There are two kinds of people in this world: those who show up on time, and those who are always running late. Sure, it happens to everyone at some point, the late people tend to be tardy to just about everything, leaving those waiting for them frustrated. While most of us can accept a friend arriving 15 minutes late, new research reveals the very specific line when being late crosses over into being rude.
According to a new poll of 2-thousand adults, that exact cutoff time is 29 minutes. At that point, you’re beyond fashionably late and those waiting for you are probably annoyed.
- And if you show up any later, you might as well not bother going at all, as 26% say arriving an hour late basically breaks the rules of modern meet-up etiquette.
- Late people are quick with the excuses, and 26% say “I’m five minutes away” is the biggest fib their friends tell.
- Over a third (37%) admit they get irritated when they get a “just leaving now” text when they’re already there and waiting.
- Some of those used to waiting around have come up with tactics to get their friends to be on time, with a third sharing they deliberately tell their tardiest friend that an event starts earlier than it does.
- No one has an excuse of not knowing the time now that everyone carries a phone with a clock, but smartphones may have made us worse. Nearly three in 10 (29%) believe people are less punctual since the arrival of smartphones, and 31% blame being able to send a quick “So sorry, running late!” text for making lateness more socially acceptable.
- But 82% say they’re trying to spend less time on their phone and more time meeting people in real life and half (51%) of those polled say face-to-face socializing makes them happier.
- About two-thirds (68%) would rather meet a friend for a drink than spend an evening texting them, and a quarter (25%) say catching up with friends is the highlight of their week.
- Just don’t spend the hangout constantly looking at your phone, that’s unacceptable to 38%, while 37% are irritated by someone canceling at the last minute.
Source: Metro