Occasionally Etiquetteer finds worthy of comment Instructional Signs of varying degrees of Perfect Propriety that have been posted to direct one's behavior.
First, from a convenience store in Boston, Massachusetts, a profane suggestion to discontinue using one's cellphone before approaching the cashier.
While Etiquetteer certainly sympathizes with the staff - it is difficult to serve people who are actively ignoring you by conducting a phone conversation during a transaction - this sign exemplifies "service with a snarl."
Next, from a public accommodation in Boston, Massachusetts, a moment of gentle humor to remind pet owners that their pets, while surely the most well-behaved pets one can imagine, are still against the law in this particular accommdation.
Then, in a school cafeteria in Michigan, Etiquetteer found this:
To which Etiquetteer can only respond "Thank you, I'll just have coffee." How extremely sad that it's even necessary to post such a sign.
Etiquetteer wishes he could remember the exact locale where this sign was placed:
Etiquetteer can only imagine that a team of destructive acrobats colonized a restroom once for someone to create this sign. The reference to the broken handle proves that the budgets of small towns are being stretched. Still, an injection of levity with the substitution of "Thou Shalt NOT" for "DO NOT" might have helped.
Lastly, from the Basilica of Sacre Coeur in Paris:
This translates "Silence, Correct Dress, No Photography, Thank You." Etiquetteer is pleased to report that, when visiting this remarkable place in 2011, visitors did indeed observe all these rules.
Please direct your etiquette queries to Etiquetteer at queries <at> etiquetteer.com.