Berzerker
Deity
Because if they look at me I want to make eye contact, so I invariably look at them when I hear an excuse me. Otherwise I'm free to continue browsing the shelf as they pass.
Berzerker is just being stubborn because he is incapable of admitting that he's making no sense.
This is ridiculous, there is never eye contact in this situation.
Sometimes I will too. When they are scanning a shelf and I walk in front of them, I don't. They're doing something other than social interaction at the moment. I'm trying to be the least disruptive I can, but there is still a likelihood of disruption. So I mumble an "excuse me," out the side of my mouth and off I go.
They don't have to walk through my field of vision, they can always move on to the next aisle and come back when I've cleared out.
We're just finding it hard to fathom why you think you need to look at people when you say "excuse me" or if they say it to you. Honestly, this isn't a problem for most people. The verbal acknowledgment that you know you're temporarily in someone's way and aren't intending to be rude about it is enough.
I already explained why twice - if someone passing me says excuse me, I'll look at them in case they look at me. Thats part of acknowledging them rather than just mumbling 'no problem'. I'd consider it rude to not make eye contact.
Do you practice not extending that judgement to others? It's very okay to look to make eye contact because you would feel like it was rude of you not to, but if you extend it to "these rude children of unknown fathers never look up, even when they are saying excuse me" you are dooming yourself to a lifetime surrounded by a sea of rude people.
Most of them aren't really rude anyway, they're just scared. Their parents instilled "don't talk to strangers" back when they were six and it sort of made sense, and they can't grow out of it. Even though all they said was "excuse me," they are expecting an angry mommy to grab them by the ear, or you to abduct them, whichever comes first.
If you don't stare lovingly into every stranger's eyes as you pass them, you're either a horrible person or deathly afraid.
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Or shy... When you pass in front of someone, do you make eye contact as you excuse yourself?