Woman in cafe, is this a new form of space invading?

[Bahhhhhumbug]

I know this has been done to death, the usual thing of people standing too close in queues, sitting next to you in an empty carriage etc etc. but this was a new one on me yesterday and l can't fathom why it bothered me so much, but here goes.
Went for a coffee whilst shopping yesterday and as it was late some of the popular window tables were free so l went and sat at one watching out the window as you do.
A man came and sat at the next window table to me and was then joined by a woman both middle aged, fiftyish. She took off her coat and turned to me and rather bruskly asked me if the seat behind her at my table (directly opposite me) was taken. I said no and to help yourself, resist g temptation to mimic her brusk tone. With that she put her coat with big fur collar around the back of the chair, turned round and started sorting out her coffee etc, leaving me sat at my table opposite her coat and partly blocking my view outh window.
Wtf? Just to clarify these tables have four seats around them so l had three empty she had two but they are small tables and only realistically seat three comfortably.

[halfwitpicker]

Youre upset a woman put a coat on a chair?

Is that the crux of this?

^^

You're kidding, right?

[Catrina1234]

I don't get it - sounds like a lot of fuss over nothing

[halfwitpicker]

I'd have told her to move the coat. I would have not been able to live with myself otherwise. Probably made up some excuse about a fictional friend arriving, but still

Cfuckery of the highest order.

[purplelass]

MsLexic

At least you gave her a chance to change her ways first

[RoboticSealpup]

Very, very odd behaviour when she had the space to put her coat at another chair at her own table, or even hang it on the back of her own chair.

[LuckyLou7]

How is this a problem? One person sat at a table for four. Two people sat at a table for four. One person out of the two people had a bulky coat which she placed on one of the empty chairs at the other table. How on earth is this invading someone's space and/or being a cheeky fucker?

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

You are my new heroine MsLexic: I feel the rude elements in society need to receive more stealthy but really annoying payback.

What food items could you share for the CF's pockets OP.

[IDECLAREBANKRUPTCY]

Went to the cinema today and the woman behind me took her shoes off and put her feet up on my headrest. People are weird.

[BlueBuilding]

Another one who doesn't get what the big deal is.

Her coat was invading your space?..Okay then

[mumsastudent]

move chair towards her so you still have view??? opposite to this - lovely fellow customer story! my 2 friends & I were Christmas shopping & went into café - there were no free tables for 3 - kind lady saw us & offered & moved to smaller table - I helped her with carrying her coffee & cake across - we didn't ask or hint she just noticed us & volunteered :) there are some nice considerate people around :)

[Janecon]

What on earth has her being middle aged got to do with it. Ageism at its finest.

I don't understand what the issue is. All you had to do was ask her if she minded moving the chair slightly as it was blocking your view. Mountain out of a very small molehill.

[Butterymuffin]

I'd have picked up the coat and laid it down again across the seats, of the two vacant chairs at your table, so it wasn't in my view any more.

[Butchyrestingface]

I didn’t get the impression OP was not-so-secretly seething about the incident (do however brace yourself for the “well, if that’s all you’ve got to worry about...” comments).

Rather that she didn’t understand why the woman didn’t put her coat over one of the empty chairs on her own table.

I agree, it’s a bit .

[blueskiesandforests]

Oh come on people claiming this is a non issue. This other person had a free chair at their table but they chose to put their coat on a chair at the OP's table.

It is a bloody odd thing to do.

There are millions of things people do or could do which don't actually hurt anyone but which are incredibly perplexing because they slightly invade our personal space, and this was one of them.

The OP isn't "fuming" or any other over used claim to overwhelming rage, she's puzzled and a bit bothered.

I do think it's fairly likely the other woman was thinking about something else and may have had a WTF did I do that for moment of her own later, unless the coat was wet or she wanted to protect it in some way and the chair she chose was the most sheltered from passers by or her own client.

[kaytee87]

I'm not sure I understand?

Is it that she was brusque or that she put her coat on a chair?

[PreseaCombatir]

Very odd, why would you do that? I’m also struggling to believe all the ‘it’s only a coat on a chair’ brigade wouldn’t have also found it odd...

[WellThisIsShit]

Very odd thing to do. Maybe her coat was so important it needed a view and a chair... and would rather not sit with the rather rude woman :)

[Pk37]

Its weird, I don’t get why others don’t see that?
This woman had an empty chair at her own table but hung her coat over the chair of someone else’s.. on what planet is this normal ?

[Livingthedream44]

I'm struggling to understand why the coat was such an issue for you.
The only thing that I'd be worried about is if I accidently knocked coffee over it. That would be mortifying! I'd be a nervous wreck.

[SpinneyHill]

OP in your shoes I may have had an urge to put my bag on the empty chair of their table....except it's weird to do that

[kaytee87]

It's a bit odd but it honestly wouldn't bother me enough to give it another thought.

[Tinty]

l am pretty sure she she was a social worker of some kind as she was talking to him about building up his confidence etc and going through a form and she was quite loud and patronising.



Maybe she was teaching him about being confident by having the cheek to hang her coat on a chair on a strangers table.

[YourEggnogIsBetterThanMine]

So scrambled egg fell in her pocket. Just. fell.

brilliant.

I was in McDs on my own once. I must have been 18 or 19. Sat on my own at a table for 4 but it was really quiet so no shortage of tables. 3 men sat at a table for 4 next to me and, when one had finished eating, he put his dirty tray and wrappers on my table. Space invasion. I just quietly slid it back to him and hoped they'd leave me alone.

[CurtainsOpen]

Gosh, imagining even caring about this

[onemorecupofcoffeefortheroad]

I can see the issue - it's weird behaviour rather like the coffee shop equivalent of manspreading but performed by a woman. Why did she not put her coat on a chair set at her own table? Why did she not put her coat on the back of her own chair? Why was she brusque with the OP?

So I’m with you OP except the bit about her age which is irrelevant - I’m 50 ish (54 actually) but wouldn’t be so brazen and am always very concerned about not invading another person’s space.