To be annoyed at people on the train who take up another seat with their bags?

[Gateau]

I get a really packed train home from work and there are usually quite a few people standing.
Despite this, some people who have a seat obviously think they've paid for a seat for their bag too. They don't even lift it when other people clearly have no seat.
Whereas other 'standers' just leave them to it, I just go up to them and politely say, "I would like to sit down; can you please move your bag."
They usually look really pissed off. It's worth it for the look alone.

I can't remember who is was now. Some famous psychologist that said that if you don't want people to sit next to you on trains you should leave it clear and smile invitingly to people, patting the seat!

It used to wind me up on the commute home too but sometimes I was guilty cos I had a bag of heavy marking and couldn't lift it onto the racks esp when pregnant. I used to feel quite grumpy if I had to move my bag, especially if there were posh women with hordes of espensive shopping bags - ususally two of them, draped in bling taking up four seats...make those buggers move their bags first I say!

I will always shift my bag if the train is crowded, without being asked. I will admit to putting my bag on the next seat on non-bsuy trains with lots of seats left, to deter over-friendly middle-aged men strangers, or BO-ridden weirdos who seem to gravitate towards me.

I once got in a dispute with a woman who would not move her bag from the last seat left in the train. She scared me, so I resigned myself to standing, but the guard intervened and manhandled her bag out of the way. I then had to sit next to her and her friends for 2 hours, being given dirty looks. Not fun.

Someone in my office got up to give her seat to a pregnant woman and this guy zipped into it. She politely said, "sorry, I got up to give that seat to this (heavily) pregnant lady". His response? "I don't give a shit, this is the City. It's a dog eat dog world".

that just seems so ludicrously over the top that you'd imagine it came from the simpsons or the fast show taking the piss out of city boys.

what a knob.

My experience was one morning on a packed train. A female was sitting at the window seat with her bag in the middle seat. I asked her to move it and she refused. I told her that as it didn't have a ticket, it didn't have a seat and so picked it up (it was quite large) and put it on her lap. The man across from her asked her if she wanted it put on the aisle and she refused as she wanted it beside her. When we got to my station and I got up to get off, she told me that I had anger management problems. I retorted that she had manners problems!

The joys.

God commuting is a pita.

There are all sorts of rules. People mostly stand in the same placve on the platform, get in the same carriage, sit at more or less the same seat etc etc

I don't see it as a problem. I always ask politely if I can sit down and they move the bag.

Ah the joys of commuting. I have to say I do think people are rude to take up a seat with their bag on a blatantly packed train. I always say "would you mind if I sat down?" and they always move their stuff but sometimes huff and puff like you've asked them to donate a kidney or something.

What I actually hate even more is when this combines with them sitting in the aisle seat and making you climb across them to get to the window seat.

Ignorant mofo's IMO.

Until I had my operation earlier this year, I always sat on an aisle seat because I never knew when I'd have to rush suddenly to the loo (a tenalady can only do so much....) perhaps those complaining about this practise would rather I'd wet myself/them as I moved past them? You don't know what people's problems are, so don't be so quick to judge.

I'm astonished that sitting by the aisle is such an issue and, in the VAST majority of trains, why is it so hard to see if there's an empty seat next to someone sitting on an aisle seat? It's only one seat away, and if the train's that packed then no doubt the person immediately next to them would be taking the seat rather than standing...

This is a real hate of mine. In fact it's the only proper thing that grates on me. I get on a train, squeeze my bag between my legs, under my seat, or on the racks at the doors (I don't like the overhead things incase they fall on someone) and yet some people are so selfish they'll seat their bag and let like pregnant women, old people, or anyone really, stand.

How dreadful.

Says a lot about people I think.

I never ask them to move their bags as I'm too shy. But I'd love to.

Smallclanger- I agree with the dirty old men scenario. There's always one isn't there?

only read the OP but you are quite right, I often put my bags on the seat if it is a very quiet train but wouldn't dream of doing it if it was busy or if someone wanted that seat!

I would/do do it if the train wasn't busy as the floor is always so mucky I don't want to put bags on the floor. Also once when I had bags on the floor I managed to get off the train without one.

But if train is filling up I would always take my bags off the seat, before being asked.

Just ask them G2B-they always move it. I am perfectly polite, I don't refer to the bag-I just say 'excuse me-is this seat free?'.

dh once called me after ds had been sick. He was concerned because he had been sick with such force, he thought he may need a doctor (poor lad was rolling around clutching his tummy). On a packed train, I had to ask some really graphic details about sick and ds's body in case he really did need medical attention and I could tell the other passengers around me were none too charmed at my conversation .

They've taken seats out on a lot of our trains so more can stand. Which is joyous when you have to do it for 40 odd mins twice a day grrr.

Yes, YABU. Don;t get angry, just ask them to move it. Hey presto

once I chucked someones bag out of the window for this,after asking them to move it 1st I might add, and I was thrown off the train!

at the next station of course.

I find it really rude if someone notices the train getting packed and doesn't move their bag out of a seat, so no, YANBU. That's what the overhead racks are for and if that's not good, put the bag on the floor under your seat.

i used to put my bag on the seat next to me to stop people sitting near me. i used to travel a long way to work and seemingly have the sort fo face tits that encourgaes dirty old men to sit near me and talk perve at me.

i always moved my bag to allow people to sit if the train got busy without having to be asked. though some people would ask me to move the bag when there were plenty of other seats that annoyed me. but i always moved it.

my sister bought me a tee that read "why do the weirdos always sit next to me?" that solved the problem.

drbread, you are proper bonkers

pd, why am I bonkers?

you threw someone's bag out a train window. Signifies proper bonkers in my book.

Doesn't surprise me, at 8.5 months pregnant I stood for 10 mins shifting from foot to foot, sighing loudly. Not one fuker bothering to move. I only got a seat when the train started to empty, no one 'gave' me their seat. London Commuters are the pits! Thank god don't have to use the trains anymore!