Don't people talking on cellphones in public place realize they are being rude??

Question

I seriously can not beleive how rude some people are about talking on their cellphones. They take them into public places like malls or grocery stores or movie theatres and just loudly talk away, not seeming to realize how much they are annoying other people. Worst of all are those stupid headsets, so people can walk around loudly talking to nobody about personal things no one wants to hear about.

And like when I'm cahsiering at work, sometimes people will come up to me and have me ring up their sale... WHILE they are talking to somone on their cellphone. And when I try to ask them a question about their purchase, they'll just look at me like, "What? Can't you see I'm on the phone here??"

Seriously, what is people's problems? Can't they see they are being rude? Or do they just not care?

Answer 1

I don't know what some people's problem is! At the last college I went to, there was this guy (40-something years old) that was ALWAYS on his phone in the hallway or the courtyard or the cafeteria. And he would always be talking incredibly loudly, so you were pretty much forced to listen to his conversation, and a lot of them were inappropriate. I finally walked up to him and told him off after he was outside one day talking (more like shouting, actually) about some co-worker of his who had a pelvic exam and all her gynecological problems... and used her first and last name and phone number. I told him that I didn't know who that lady was, but I was pretty sure she didn't want me and the rest of the world knowing about all her personal business. And the guy just kind of shrugged and went on his way, and told whoever he was talking to about how some "little girl"(me) was trying to teach him manners!
And BlueTooth/handsfree users can be so obnoxious too! Especially the ones who have super tiny headsets and look toward you while saying something like "Hi! How are you?" and then get annoyed when you respond!
I totally understand that people like having cell phones, I use mine pretty frequently, but I wish they would keep in mind that they are still in public, and they need to be polite to the people around them.

Answer 2

Can you say OBLIVIOUS??? Oh yes, and the walkie-talkie ones are the WORST with not only the squawking speakerphone but the beeping added to it.

People have just become totally and completely oblivious. I never thought I'd be "old" enough to want to say we should outlaw the things, but people don't seem to have enough sense to handle it on their own. And I'm talking now more about DRIVING with cell phones than being in stores, movies, etc. I've gotten to where I'm just rude back when they don't get it. I'm SOOO tempted to just walk up to someone having a loud conversation in a public place, sit down next to them and stare right into their face. When they want to know what the hell my problem is, I can say, "Oh, I'm sorry. You were talking so loudly I was under the impression you WANTED me involved in this conversation."

Truly, the cell phone drivers have become deadly -- I do believe worse now than DUI drivers. And the oblivious pedestrians are a serious hazard now. "Don't play in traffic" seems to have lost all meaning. I can't tell you how many cellphone idiots go wandering out in traffic, looking the opposite direction of oncoming traffic, yakking away without ever looking behind them to see how much traffic they have backed up.

I'm not liking this altered reality much... STOP IT! :(

Answer 3

People talking on cellphones in public places either DON'T realize they're being rude; are too darned ignorant; or simply don't care.

I'm continually amazed when I witness a situation such as you describe (they're on the phone, give the cashier their purchase, the cashier asks a question and THEY get upset because the cashier is interrrupting THEM), because it lacks all common courtesy, is disrespectful and yes, is DEFINITELY rude. I simply do NOT understand what is so important.

You may consider holding the purchase until they get off the phone. Let the people in line behind them get upset (hopefully at the phone-talking customer and not you) while everyone waits for them to finish their inane call. Better yet, maybe run that play by your manager. See what he/she says. I think the others in line would be happy someone is doing something about it.

Answer 4

Can I ask what might be a stupid question? If you don't talk in public places what is the point of having a cell phone? You arnt legally allowed to talk and drive (unless wearing a "stupid headset") so why in fact do you believe they created cell phones..... to talk in PUBLIC PLACES, good... your following me.

So what if your ringing up someone and their on the phone, we dont have to talk to you, nor are we rude for having a life outside of socializing with the cashier.... you are there to total our groceries not to talk.....

Some of us have important jobs, family stuff or things that need to get said/ done and need our phone for vital info....

GET OVER IT!!!! It will only get worse from here so you midas well find a way to live with it.

Answer 5

I wish I knew the answer to that one.

Cell phones isolate people from their surroundings. Their use raises the noise level in public places. Cell phone users confuse and irritate the people around them, who might not recognize that they are talking to an inaudible disembodied voice on a tiny gadget.

As you say, some cell-phone users even seem to think their calls matter more than the people they are with.

I sometimes feel ashamed of the way we'll purchase any electronic gizmo that executives shove at us and then use it without any regard to how it affects other people.

Answer 6

I actually run around the grocery or something and talk on my cell phone. Of course I wont be talking about my period or something crazy but I see no problem with people shopping. Now when it comes to checking out and bein on te phone that is rude. A lot of places where I live actually have signs that say "To better serve you and our guests we will not serve you while you are on a cellular call"

Answer 7

I think that's the whole point of cell phones so you can talk on them away from home! I don't talk loudly on my phone and I don't talk about personal things! I also don't use my phone when I'm at a counter! But I will call my husband at home when I'm at the grocery store to ask him if we need something!

Answer 8

nicely i do not commence conversations in there - and if someone walks up and stands next to me and really says something I ignore them - distinctly if i don't comprehend them. i will't have self belief some human beings attempt this - a minimum of girls have their stalls. Now if I walk in with a buddy speaking, it would want to be awkward to easily provide up speaking because you're contained in the pinnacle, so no i'm no longer hung up about that. i do not oftentimes use the cellular telephone contained in the pinnacle - it really is form of odd, yet i have heard a range of of adult males in stalls doing it and farting jointly.

Answer 9

Eh, nowadays it's a big thing to be seen talking on your cellphone in public..Like a social status symbol or something, and people wanna be on top of that kinda thing I guess..Me personally, I don't cause I don't give a crap about social status and all that, I have more important things to worry about..Why can't people see that? There is more to life than just your social status, and there's more to think about and do..More important things to know than like, what celebrities are doing (Who really cares?!), or who you just saw kissing who and where..It's sometimes like an invasion on privacy if you think about it...It's all just completely retarded!!

Answer 10

Americans seem obsessed with this, people all around you in public places are talking to people beside them, so why begrudge someone talking to their friend on their mobile? I think you should just relax and not get worked up over things that don't really matter.