DEAR MISS MANNERS: As an apartment dweller, I frequently ride the elevator with other residents. When other tenants enter behind me, I typically ask and push the buttons for them -- but one woman barked her floor number at me the moment we entered the elevator, without a "please" or "thank you."
I was stunned by her rudeness and pushed the button reluctantly, but can you recommend a better way to handle this situation? I will likely run into her again, and I would prefer not to feel like an elevator attendant in my own building.
GENTLE READER: Nevertheless, Miss Manners advises you to act like one. If you push the requested button, but, as your fellow tenant is exiting, say, "Ladies' lingerie, better dresses and household goods," she is not likely to repeat her behavior.