Manhattan landlords fixed slow elevators with mirrors instead of motors

the problem

Tenants raged at elevator waits

the move

Postwar landlords answered elevator-wait complaints with floor-to-ceiling lobby mirrors instead of faster machinery.

the payoff

Complaints dropped; the mirror trick became standard lobby practice and a staple of operations teaching.

references

1. [1]Idleness Aversion, Chris Hsee, and Elevator MirrorsAtticus Li, 2025atticusli.com
2. [2]The Mirror Trick That Made America Impatient ForeverFirst Form Stories, 2026firstformstories.com

keep it

same kind of clever

• 2011 · Haidilao (海底捞)Haidilao stopped trying to shorten the wait and turned it into a free salon and arcade instead
• 1990 · DisneyDisney overstates every posted wait so the real one feels like winning
• 1980 · Disney Parks (Walt Disney Imagineering)Disney's wait-time signs are wrong on purpose — always in the guest's favor