Anonymous wrote:If I find a newspaper on a table in a coffee shop with nobody around, I assume it's up for grabs.

That guy was an idiot. While it makes you feel bad when someone is harassing you, he was in the wrong.

Just ignore.

NP. I hate situations like this. Even I you take the high road and de-escalate, I always come out of it feeling awful. I’ve never been in this situation with a man where it turned out in my favor even when I was in the right and/or doing the normal or polite thing. And I think men know how that works and consciously or subconsciously take advantage of it. Notably they never seem to do it to other men who are solo.

Seat saving isn’t a thing and it’s childish and selfish when people attempt it.

Singapore is one of the most crowded urban places in the world and they do have a cultural practice of seat saving that is completely formalized and universally respected. You put down your little travel pack of tissues (carrier everywhere because they’re used as napkins there) and place it at your mall food court or market table. Newspaper guy should move there.

Anonymous wrote:
Your husband does not understand that women sometimes need to show a lot more force than men when they're harassed, otherwise the men who harass them don't get the message.

You made a mistake anyone would have made, you apologized and you went above and beyond by offering him his table back. So don't worry on that front.

This is basic toxic masculinity at work.

If I find a newspaper on a table in a coffee shop with nobody around, I assume it's up for grabs.

That guy was an idiot. While it makes you feel bad when someone is harassing you, he was in the wrong.

Just ignore.

This is one of those things that it was a miscommunication? Is reserving a table with a paper dumb, yes. Would it have been better to move, sure. Was it ridiculous to come back and yell at them, yes. Would I have just stayed there and risked conflict at the point? Heck no.

Everyone in this story needs to chill out and learn to deescalate. Honestly doesn't matter who's right in the situation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But you think it's ok to work from "home" at a semi-crowded coffee shop, hogging the table for hours while sipping a coffee? Probably one of those clueless people that also takes calls there.

People like you are the worst.

We ordered food and several drinks. We were just there for ~2 hours while the cleaning people are at our house.

Next time go to a library.

Obviously you have never tasted library coffee.

OP: I would have kept both the newspaper and the table while cheerfully stating "finders keepers". If he continued on, I would then have given him the full: "finders keepers, losers weepers" which, legally speaking, should end things once and for all in OP's favor.

Anonymous wrote:I love that my local coffee shop puts a strict 30-minute time limit on their WiFi. It literally boots you off after using it for 30 minutes. It won't allow you to join again for another 30 minutes.

I wish more places utilized this method.

People would just hotspot from their phone. Duh.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But you think it's ok to work from "home" at a semi-crowded coffee shop, hogging the table for hours while sipping a coffee? Probably one of those clueless people that also takes calls there.

People like you are the worst.

We ordered food and several drinks. We were just there for ~2 hours while the cleaning people are at our house.

Next time go to a library.

+1

Stop being those entitled brats that sit in coffee shops to "work" all day so that people who come in for a coffee can't find a place to sit.

YTA. You both should’ve moved the second he said something. You shouldn’t have moved his paper either but at a minimum you should’ve said I’m so sorry I didn’t realize and high tailed it elsewhere. Instead you berated him like some psycho! Gross.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But you think it's ok to work from "home" at a semi-crowded coffee shop, hogging the table for hours while sipping a coffee? Probably one of those clueless people that also takes calls there.

People like you are the worst.

We ordered food and several drinks. We were just there for ~2 hours while the cleaning people are at our house.

Sure you were. Mmmhhhmm.

I'm a firm believer that you get your stuff/pay at the counter first then you get to find a seat. In that order. If everyone stuck to that order it would be more fair. None of this saving seats or having your kids save seats when the order should be who paid first.

I'm so glad most MD/DC/Va fed have been RTO!

Anonymous wrote:But you think it's ok to work from "home" at a semi-crowded coffee shop, hogging the table for hours while sipping a coffee? Probably one of those clueless people that also takes calls there.

People like you are the worst.

Facts.

Anonymous wrote:I love that my local coffee shop puts a strict 30-minute time limit on their WiFi. It literally boots you off after using it for 30 minutes. It won't allow you to join again for another 30 minutes.

I wish more places utilized this method.

+1. I like this.

Anonymous wrote:I love that my local coffee shop puts a strict 30-minute time limit on their WiFi. It literally boots you off after using it for 30 minutes. It won't allow you to join again for another 30 minutes.

I wish more places utilized this method.

People like the OP just bring a hotspot and continue to hog a table and "work" while costing the business money and annoying other customers.


Go HOME to work since you so desperately want to work from home, or go back to an office.