Minor but entertaining pub drama - who was right?

[Pubdrama]

I went for a drink earlier with DH and our baby and large dog. The pub is a very busy London one on the Thames with picnic tables outside.

As we arrived, DH walked ahead to try to find a table. Further back, I noticed a couple who suddenly looked like they were leaving. I asked if they were and they said yes and I took the table.

5 minutes later, the couple on the table next to us looked like they were leaving too. A passing woman asked them the same question and then went to sit down. As she did a man strode over to her and said "hi, I've been waiting 15 minutes?". She gave a little laugh and said "oh bad luck" and continued sitting down. He then had a bit of a strop at her and then, when departing man meekly suggested they could perhaps share, he said "OH I DON'T WANT TO NOW" and stropped off. Ballsy woman was unperturbed by the whole interaction.

I was a bit in awe of her and think he probably wouldn't have spoken that way had her male partner been there at the time. But I'm not sure what I would've done had he noticed me getting our table first.

Who was BU? Moany man or ballsy woman?

Moany man was unreasonable.

You scout out the area, target the folks that look to be leaving and make your deal with them. Then hover over the table till they go.

Unless of course, there's a big sign saying 'wait here to be seated'.

Ballsy woman is a legend.

Why was she ballsy? What else would she have said/done? Pretty normal I think?

With pubs its whoevers bums in seat first.
There is no waiting queue for them.

Oddly for British people we don't have a queuing system for outside tables so I think she was right.

But really I feel we should queue!

I had something similar last week, couple looking like they were leaving and I asked, they said yes and stood and a passing woman sat down and completely blanked me when I challenged her. I tried again and she ignored me and said loudly to her partner she'd found a table and he sat down slowly looking sheepish.

I honestly don't know how to handle such rudeness.

Sit on her lap 🤣

@Pubdrama I do like the way you describe the setting by the Thames.

The actual rules are you hover like an uninvited guest to a wedding and wait to spot some one stand up - you then immediately get in there and strike a deal to take their seat if they confirm they are leaving.

One your bum, bag, coat, drink etc is on the table, that table is then yours.

These are the rules of pub tables.

Good for her.

Fed up with blokes like this thinking they run the world.

Tell her to scoot up and sit next to her until its so awkward she leaves

Well surely if you had been five before her you had also jumped his queue. Unless there was a sign saying please queue here, no problem.

My favourite Wetherspoons is The Rocket, in Putney 😁

Beautiful view of the Thames.

This is it @SunCloudRain! Why don't we, but it's true?

I reasoned it's a bit like a car park. If someone drives ahead before a car starts to pull out of a bay and then you see it once they've gone past, tough tits for them.

Obviously if they're sitting there with their indicator on, you're the twat.

Here, moany man was in a sad unsolicited queue of one all by himself, indistinguishable from all of the people sitting along the other side of the tow path happily drinking their drinks, having given up on the table hunger games.

No sign, no official queuing system at all. It's just he decided there should be a queuing system but didn't tell anyone else.

I thought ballsy woman was right, but he was so adamant in the way entitled men can be I temporarily doubted myself and questioned whether I'd been getting pub etiquette wrong all these years. I must do better!

With a pub it’s everyone for themselves.

Unless there’s an actual queue of course but that’s rare in a pub.

The woman didn’t even know that the man actually had been waiting as long as he claimed.

At ours, people stand at the steps and it's usual to let the first person there have it, but if someone looks like they're in pain/struggling etc, most people would let them sit down first.