone to collect our checked-in luggage, and I found it had already been removed from the belt and taken to a fairly remote area from which it was about to be moved to an even more remote office as "unclaimed"].

Meanwhile, my daughter was completely stranded in a public corridor where she had to breastfeed, change nappies, feed the toddler; but could not use the lavatory herself in case the man with the lift key did arrive and she missed him.

This is a ridiculous situation for a modern airport to force their passengers into; and we have had no apology or compensation for discomfort and distress. The most they would do was to pay the extra charges of the taxi company we had arranged to meet us, and had to wait for a couple of hours longer than expected.

So yes - escalators both ways; and I shall never use Stansted again.