How did we all survive without cell phones? Just fine. They do hold onto our texts and voice mail is a feature on most these days. Someone can wait 30 minutes for a call or reply text. If there's something the person I'm with is expecting, they should give me the same courtesy I would give them and TELL me so I won't think they're just insanely rude.

I agree with cincimini...it's horribly rude. Why bother going to dinner or lunch or breakfast with ME if you're going to be talking to someone else?

The same is true for conversations, with me. If you're talking to me, looking me in the face, and stop mid-sentence to check a text and reply. Wow. Just wow. Am I THAT non-important that it can't wait five minutes?

It also bothers me when customers come into the place I work and interrupt conversations and transactions to answer the phone or reply to a text. If they're working you can tell by the convo. But I've had people stop an interview to talk to their significant other about what's for dinner. Or they come in to shop at the store up front, get on the phone and never, ever get off of it through the entire transaction. They don't hear or understand how much the stuff they're buying is, get the change wrong, stop writing a check to talk and hold up others waiting.

Society is so NOW centered it's ridiculous. Humanity survived for AGES, even BETTER than we are now if you ask me, without cell phones and instant communication. But we can't make it through dinner or a trip to the store? Ridiculous.

This is so much worse to me than texting with an dining companion. You owe the people serving you at the very least your attention. People who talk at checkout lines and don't say "hello" make me all stabby

And don't get me started on people doing the checking who stop work to check texts...save it for break time!!!

My best friend does this CONSTANTLY. I fricking hate it. And I almost feel rude saying something. But we'll be sitting there talking, and she'll text constantly. I mean, literally. There will be 20-45 seconds lapses where a text hasn't come in yet, but that's the only time she'll look at me while I'm talking. I've known her for 15 years so I'm not polite, I usually say "Could you put your damn phone away! I'm trying to talking to you!" lol, she gets irked but I've tried to put it nicely and she still get offended either way. I think there was a 20/20 thing on it, how people text while at dinner or in social situations.

I just find it extremely rude. It's like interrupting someone (another one of my pet peeves, accidental interruptions are ok, but interrupting with a new idea and just ignoring what the other person was starting to say pisses me the **** off!) Blah. We need cell phone etiquette, because people really can't handle it....

When I worked at Starbucks, people would come in yapping on their phones and try to tell me their drink order at the same time. I would stare at them and smile. When they asked me why I wasn't taking their order, I'd smile sweetly and say, "Oh, your phone call must be really important! You go ahead--I'll wait on you!"
They always hung up and apologized

AWESOME

First I want to say...what did people do before they had cell phones?! I don't understand the need to be on a phone constantly. I HATE them! My DIL has hers bascially glued to her fingers/hand, it's ridiculous! And I think very rude when someone is glued to their phone like that...I have threatened to take it away. She takes it with her EVERYWHERE and it's not work or school related. Even at the mall/grocery store it is very annoying to see someone on the phone either talking or texting while their kids run around being little brats. Okay, thats my 2 cents, lol

My first reaction is to say "yes, every time!" but I suppose it depends on the situation. Still, I think cellphones should come with etiquette manuals. Sure, they don't do it to annoy us on purpose, but some of us just are more annoyed by these types of things. Unless it's an emergency, I think all phone use can wait until after dinner, or if you're in the middle of a conversation, I think cell phone use can wait. And so on. I think I'm in the minority with my opinion though...
I had a cellphone once, for two months. A prepaid tracfone one. I gave it to my mom because I hated the idea of it. I still don't see the need. I have a regular phone and a computer, and that satisfies all my communications needs. All I used the cell phone for was when we'd order pizza at work, and then I called my mom a couple times on it, since she was long distance. Now that I don't have one, I don't miss it at all. It blows my mind when people are just texting away ten hours a day.

Just to illustrate the point perfectly...my brother-in-law is on a date with a new girl tonight. He has texted his brother (my husband) no fewer than 10 times in the past 15 minutes. WHILE ON A DATE. It's too much...if I was her, I'd have stuck the phone where the sun doesn't shine a long time ago...

We just don't answer it. Let the answering machine (land line) or voice mail (cel) get it. That's what it is for.

When you are with someone, having a meal or otherwise, that's the one who should have your attention. Not the someone who came in over the phone.

Very rarely will it be something that can't just SIT for a little while until you are at a better place to respond to it -- be it mentally ready, emotionally ready, or physically in a better location.

A.

True, but I think people just get this mindset where everything should be immediate. If you get a text you have to reply 3 seconds later, you have to check the email 200 times a day, you have to be logged into Facebook all day, you have to post to twitter ever 30 seconds, and so on. So they can't just leave the phone be for the whole duration of a dinner or a conversation. It drives me up the wall.

I met my dh on a dating website and the only time I got my phone out on our first date was when he went to the bathroom and I quickly texted my friend that everything was fine and he wasn't a psycho murderer. I was very embarrassed when he came out and I hadn't quite finished. But I explained the situation and he was fine. Texting or phoning someone else on a date is not on.

Having said that, if the phone had rung or someone had texted me during our date, I would have apologised and checked it, as my mum was babysitting my kids, and I would need to know if it was her or not. But I would have only replied if it was something to do with the kids.

Last time I went out for a group meal, it was my hen night and whiole a lot of u had our phones out, it was more to take embarrassing pictures - I don't think I recall anyone actually using their phone as a phone, except for pre-meal, when my sister rang her daughter to see if she was on her way and to ask her what she wanted to order, as she was running late.

I wouldn't use my phone actually at the checkout but I would have no qualms about using it in a shop when I was looking round - that's my own time. I have frequently rung my husband and said "What do you think of xyz for tea tonight?" while I am shopping.

We were eating out about a month ago and I looked around and saw tables of people just on their phones. It really got my attention. I do my best not to get on my phone when I am out with my family or friends...I worry that as a society we are losing the intimate contact of conversation face to face

A while back I went to a comedy show at a small venue near my town. I was in the balcony seats up above, and could see more than half of the seats down below from my row. Probably 80 percent of the people, during the show, were on their phones texting or playing online. You could see the screens glowing in the dark. Same was true with a concert we went to in the same town. I mean...why bother going if you're going to be on the phone the whole time?