Would You Sit at a Saved Table?

[MIGrandma]

I went to my DGD's and DGS's choir concert at the high school last night. DH wasn't able to go (planting corn) but I took my Mom and my DD with me. DGD and DGS saved a table for us, with their book bags, a drink, etc. When we got there we stopped to talk to them for a few minutes, then I glanced over at our table (we always sit at the same one) and there was an older woman sitting there. Nobody wanted to tell her to move, but when we walked over to the table I thanked the kids for saving the table for us. We started talking about how many seats we were going to need, so we just expected she would get up and move when she found out the table had been saved. But who would sit down at a table where stuff was already at anyway?

She didn't budge. Even though there were other empty tables where she could have sat. As we were talking about how many seats we needed she said "well, how many do you need?" real crabby like and said she "only needed one more." I wasn't positive at that point, as DS and his fiance hadn't gotten there yet, and I wasn't sure if his fiance was bringing her two daughters. But when DS got there they didn't have the girls with them. The grandchildren's Mom had planned on sitting with us as well, but in not knowing for sure if there would be enough seats she sat at the table beside us instead. In the end the woman's friend/relative she was saving a second seat for never showed up, so there were still three empty chairs so it ended up being okay but it just seemd very odd, and rude, to me that she stayed put even when she found out the table was saved. I could never do that, had I been in her shoes. I would have gotten up and moved immediately, well, no....I just never would have sat down at a table that had bags, etc. already on it.

I wonder what she would have done, had I told her when she asked how many seats we needed that we needed the entire table and would have to add a chair or two as it was. I wonder if she would have moved then, or kept her butt parked there anyway.

Would you sit at a saved table at a school function?

 

[npmommie]

No I would not sit at a saved table.
I always try to arrive at these types of events early enough to get the seat I want, and I sit in it and don't move..........LOL.

I can tell you a similar story.
hubby kids and I stopped off at Whole Foods for lunch one day, so hubby is off getting napkins and table ware stuff, the kids sit at a table..........
one side has 2 chairs and the other side is a bench,
so my dd is on the bench side and my ds in on one of the chairs.

I am in line paying for my salad. I glance over and I see a woman sit next to my dd on the bench side.

ok, odd..........and there were plenty of other empty seats.
hubby comes back looking confused, so he also sits down on the bench side, next to dd.
so when I arrive, she finally gets the hint and gets up.
it was the strangest thing.

apparently when she came over she asked the kids if she could sit there and my ds said no. LOL, 5 yo!
she still sat.
when I got there, I was perplexed why someone would join in a table with people they don't know and she didn't even speak a word after asking if she could sit.
She didn't seem friendly or like she wanted to chat. gave off that vibe to me at least.

so I said, why don't we get a different table, since my poor dd looked uncomfortable!
then the lady moved.

if the place was packed and no other seats, I would not have cared, it just seemed very odd when there were many open seats and empty tables all around us.

 

[LindaG4458]

Ordinarily I would never take a saved table. The only time we were actually forced into it was at a relative's wedding. We were family of the groom. We entered the reception hall and the bride''s family had, literally, taken every single unassigned table in the hall!! The only available table had a reserved sign on it. After puzzling for several minutes we sat and stayed there. Nobody ever said a word to us.

Not surprisingly, the marriage ended after several years.

 

[shortbun]

Here's my take on it. Why didn't you pick up the stuff and move to one of the other open tables? In my perfect world, tables can not be 'saved' if there is no one in the party there. Exception, a paid charitable event where tables are purchased. I think she had as much right to sit there as you did. Kids in a school throw backpacks all over the place. I wish you hadn't passively picked on her until you irritated her. You should have gone somewhere else to sit. Sorry.

 

[Justanopinion]

I personally would never sit at a saved table but something similar happened to us a few years back.
At my daughter's kinder graduation held in the high school auditorium.
There were 3 of us that were parents of graduates and PTO members. We had worked hard all year and we were working the morning of graduation selling items and passing out programs.
The notice that had gone home to students ahead of time stated that there was limited seating to get there early and to please not hold seats.
The principal though had given us permission to hold our seats since we were working.
We placed signs on those seating stating reserved for PTO.
People ignored those signs and sat there anyway.
One would think that since it said reserved you wouldn't sit there but people did.

 

[Rora]

I wouldn't sit at a saved table.

 

[mickeyboat]

Well I wouldn't typically sit at a saved table unless there was nowhere else to sit - then I wouldn't hesitate to sit where there were backpacks. Your kids were saving seats for people who may or may not show up, and I was there already and needed a place to sit.

 

[FireDancer]

I wouldn't sit at a table officially reserved by an establishment. If it was just "reserved" by people putting their crap there I'd have no problem sitting there if there were no other options. You aren't an explorer in the 16th century. Planting you flag and claiming a spot for yourself means pretty much nothing to me. I also remove towels from chairs next to the pool if there are no open seats.

 

[MIGrandma]

I wouldn't sit at a table officially reserved by an establishment. If it was just "reserved" by people putting their crap there I'd have no problem sitting there if there were no other options. You aren't an explorer in the 16th century. Planting you flag and claiming a spot for yourself means pretty much nothing to me. I also remove towels from chairs next to the pool if there are no open seats.

I did already say there were other open tables where she could have sat, so she did have "other options".

 

[stashbin]

No I would not sit at a saved table.
I always try to arrive at these types of events early enough to get the seat I want, and I sit in it and don't move..........LOL.

