To wonder what runs through some people's heads sometimes?

[FattyAirways]

I was at a cafe enjoying breakfast. The cafe is big, got around 25 tables in. I was the only one in the cafe. A couple, came in, placed their order at the till and came and sat at the table right beside me! They had 20-odd other tables to choose from. My table wasn't in an enviable position in the cafe, no views out of the window, nothing special about this area in the cafe, yet they chose to do this. Why?

This happens on trains too, it is so weird.

I had this in town today! Had the pram with me and sat outside a cafe, two rows of tables, I sat in the back row making my way through the only gap big enough to fit the pram in, every other table was empty. Two blokes sat at the table in front of me and pulled their chairs out to sit, blocking my exit. When I had to leave I said ‘excuse me please’ twice, and one moved his chair about an inch without looking at me so I had to move 2 other tables to make room. It doesn’t make any sense!

The rule should always be be equidistant from others! So if one person there then be other side, if two, somewhere equally between, and so on. YANBU

Someone did this to me last week. I was so pissed off. They had almost the entire carpark to choose from but shoved their giant 4x4 right next to mine. Had to squeeze into drivers seat.

@cordelia16

I asked a woman once why she had parked next to me when the car park was virtually empty (I told her I was just curious). She said it was because she found it easier to centre her car within the space by using another car - otherwise she would park crooked. You can't make this stuff up.

How odd. A few posters on here have said similar. It never ceases to amaze me that some people cannot park their car properly in a parking space (in a car park) unless they park next to another car. I am so confused by this. Can some people REALLY not park straight unless they have another car to 'go by?'

@headstone · Today 10:17

It’s not something that would make me furious or overly annoyed.m, unless they were very loud. Going out to eat is a social thing though otherwise you could just eat by yourself at home.

@Catsmere

I’m not having lunch away from home to entertain some stranger. It’s not a social occasion (unless I bump into a friend). I’m having a peaceful meal on my own in a cafe, not having to attend to anyone else, which is what eating at home involves.

Exactly this. ^ If some people cannot go out to a cafe or restaurant on their own - without chatting shit to some random stranger trying to eat their food in peace, then maybe they need to get out more, and join some hobby groups... Or volunteer somewhere and try and mix and interact with people in social groups. Like, actual 'social situations' and social groups.

Don't start pestering, haranguing, and mithering someone who is very likely on a lunch break, eating the food they have just paid for, very likely in the middle of a busy day. It's not 'working people/people with jobs who pester people when out; it's bored and unoccupied people who have too much time on their hands.

Yes I think putting it down to animal instinct is just a kindness. More likely that it’s just complete dickheads!

I’m afraid I might have accidentally scraped the sharp end of my key on their car when trying to get into mine. Accidents do happen!

Italian.
I love everything about Italy, the food, the people, everything

but

they do like to sit right next to you on an empty beach, or park next to you in empty car park. I have learnt to embrace it and not let it irritate me even if I am actually baffled by it.

Really? That is malicious damage and awful. You don’t know why they did this, the other side might have been over so they had no choice.
People irritate me for all sorts of things but I would never resort to criminal damage. I hope you just said this for effect and didn’t actually do this.

I've honestly never noticed this and it wouldn't bother me at all

Yes, all this! I’m my mother’s carer and eat at home with her six days a week. My one day out is a knitting group and during lunch I get my one chance for a quiet lunch I didn’t have to make and a bit of reading before I go back to the group. I would not be at all impressed by randoms imposing themselves on me - I try not to sit too near other people (sometimes tricky in small cafes) and while I’m happy to chat with strangers in many situations, I don’t want them imposing themselves during a meal. I’ve done my time in customer service and lunch breaks are sacred!

This is one of my absolute bugbears. Why do people do it? It happens all the time. I hate when it happens in the gym - empty changing room and someone decides they have to get naked right next to me. Why? Yoga class. Only a few people in the class and they plonk down right beside me. Why? At least they could leave a mat's space between us. Perhaps we're just so attractive to others, OP, that they feel compelled to be around us.

Sounds more like one of the neanderthal covid deniers trying to make a point.

I have stopped going to the beach in summer because of this. Every time we go early in the morning and have the beach to ourselves, you can bet someone usually with a hoard of kids, will plonk themselves right next to you. Hate it ! I was swimming once and came back to my spot and someone had pitched their umbrella right beside my stuff ! Aaargh !

This does annoy me so much!

All the more so because I have a quirk of liking things to be spaced out properly. I can see straight away where the best place is to sit/park, taking into account all the other people/space users present, to give us all optimal personal space and so I am aghast when others arrive and just don't get that
On the other side of things, people who leave an enormous gap in a queue between themselves and the person in front being served at the till annoys me so much. If I'm stood waiting behind such a person, I am internally chanting Move Forwards, but you'd never know it from my serene face. Exceptions are at the bank, hospital, doctors, pharmacy etc - dealings which are personal and private. But general corner shop or clothes shops type places, why can't they just move up....

With regard to the carpark thing - do you think some (not all) of the people who park right next to another car do it because they find it easier to reverse park straight that way, as it can be much easier to see and line up with a big car than the lines on the ground?

I saw this and thought the same. @CheekNerveGallAudacityandGumption I hope you're joking. Maliciously scratching someone's car purely because they have parked a bit close to you, is criminal damage. If I saw someone doing this I would report them to the police.

On that note, I will say that i've been repeatedly told that I look like a nice person and people will often sit near me.

When i'm with DH though, i've noticed that we are usually left alone. (Not foolproof, but a vast improvement)

Yes so true! Also annoying are the people who literally plonk all their stuff and put windbreaks up right in front of you. I know nobody owns a view on the beach and all that but if there's literally vast amounts of beach and other spots to choose from, why would you block someone's view? I can't believe it's not on purpose, but these types of people don't seem to be mean types. Surely they'd think - my windbreak is 2 metres in front of these people and that's not fair.

I talked about this once with someone I know who is a bit thoughtless like this. She said it was because she was so indecisive given all the space to choose from that if someone else was already sat there, it must be a good spot so thats's why she would choose it (ie sitting very close next to, or in front of). I said "But don't you think it's inconsiderate?" She said she hadn't considered that, she just liked not having to make a decision over where to sit in the rest of a (mostly empty) beach/cafe/parking area. I don't know if she's representative of all the space-huggers or not though.

Maybe it's their "usual" table - some people do have preferred ones.

Or perhaps you were sitting at "their" table?

But either way, YABU, they can sit where they like, you don't own all the space around you

I’ve never done it, I was suggesting the OP “might” have…I’ve defiantly thought about it and cannot categorically say I won’t ever do it in future.

I wouldn’t bother you, I’d be off to the other side of the cafe 😂

You could be right. The one time I don't mind it happening is on a train home late at night and you see other women clock you in the carriage on your own and they come and sit with you. That's rather nice.

Yeah I wouldn’t do it because of CCTV everywhere. If it wasn’t for that you best believe I’m going leave a little scrape if you’ve parked like a dickhead in an empty car park and made me climb into the drivers seat from the passenger side.

Irritating yes but people are entitled to sit wherever they want