Wolf:
Everyone has some reason why they’re late at least once in a while.
I’m not talking about people who occasionally come late because of life reasons. I’m talking about people who are habitually late, no matter what minyan or time of day it is. There’s one guy in the early minyan I attend who always (on a daily basis) wanders in between Barchu and Sh”E, with a cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. Yet, despite coming in so late, he still manages to pack up and leave with everyone else. (I should mention that this is a fast minyan; 24 minutes start to finish.) How does he do it? I don’t know.
There are others who are habitually late as well, davening mincha by themselves while everyone else is singing L’cha Dodi, walking into weekday arvit while everyone else is davening Sh”E, that sort of thing. That’s what bugs me to no end.
As my dad z”l used to say, “They should nail the doors shut 5 minutes after davening starts.”
P.S. Wolf, you have two errors in your original statement. Yes, you mixed up their and they’re, but your sentence should really read “Everyone has some reason why he is late at least once in a while.” Everyone is singular. 🙂
Shabbat Shalom