You can't sit here

[user15681]

FYI "guard" is fine and is a fairly common name.

I call them guards too, but on a SE service once I called a man a guard, to which he sternly replied, 'I'm a Revenue Collector, thank you.' Anyway, it appears we have digressed. Hope the problems with people reserving seats has stopped.

 

[34D]

What I would ask is what course of action do you take when someone refuses to move a bag and you want to sit down. Usually people sit on the aisle seat blocking the window seat then look gobsmacked when you ask them for the seat.

Let me clear this up once and for all: I'm over six foot, and on many trains I simply cannot fit on the window seat. Classes 365 and 375/377 are a case in point.

This is my usual approach too. Sadly one time on a Voyager, I found quite an obnoxious lady sitting in my window table seat (which I had reserved so that I could plug my laptop in and work during the journey!).

The woman insisted I was mixing up the seat numbers of the window seat and the aisle seat.

Unfortunately when I persisted, the person sitting next to her offered (well, insisted) to move instead and went away, which didn't help at all because it just armed the lady in my actual seat with further ammunition of “well just sit there, then!”. And my insistence to have my actual seat got me some very strange looks from the people opposite who probably felt I'd done enough damage by causing somebody else to move (which I had no control over!)

This does seem OTT to me, though I can understand the need for the socket - trailing a wire across her lap would have been equally satisfactory though, surely?

 

[CNash]

The frown that you often get when you ask someone if the seat is free when there is a bag on it, is largely because they are annoyed that anyone has the temerity to ask.

They hope that everyone will be too timid to ask for the removal of any belongings, and in many cases, people are.

Actually, I'm the opposite way. As I only travel off-peak, most of the time my trains are half empty, so I don't feel bad resting my bag on a seat. But if someone does want to sit in that seat, all they have to do is ask me or attempt to sit there and I'll happily move my bag. I hate people who'll just shoot you a dirty look and move on, afraid to say anything - being bold and asking me, or just sitting down, gets them a little bit of respect from me.

 

[HowMuch?]

Actually, I'm the opposite way. As I only travel off-peak, most of the time my trains are half empty, so I don't feel bad resting my bag on a seat. But if someone does want to sit in that seat, all they have to do is ask me or attempt to sit there and I'll happily move my bag. I hate people who'll just shoot you a dirty look and move on, afraid to say anything - being bold and asking me, or just sitting down, gets them a little bit of respect from me.

Not sure why you think it's other people's duty to earn your respect. Perhaps it's your duty to be considerate to others who are not as assertive as you, especially these days when people are wary of challenging strangers because they can't tell who will respond positively (as I'm sure you would) and who will respond with abuse or even threats of violence.

I'm almost in agreement with you, though. If sitting two-across, then I prefer the aisle seat, and if I was there first I feel no obligation to give it up to someone else and squash myself against the window.

Of course, that makes the etiquette a little difficult if you don't want to look like an empty-seat-hogger. I think mine goes something like this : While the train has spare pairs of seats, no action required. When seats start filling up, make sure window seat (and table in front) has none of my stuff on it (so that anyone who particularly wants THAT seat can see it's free and can ask for it).

Where I go a bit further in being helpful is this. When seats become scarce, look as friendly as possible and catch the eye of people coming along so they can see I'm not going to object if they ask to sit down. If someone nearby is clearly looking for a seat, be proactive and ask them if they would like to take the window seat. All of this is trumped by anyone who looks like they have mobility problems when there are no aisle seats free. I will then be VERY proactive in helping them to sit in my aisle seat.

 

[tsr]

Not sure why you think it's other people's duty to earn your respect. Perhaps it's your duty to be considerate to others who are not as assertive as you, especially these days when people are wary of challenging strangers because they can't tell who will respond positively (as I'm sure you would) and who will respond with abuse or even threats of violence.

I'm almost in agreement with you, though. If sitting two-across, then I prefer the aisle seat, and if I was there first I feel no obligation to give it up to someone else and squash myself against the window.

Of course, that makes the etiquette a little difficult if you don't want to look like an empty-seat-hogger. I think mine goes something like this : While the train has spare pairs of seats, no action required. When seats start filling up, make sure window seat (and table in front) has none of my stuff on it (so that anyone who particularly wants THAT seat can see it's free and can ask for it).

Where I go a bit further in being helpful is this. When seats become scarce, look as friendly as possible and catch the eye of people coming along so they can see I'm not going to object if they ask to sit down. If someone nearby is clearly looking for a seat, be proactive and ask them if they would like to take the window seat. All of this is trumped by anyone who looks like they have mobility problems when there are no aisle seats free. I will then be VERY proactive in helping them to sit in my aisle seat.

When I am on a train which starts off with few people on board but suddenly gets much busier (due to the calling pattern, for example) I will always look round the carriage during and just after station calls to see if people will possibly want my bag's seat, and remove my bag from it if they are in any way heading to it. Sometimes people can find a completely empty seat, or prefer to walk down the train, so I can end up moving a bag off a seat for no reason. Hence why I can be both considerate and still end up putting my bag down on the seat once things have settled down after that station call.

I'll always give up a seat for a person who visibly needs it more than me (the elderly, people with kids, etc.) but I am under no circumstances going to stand, or sit with my bag on my lap (bearing in mind the lack of luggage racks on some trains), when people have ignored my blatant offer of taking the seat by, for example, walking past it. That said, I am not saying they are rude by ignoring a seat, because that's just going to get me into a stupid mentality! In addition, I am happy for people to ask me, but I sometimes look either official or like the sort of person who might not want to be asked (depending on occasion), so that's why I am proactive.