WHEN I WAS A KID

WHEN I WAS A KID

When I was a kid, elevators all had a person operating them. The operator would greet you, close the doors, pull the cage-type gate closed and start the car. The operator would have to stop the car and level it up with the floor.

A youngster didn't see many elevators in those days. Large department stores were the most common places to see them. The only times I saw them was when I went downtown shopping with my mother. She was and is deathly afraid of escalators.
I'm not sure when automatic elevators became commonplace. People used to be upset because machines were replacing people and putting them out of work.

The sad part is no one greets you any more. When people did jobs like this, I think we were all friendlier.