What a dick move - am I right?

[TeutoburgForest]

Just got on busy train in London. On a table a man is sat with his bag on the seat next to him and his coat on the seat opposite him - basically making it difficult for people to sit on 2/3 of the remaining free seats. Is this common??

Ask him to move them then. He’s just spread out because no one was there

This is where adults need to 'use their words'.
Excuse me, please move your coat.

Of course he should be polite and move them anyway when he sees the train is filling up, but asking him isn't a big deal.

Just ask him politely to move the stuff so you can sit down. I've never ever had trouble from doing this, even from scary looking people.

Just ask him to move his things and sit there. He knows he can’t hog 2 extra seats but you don’t have to be passive.

It's common, but it's also common to tell people like him to move them if people need seats.

I once had to ask a lady in church to move her handbag so I could have the last seat. She was very put out!
We were at a school production so all there for the same reason. She glared at me the whole way through!. Some people are entitled arseholes...

yanbu to be annoyed that he has spread his items out, but he probably did so because the train was less busy when he boarded. as others have said, i would have just asked him to move his things.

Im very petty and when people om trains or buses sit by the aisle with window free ill almost always ask to sit on free seat rather than a free aisle seat. One i prefer window seats and 2, i think a lot of them do it on purpose to get two seats together. They mainly accept but i had one lady get angry with me, i stood ny ground and she instead stood up rathwr than sit!

Yes. I was on a very full airport bus once. A woman had put her shoulder bag on a seat - I had to ask if it actually needed a seat or could she move it. She got all snotty, as did her pal but it did get moved.

Just tell him to move them.

Yes it’s relatively common and usually solved by asking the person to move them.

The thing is this really backfires. Even if there are other sets of four free, a lot of people will take umbrage to him commandeering the section with his bag and coat, and go straight for one of 'his' seats just to make a point.

I think I have put my bag on the chair next to me a few times on a very empty carriage/bus. I guess you do hope it postponed you having to share. But I always move it before anyone who needs a seat would have to ask.

"Is anyone sitting there?" usually fixes this.

If they try the "someone's coming to sit with me in a bit / is getting on next stop" line then I say "OK, I'll sit down till they get here". Amazing how often the companion never shows up!

Nothing wrong here. If you get on an empty train it's reasonable to spread out. Ideally they would be paying attention and move their stuff if it gets busy. If they don't, just ask them to.

How many people put their coat on the seat across the table when they could just put it on top of the small bag on the seat next to him? He wasn’t just ‘spreading out’, he was hoping nobody would sit there so he could spread his legs. And of course I said ‘is this yours’ re the coat. And the train was busy!

I was on a train travelling to a work event, seat booked, bags put away so only using up 1
went to the loo, came back and a man had moved from his seat to my table seat
I politely asked him to move, and pointed out my bags etc. he was so put out, made a massive fuss

I do this because I hate feeling hemmed in, especially after more than one occasion of men leaning into my seat/trying to chat me up/"accidentally" touching me. Admittedly I wouldn't stand for such things now, but as a very shy teenager many years ago I didn't think I could do anything other than sit there and feel uncomfotable.

Unashamedly stealing this one. 👏

all u need to do is say a friendly scuse me, point your head towards the empty seats and move in. He‘ll remove his stuff no big deal

‘Excuse me please’

or just move the offending item across.

don’t overthink it - just claim the seat if you want it.

Yes, it probably was not a busy train when he boarded. Regular travellers do this - we'd take any opportunity not to be cramped! Just ask him to move his bag or coat if you can sit down on one of the seats.

How many? Quite a lot.

Have you never been on a train before?

Maybe they just prefer an aisle seat, in the way that you prefer a window seat?

People really aren't as calculating or deliberately nasty as you seem to think they are

Entitled! I was on a packed train in Antibes going to a Nice last week and people were doing this and people let them I said excuse me in french and she wouldn't let me sit so I said I'll wait til u move she did move in the end but the dirty looks lol 😁 jesus ! More people need to speak up u pay for a ticket I'm sure there bag or coat has no extra ticket for that seat .
I was polite but the look I got was like if told her to fucking move and stand up lol 😁
Edit .
On the way back there was a seat next to me and no one would take it I had to say sit sit it's free and the girl that took it kept thanking me I was like it's not my seat u paid for a ticket !!! Maybe it's french thing lol

Cant have been that busy if he was able to get 3 seats for himself. Just tell him to move his stuff - simple!