There are some who can get away with lateness. Elizabeth Taylor was famously 15 minutes late to her own funeral, at her will’s insistence. Now Elizabeth Taylor? Fear not- Rescu. has the top tips for damage control when you’re running very fashionably late.
The dog’s escaped, your heel broke, you’re covered in fake tan which refuses to dry – and you were due at your appointment twenty minutes ago. What to do? How do you salvage the situation without looking like a hopelessly unreliable friend/daughter/partner/employee?
Here are RESCU’s Lateness Rules. Pull these off, and you’ll be forgiven to be late another day.
1. As soon as you know you’re going to be late, notify the other party.
In a day of mobile phones, there’s no longer any excuse for leaving a prospective appointment hanging. Give an exact ETA if you can.
2. Make the excuse brief and the apology sincere and personal.
Unless you are a novelist or a comedian, people inconvenienced by your lateness will probably not need to hear the cavalcade of chaos which led to it. It will delay things more.
If you’re late to a professional appointment, simply saying you were urgently detained is more appropriate than launching into a breathless story of disaster.
3. Do not change your mind about cancelling.
You call to apologise. The waiting party offers to cancel or raincheck to another time. The proper response: either cancel immediately or don’t cancel at all.
The reason? Changing your mind – calling back and saying you’d like to cancel after all – is, unless the situation has radically changed, very rude.
4. If you’re seriously late, buy lunch or offer a favour to apologise.
This, in friendship, is the mark of a true lady – convenience for inconvenience. Don’t make the offer too formal, but make it clear that you want to make it up to them.
5. Follow this quick make-up regime to save time.
If you’re late, but can’t afford to turn up completely fresh-faced without looking underprepared, use the following tips rather than panicking:
- Use tinted moisturiser instead of separate foundation and moisturising products.
- Always keep an emergency kit of sample-size products – and a mirror – in your bag.
- Rub lipstick on cheeks as well as lips instead of using blush.
- Save anything that you can apply on the go – blush, concealer – for the taxi ride/bus/train.
- Do not continue doing make-up after arrival.
6. Take the quickest route you can, using the most convenient method.
Running late? This is not the time to refuse to run for a bus because of your heels, or to opt for a bus instead of a cab because it goes past a shop you like.
This isn’t merely straight logic. Prioritising the other party shows them that you respect their time over your own convenience, and are willing to do everything you can to honour the engagement.
7. If the other party is annoyed, allow them to be, and negotiate any ill-feeling like an adult.
Lost a friend an important commission because of your lateness? Ruined an entrance to a wedding? Gotten lost despite being told the directions 10 times? Take the blame.
If you have caused serious distress or annoyance, don’t protest or wheedle. Got a legitimate excuse? Make it clear that you were unavoidably detained, but don’t press the issue, and don’t allow yourself to be accused unjustly.
Oh, and next time – don’t be late.
Yours sincerely,
Miss Manners