‘Excuse me’ - why the reaction??

People are stupid. Some now think "excuse me" is rude and should say "sorry" instead.

People are just scum

I mean, mild irritability isn't really what I'd call a 'scum' level of offence. It's hardly akin to drop-kicking a puppy.

Oh deffo!

Yep, as others have said - it needs a 'please'. You're asking to be excused, not demanding it. Also, tone, obviously, because 'excuse me, please' can also sound a bit peremptory. I think I'd usually say, 'sorry, can I just come through there?' tbh. People barking 'excuse me' can sound pretty rude.

You are not wrong. I have noticed this recently that nobody says excuse me anymore, they just expect you to move. And if you do say it, they look as though you have just farted in their face.

I must prefer “Excuse me” to “sorry” as the latter fuckers are already reaching across me or whatever.
I am guilty of saying “Excuse me” in a tone to people stopping at a door when people are waiting to pass through. They drive me mad, like no one else in the world exist and they have no spacial awareness.

Yes, it’s the lack of a please at the end that may be what offended the people in your examples OP.

Can't say I've noticed this but there are times when it would be rude to say it e.g. if someone is stood in the train aisle putting their bags overhead, then saying excuse me because you want to get past is just impatient.

Like the example a PP gave about someone saying excuse me because they want to get to the item that you are looking at...just wait your turn

I don’t think I ever say excuse me, I tend to say ‘sorry, can I just get past you please’.

Theres a healthy amount of sorry and pleases in there which is why I probably have never had an issue lol. I think if I just said excuse me, no matter the tone, it wouldn’t have the same effect. Is daft though as people say excuse me to me and I don’t t take offence at all and usually apologise whilst moving out their way as for someone to say that generally you are at fault as it were. I just thing society just gets triggered so easily these days as so many people seem to have a chip on their shoulder.

I dont know OP but I've noticed the last few years how hardly anyone seems to say excuse me anymore!

They either just rudely push in front of you or stand there gormlessly, and then start glaring or tutting because you don't have eyes in the back of your head and realise that they're there.

Just use your words!

🤣🤣

I apologised to a door last week.

My tone is the first but my inner voice is the second 😁

Agree with pp, add a please to it. Excuse me can sound like a command rather than a request without it. I think the key is, is there an exclamation mark tone to it?

Why does MN automatically assume all teachers are living saints who are never in the wrong?

I think it makes people feel they're an inconvenience because they're in your way, going too slow for you, or when it's used to interrupt, that you think what you have to say is more important than what they do. So I think it does carry the risk of rubbing people up the wrong way. Especially as its often delivered in a rather brusque and demanding tone by people who ARE impatient with you. I tend to go for a little softener "Excuse me, would you mind...?" Or use "Sorry, could I interupt/get past please"

Excuse me please is polite. Excuse me sounds rude.

Me too! I say sorry a lot 🤣

I use differing tones depending on whether I mean “would you mind getting out of the way please” or “stop walking 4 abreast on the pavement you idiots”

If you say "Excuse me" and then add "I think I'm going to be sick" . You will find people tend to move out of the way pretty sharpish.

If you say ‘excuse me, please’ it’s a lot more polite. I find ‘excuse me’ with no please to be a bit rude since you could easily add the word please

My experience is that a lot of people now don't say " excuse me".

They will do things like reaching right infront of me to get something off a supermarket shelf without saying anything at all. And sometimes doing it with no warning so I actually get taken by surprise when an arm appears inches from my face ( I'm quite small).

Or else I'll see people hanging back or standing waiting to get past someone because they don't seem to understand the etiquette of saying " excuse me" to allow the person/ people in front to let them past.

It's all part of the total break down of manners and civility of every day life.
So to hear you get angry reactions doesn't surprise me at all OP.

Fwiw I always say " excuse me please" or " could you excuse me please while I just reach for/ while I just get past"or similar as the occasion arises.

😂😂

I don’t think it’s the words. It’s a general lack of respect and taking offence extremely easily. A kind of ‘how dare you ask me to do something’ attitude. An increasing number of people seem to feel they should never be inconvenienced or expected to consider others.

I usually say please and thank you a lot but for some reason I naturally just excuse me on its own (no idea why) and a couple of times I’ve said excuse me to someone (when standing blocking an aisle on tube or supermarket) and they have got annoyed and said excuse me PLEASE in a very aggressive manner. So now I do try and make the effort to say please with it as it clearly does bother people without the please. I do more often just say ‘sorry can I get past, thanks’