JMich: True, but let me ask you this:
Is opening the door for a woman, or offering to carry your (plural) groceries yourself disrespecting her or not?
And would you let a man do the same for you (ie open the door for you, or carry your groceries)
TheEnigmaticT: If I'm walking with someone, regardless of gender, I'll hold the door for them and / or help them with heavy packages. Actually, most anyone in the office does. So I guess we're pretty egalitarian here.
Yeah, the door holding thing is just a common decency kind of thing. I've always opened doors for anyone regardless of gender, and have seen others as well. As for helping with my heavy packages (giggity), that would really depend on the situation. Most stores in the states have shopping carts if you need help with your bags.
If I happen to see someone I know with a lot of bags loading a car up, I would help...but a stranger, not a chance as they might suspect ulterior motives are behind your generosity.