Cathy has an interesting take on The art of holding doors
I will admit to being a practitioner of 'hold it and pass it to the next person'.
What amazes me in the office and in hotels is that if I hold open the door for members of the lower-classes* who are carrying a heavy or bulky load they all feed a need to express their gratitude in most effusive terms dolloped with a huge undertone of surprise.
I can only surmise that I am in a tiny minority of 'suits' that feel it is basic common sense and courtesy to hold a door pen for someone less able. But there again, courtesy is my middle name. (Oh, wait, it's actally my surname - hey, to what extent does one's name, family or given, influence one's personality?)
My particular bugbear occurs in the workplace. You wait inthe lift lobby so long that you have exchanged phone numbers with and promised to be godmother to the children of the random vague-colleagues stood there. The lift comes, and despite the fact that half a dozen of you have been stood there long enough to qualify for a long-service medal, some twunt comes straight from the front door and gets into the lift before the group of lifelong buddies that has been formed in the lift lobby. And I thought we were supposed to be 'civil' servants.
*For the avoidance of confusion, I use this ironically...
