Coats on seats

I will always sit on the outside seat on a bus. I get claustrophobic if I take a window seat, so it’s not always about not wanting to sit next to someone.

What the hell is wrong with these people? How do they get to be like that?

You remind me of an occasion when I'd grown so fed up of people on crowded trains occupying a spare seat with their stuff, and - on being approached by someone wanting the seat - staring blankly ahead in the manner of someone on the street whose dog is sh*tting half a metre away, the sigh and tut I got when asking her to move her stuff made me snap and I asked if her bag and coat had paid for a ticket. In the scenario you described I'd ask the same thing.

No one is saying you can’t have the window seat. But by your own admission you seem intent on making it uncomfortable for the person who opts not to sit in that seat, as if they deserve it for having the ordacity not to take the window seat themselves.

I’m merely pointing out there is are valid reasons not to sit next to the window. It seems you have a sort of resentment for actually having to speak to someone to gain access, and feel making their journey uncomfortable in return is justified.

So we shall need to allocate seats very carefully on the coach for the outing, people. 

Coats on seats is a perennial problem,but there is often very little space in which to put the damn things.Put them under your own seat and you wonder if half the content of the concessions stand is going to end up spilt or tipped on your coat by whoever is behind you or if you are going to accidentally pick said coat up the wrong way and lose your keys, phone spilling out.
Associated with this issue is the vexed matter of restrictive legroom in some of the rather arcane theatres across this land.Remember going to the Grand in Wolverhampton and ‘chancing’ it in ‘the gods’. As a 6ft plus guy,I felt like a contortionist as I tried to squeeze my frame into the allotted space.A beautifully-designed theatre,but my goodness humans must have been miniscule creatures back in the day!
The legendary theatremonkey is absolutely brill at giving accurate info on legroom and other related issues of comfort in London theatres
Taking lots of shopping bags into theatres in city venues may be frowned upon, but often a trip to the theatre is part of a full day out which includes a spot of shopping. Theatre patrons should expect to have a pleasurable experience in line with a visit to a quality cinema.Prices are sky high for the theatre so why should we accept a second- rate experience?

I sat next to a lady at Victoria ballet the other day, she had her coat originally on my seat (end of row so I can spread one leg into the isle) and always wait until the last minute to sit down purely so I don't have to keep getting up and down for people to pass. She picked the coat up and put it on her knee, on which she already had a cardigan, shopping bag, handbag etc. They then announced phones to be switched off, and same lady waded through all her belongings, finally managing to switch the phone off 2 minutes after the performance started. The coat/bags/cardi kept catching my legs as she wriggled around getting comfy and then getting the bag of sweets out, plus taking up all the shared arm rest. There was a fair bit of room under the seat (I had my coat, cardi and bag under mine) but she didn't put anything there. I would have moved myself but the circle was completely full.