First Floor: Ladies lingerie, housewares...

Has anyone else been thrown by the difference in the first floor/ground floor thing?  

"Where is it located?"
"On the first floor."
Looking around confused, "Where?....on this floor?"
Strange look, pointing up, "Up on the first floor."
"Isn't that the second floor?"
Mental eye rolling, restrained smile, "This is the ground floor, that is the first floor, above that is the second floor."
"Ohhhhhhhh....."

So, the first floor is ground floor, second floor is first floor, and third floor is second floor....Who's on first, What's on second.... lol

Except if you're in the Borders in Glasgow, which has a Lower Basement, Upper Basement, Lower Ground, Upper Ground, Lower First Floor, In Between And All Around Floors. It's like the staircase in Labryinth, except no David Bowie singing to you.  

yes,, it drives me crazy,,, the first time I got in an elevator here, I was so confused  

It drove me batty in Spain too.  I used to live on the 4th floor that was really the 5th (trust me as there was no elevator), but we had what is called an "entresuelo" or between the floors floor as the first floor.    

Been here more than a year and a half and I *still* have to pause for thought on this one! Then again, I have to pause for thought everytime I see "military" time!

*pauses for thought a lot it seems*

Pengwen~  I have been in the Borders in Glasgow numerous times with my dear fiance, and we still get lost...hehehe  That place is really a labyrinth.  We have a theory that they try to get you stuck in there so that you just keep buying more and more stuff.

I definately have issues with the first floor/ground floor thing!!!!  That is one thing that I'm not sure I'll ever get used to or make an automatic thing in my head.  

Has anyone else noticed the weird thing with stairways as well, especially in parking garages?  If you go to Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow, you have to go down floors to go up floors.  Usually we just take the elevator, but it was backed up forever, so we took the stairs.  We had to go down to the fourth floor to go up to the sixth floor....sheesh!!!   I've noticed this in another carpark, but can't remember where that one was. :-/

Yeah that first floor thing gets me sometimes too...especially when I'm talking to my family back home.  "I live on the second floor...er...third floor...I think!"

But that whole 'upper ground', lower ground, upper lower ground thing is just too much!  Why don't they just color code the stupid things if they were trying to be so creative!  Follow the colors of the rainbow or something.  Red for ground floor, orange for the next one up, etc.  It would be so much easier!

Yeah that first floor thing gets me sometimes too...especially when I'm talking to my family back home.  "I live on the second floor...er...third floor...I think!"

I'm so confused now.  I never can remember which is the American way or which the British way.  I try to avoid naming floors if at all possible.  For instance when we have take-away delivered, I always tell the delivery person 'top floor' because I can't remember if I live on the second or third!

Why don't they just color code the stupid things if they were trying to be so creative!  Follow the colors of the rainbow or something.  Red for ground floor, orange for the next one up, etc.  It would be so much easier!

This reminds me of a conversation I had with my husband.  We were leaving an event and there was a sign that said 'this way out'.  I asked him why they couldn't simply have a sign saying 'exit'.  To which he replies, "We British figure why say something with four letters when you can say it with ten."

Holds a ring of truth, doesn't it?