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AIBU?

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Original poster

To reserve the entire park benches?

180 replies

anyplate · 30/07/2025 14:46

I took my children to the park today and packed up a picnic, it was a woodland area with apparatus and was a short drive away.
When we arrived we headed straight to the park and thought we’d eat our picnic but every single bench had a “polite notice”
bench is reserved for children’s birthday party
don’t be that person.

There was about five benches and no one around so I got a blanket out of the car and sat on it and we had our picnic.
We stayed at the park over an hour and in that time many cross looking people went to sit down and saw the note and didn’t but there was no children’s party in the hour or so we were there.
Were they not completely unreasonable reserving every single bench for an unknown amount of time so nobody else could use it just so they were free for when they wanted?
We could have sat there eaten our lunch and gone without it affecting any party.

OP posts:
spoonbillstretford · 30/07/2025 16:47

You could have binned the signs and said "What signs?" if they showed up.

They might have at least put the time on the sign. Even restaurants do that.

godmum56 · 30/07/2025 16:44

Steelworks · 30/07/2025 15:27

Reserving five benches is cheeky. At least put a time on if you want to do this.

yup then the rest of us whould know what time we could be most annoying 🤗

Venalopolos · 30/07/2025 16:43

I probably would’ve sat on the floor for my picnic, and if they weren’t there by th time I was leaving I would have taken all the signs and binned them.

tripleginandtonic · 30/07/2025 16:42

NigelPonsonbySmallpiece · 30/07/2025 14:48

You were a better person than me. I'd have sat on the bench for sure if noone had been about - I may or may not have moved if they had arrived depending how I was asked

This. The notices could have related to any day after all, the party could have happened. Plus, if you want exclusive use of something you either have to pay or get there first.

TheyFuckYouUpYourMamAndDad · 30/07/2025 16:40

This is entirely on you OP for being so bloody passive!

CutiePatootee · 30/07/2025 16:36

Since I had pneumonia twice in successive years, I get out of breath and energy, and really need to sit down!
I would have sat on the bench until I was able to move and no amount of silly, pointless and rather rude snotty message would have stopped me.
So fed up with peoples entitlement lately, makes me angry.

becausewecancan · 30/07/2025 16:29

Yes, the 'don't be that person' raises my hackles and would make me want to remove all the signs! What an obnoxious phrase!

Daleksatemyshed · 30/07/2025 16:28

What does it even mean - don't be that person?

reversegear · 30/07/2025 16:28

I would have sat on the bench and moved when they turned up..

becausewecancan · 30/07/2025 16:28

I'm imagining people watching through binoculars, conducting a social experiment to see how people react to such an obviously unreasonable situation.

UnctuousUnicorns · 30/07/2025 16:27

Nice try. The only means of reserving a bench in a public park is an arse - or several arses if we're talking about the entire bench - sitting on it.

pavillion1 · 30/07/2025 16:27

Sounds like a prank to me

BigDayForTheWomen · 30/07/2025 16:26

You can't reserve a public place. The notices could be safely ignored.

Velmy · 30/07/2025 16:25

I'd have had to sit on one of the benches on principal.

Eixample · 30/07/2025 16:24

Unless there's a legitimate system for reservations in this particular park, you should have just used the benches. There's no need to have a confrontation. If someone had complained you just say it's a public space and we are members of the public just like you.
Where I live you can reserve a park for a party online (to ensure that there is only one at a time) but you have to bring your own table.

MyQuirkyTraybake · 30/07/2025 16:23

You can't reserve a public park bench...

notevencharging · 30/07/2025 16:23

I’d have totally moved the sign and sat on the bench.

Cattenberg · 30/07/2025 16:22

If there was no sign of the party, I would use a bench, at least until the party started.

Then again, I don't understand how people can reserve sun loungers for a whole day just by leaving their towels on them. Why don't people just remove the towels and leave them in a neat pile nearby?

Namechange7282829 · 30/07/2025 16:21

Totally unreasonable and I anticipate they are the same type of people who think the bit of public road outside their house that they don’t own is ‘their’ parking space.

CastorPollux · 30/07/2025 16:17

zanahoria · 30/07/2025 16:10

Fight and you may die. Run and you'll live -- at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our benches!!!

Hello fellow Braveheart fan.😂

BlankBlankBlank14 · 30/07/2025 16:15

CFers! I’d have ignored them!

MyHeartyCoralSnail · 30/07/2025 16:15

I could swear I read this exact post a few years ago

NewsdeskJC · 30/07/2025 16:14

Id have sat down and eaten my picnic at a table.
Public park, public bench, first come first served.
If it were that important they would have sent people ahead.
This is a hilariously British thread!

dizzydizzydizzy · 30/07/2025 16:12

Yeah I'd have removed the sign, at least on the bench I wanted to sit on. I also insist that people move their bags off seats when I want to sit on a crowded bus or train.

zanahoria · 30/07/2025 16:10

Fight and you may die. Run and you'll live -- at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our benches!!!