To say no to sharing table at coffee shop

I hope you enjoyed eating your book, Orange. :-)

You were not unreasonable at all.

I know. A few inches too, not across a massive courtyard or something
I think they expected you to say a humble yes, and then were going to sit down and have a loud and annoying conversation so you decided to move.
Good on you for being politely assertive.

I work at a coffee shop, so many CF.. as if you wanna sit there in their conversation

I just made exactly the same point about buses! Love your user name btw! 😂

They might also have been the kind of people who always want to talk to/at strangers at length, everywhere they go, regardless of whether the strangers are up for it or want to be left alone.

Or they've grown to hate the sight of each other over the years and now have to introduce a stranger into their joint activities to force things to stay civil - like John & Mary from Father Ted!!

I never understand why people ask to share someone else's table when there are other tables vacant! It's like when you're on the bus and there are numerous empty seats but someone gets on and sits down next to you. My heart sinks when this happens because it inevitably means they're looking for someone to talk to. Yes I know,I'm SO unsociable 😂

They sound like these people who sit right next to you when the entire bus is empty.

I personally wouldn't have been so frank; but I think it very much depends on how he said it - and I would also have declined.

If he did it aggressively, that's uncalled-for; but if it was an informal, jovial response to match a very cheeky request, I don't honestly blame him.

That's a real non-justification on their part: basically saying "Can we sit here, because we want to - and we believe that our wants trump yours?" They have a nerve expecting another customer to move from a particular table in a cafe that's open to anybody (and presumably on a first come first served basis), when there are other free tables, just because that's the one they always choose when it happens to be available!

They were unreasonable, given that there were free tables.

Not read FT but I would say reasonable for them to ask politely as your table the only one in the sun. But YANBU for saying no as other table available.

No they were cheeky. There were other tables available.

Maybe I should go then - I have a mean Paddington bear stare haha 😂

YANBU! Too bad! You got there first. Honestly.

I'm not assertive. I sit glowering at people who sit on/at equipment with ther phones scrolling for ages when I want to use the leg press or whatever. But too chicken to say anything .

I only like the gym if it's empty. You are right - it's too stressful!

I think they were rude to ask. You clearly wanted to read your book in peace and have a coffee and you got the sunny table first. Just like in a restaurant with empty tables you don't ask to join someone else's table because it's in a better spot. I doubt they would have asked if you weren't alone.

There was a thread on here not so long ago and honestly the amount of people this happened to is crazy. Sometimes even getting the last space in a class as a newbie caused people to give dirty looks because it meant one of their clique had lost out lol. Honestly, it totally put me off going to the gym as partially I wanted to improve my mental as well as physical health but just don’t have assertiveness skills like you unfortunately so yeah not good!

OMG - These people don't just exist in my world?

Was at the gym today. On one of 5 working rowing machines (2 broken). Rowing merrily and along come 3 blokes who ask if I'll move to another machine so they sit together. I said sorry, no.

I was sat in the middle one but that's cos the others were in use when I got there.

I was aiming for 5k row today and was nearly half way through so didn't want to restart on another machine.

They decided to stand there and wait. Lined up in front of me. Intimidating, so turned up the volume of my podcast, shut my eyes and continued for the next 3000metres. They got bored and buggered off.

It's first come, first served in this situation. You were there first so they shouldn't even have asked and were just chancing their arm.

Well done for saying no to a pair of cheeky fuckers, especially as there were other tables available. Even if there hadn't been other tables free, you were still there first.

I would never be comfortable sharing a table in public with complete strangers so I would say no to them anyway.

No way they'd have done this had you been a man! Glad you sat with the discomfort and let it ride over you.

People are odd. Well done for standing your ground OP. I agree it would have been different if no other tables were free but they were being completely mad.

That's so weird lol! Why didn't they just do that in the first place rather than disturb a stranger 🤦‍♀️

Yes, must have been a hefty book to eat.