to think that parents "reserving" play equipment is a bit shit?

[ruthosaurus]

I queuejumped today. I honestly didn't mean to. I saw a vacant piece of play equipment (a tractor, fwiw), vaguely clocked that a woman was standing near it but had no kids with her, and helped DS (20mo, too short to climb up on his own) into the seat. Ten seconds later, I was getting the unblinking stare of death from the woman and her two children, who I swear were nowhere near when we got on. A small steely voice piped up "We're waiting...". I told the wee moppet,that yes, it was called queueing, only to be informed by the woman that she had been waiting for a while on her children's behalf.

Well, really. Can people actually do that?

Oh my god, who does that?

So is there a market for cardboard-cutout "queue place markers" then? You could buy one for everything you often queue for and just leave it there all the time

Barking mad woman!

how are they waiting for it when it was empty and they were off doing something else?
would have just told them to get lost
the standard rule with play equipment, toy buggies, ride on and whatever else is that if you leave it and go to something else it becomes free - you cant save them

ruth - were you at a certain posh garden centre playground?

stupid woman (her not you)

Olderandwider Sorry We do that, I leave a DC with a part filled trolley then do my shopping and pop back to swap and fill the other trolley. I do however tell her to not put the stuff on the conveyor belt unless I am back for good, she lets the person behind put their stuff on first. Does that last bit make me a better person?

oh for goodness sake, reserving play equipment when the child is playing elsewhere is just so weird

Debs75 - no, no it doesn't. Just queue like a normal person

Jareth, no, they don't let our sort in.

Wherever it was, clearly I can nevah, nevah return there!

Mind you, I am getting my hair done on Thursday, so will with a bit of luck be transformed beyond all recognition...

There's one near us that's in a very poncy posh area and it wouldn't have surprised me if that's where you were talking about

If she really wanted to reserve it she should have sat in it. Even then she'd have looked like less of a muppet than she did.

lol olderandwider I love your festive murder plan

love the 'Qbot' response as well balloonslayer

anyway OP, that silly woman will get her comeuppance when her little dahlings start throwing mega-strops in public because they haven't learned to WAIT!!!

I just hope you happen to be there to witness and point and laugh at those tantrums!

Sorry Debs75, but that really pisses me off.
I don't want to have to wriggle my trolley past your DC with a trolley holding a space whilst you shop. Especially as I wouldn't be able to snarl at a child put in a tricky position by an adult and left to face the consequences.
I'd probably tell your DC to move out of the queue and wait at the side for you, with my special 'Don't argue' teacher voice.

I would have just laughed and said "really?! People do that?" and helped my child get on!!!

ROLF! Hillarious! I would have actually been laughing hysterically in their faces had it happened to me, like I am now!!!! NUTTERRRRR

The thing is, I dont think the silly woman will get her come uppance because there are always people with nice manners who dont want to make a fuss and people who have skin like a rhino who are oblivious to everyone else and just dont care.

To actually point you out to her friend as well, I hope her friend was thinking "what an idiot"

I would have just looked at her like and said 'You're doing what?' and accompanied it with a half smile/head shake combo. I would not have taken my child off.

(Disclaimer: Unless she was very scary looking).

I even felt bad staying in the (bloody hour long!) cue for Face Painting at the Fair when the LO went to the loo and we were still ages away from the front of it - but I was not going to the back again!

I really don't know why that woman was pointing you out to someone else afterwards. Weird, very weird. When I read the thread on men "self-pleasuring" themselves, I thought men must be the oddest form of life ever but now I think it is probably mothers. On behalf of our children, we really do the weirdest things

Didn't realise I was so selfish. We only do it cos DS(11 asd) gets so stressed, and then I do.
Goblinchild you would stuggle to embaress her out of the way she is 14 and getting on for 6 foot now, plus she'd snarl back

Holding a toy for your child to go on when they have finished on another toy is about out of order tho. Tis better to teach them to wait, a missed turn is not the end of the world, they usually only want it for 2 mins anyway

Olderandwider/Debs75/Goblinchild - Do it online.

I like to squeeze my fruit, check the meat and select veg by hand.
Debs, I'm not going to get into SN top trumps. My Aspie would get cross that yours was breaking the rules and insist that she put the stuff on the conveyor when it was her turn. They'd then have a ruck, we'd all be banned from the store and I'd have to shop online.

Only read OP but that's rubbish! If her kids wanted to play on it, they should have queued for the equipment, silly woman!

Okay Goblinchild, shall we coordinate now so we don't meet up. I prefer Morrisons for xmas shop but will do Asda

TCNY - well there are very limited slots around Xmas (Waitrose) and you can't get all the fresh stuff too early as it goes off. I do get some of it online obv.

Goblinchild - re checking out the food yourself - exactly!