I can tell you a similar story.
hubby kids and I stopped off at Whole Foods for lunch one day, so hubby is off getting napkins and table ware stuff, the kids sit at a table..........
one side has 2 chairs and the other side is a bench,
so my dd is on the bench side and my ds in on one of the chairs.

I am in line paying for my salad. I glance over and I see a woman sit next to my dd on the bench side.

ok, odd..........and there were plenty of other empty seats.
hubby comes back looking confused, so he also sits down on the bench side, next to dd.
so when I arrive, she finally gets the hint and gets up.
it was the strangest thing.

apparently when she came over she asked the kids if she could sit there and my ds said no. LOL, 5 yo!
she still sat.
when I got there, I was perplexed why someone would join in a table with people they don't know and she didn't even speak a word after asking if she could sit.
She didn't seem friendly or like she wanted to chat. gave off that vibe to me at least.

so I said, why don't we get a different table, since my poor dd looked uncomfortable!
then the lady moved.

if the place was packed and no other seats, I would not have cared, it just seemed very odd when there were many open seats and empty tables all around us.

Sounds like you were on an episode of that show "What would you do?"

 

[akhenaten]

At a school function, I would have thought that the chairs that had things placed on them were saved, but not the whole table!
So I might sit at empty chairs at that same table....

 

[mickeyboat]

I did already say there were other open tables where she could have sat, so she did have "other options".

But I guess I think that there were other options for you too, right? The kids could have picked up their stuff and all of you moved to another table.

 

[stashbin]

Well I wouldn't typically sit at a saved table unless there was nowhere else to sit - then I wouldn't hesitate to sit where there were backpacks. Your kids were saving seats for people who may or may not show up, and I was there already and needed a place to sit.

I would agree with this. If the place is packed and there is nowhere else to sit, I would probably sit there after I asked, of course.

 

[akhenaten]

I did already say there were other open tables where she could have sat, so she did have "other options".

As some one else said... if there were other options you could have easily moved your party also....

 

[Kathi OD]

At a school function, I would have thought that the chairs that had things placed on them were saved, but not the whole table!
So I might sit at empty chairs at that same table....

agreed!

I wouldn't sit at a table officially reserved by an establishment. If it was just "reserved" by people putting their crap there I'd have no problem sitting there if there were no other options. You aren't an explorer in the 16th century. Planting you flag and claiming a spot for yourself means pretty much nothing to me. I also remove towels from chairs next to the pool if there are no open seats.

To be honest, the concept of saving seats for others really bothers me on some level. It's one thing if your entire party is there and one person needs to use the bathroom. But a whole table saved by placing backpacks and other stuff on it with no people there is just annoying.

As to OP, if you didn't need that seat, I don't see what the big deal is. Is there some problem with sharing a table with people that aren't part of your group? Don't go to the Biergarten in Epcot...if there aren't 8 people in your party, you'll be seated with others. Also, just because that is the table where you always sit, it's not "your" table. If you don't want to be social, go sit at one of the empty tables you mentioned were available.

 

[stashbin]

But I guess I think that there were other options for you too, right? The kids could have picked up their stuff and all of you moved to another table.

Yeh, but why should she have to do that? It doesn't make sense. Some people just don't think. The lady shouldn't have sat down there if there was stuff on the chairs and there were more options available. I mean, it defeats the purpose of getting there early if all you are going to do is sit where someone else has their stuff.

 

[ols386]

No, I would not sit at a saved table. If I was at a school event, and there were book bags sitting on a table or on chairs at the table, I would think that someone has saved the table. I think the lady was rude.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

Here's my take on it. Why didn't you pick up the stuff and move to one of the other open tables? In my perfect world, tables can not be 'saved' if there is no one in the party there. Exception, a paid charitable event where tables are purchased. I think she had as much right to sit there as you did. Kids in a school throw backpacks all over the place. I wish you hadn't passively picked on her until you irritated her. You should have gone somewhere else to sit. Sorry.

I agree - if there were other open tables, I would have just picked up all my stuff and moved.

 

[MIGrandma]

As some one else said... if there were other options you could have easily moved your party also....

I guess I don't see a reason why a whole table full of people should have to move because one woman decided to sit at a table that was obviously saved. And I didn't want to move because DS had specifically asked his kids to save the table they did, as they had saved it for us many other times (with no problems) and being this is DS's DD's last concert since she is a senior and will be graduating in two weeks. DS barely had time to drive home from work, take a shower and get to the concert.

If I had been the woman, I never would have sat at a saved table, or even if I did and then the people came I would at least ask, politely (not crabby like she did) if they were going to need the entire table. If they weren't sure, I still would have moved. Oh well, like I said in the end it worked out okay but I was just curious to see other opinions on what they would do in this same situation.

 

[mickeyboat]

Yeh, but why should she have to do that? It doesn't make sense. Some people just don't think. The lady shouldn't have sat down there if there was stuff on the chairs and there were more options available. I mean, it defeats the purpose of getting there early if all you are going to do is sit where someone else has their stuff.

How would she have known that the backpacks were saving x number of seats? If there were two backpacks and 8 seats, it is reasonable to assume that there will be 6 empty seats - not that 6 more people were coming.

When I get somewhere early to get a good seat, I would stay there to make sure I could keep it.

Maybe the woman wanted to sit there for a particular reason - it was a seat with a good view, it was on the side her loved one would be performing on, it was close to the exit in case she needed to use the restroom - whatever.