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#Post#: 36816--------------------------------------------------
Train station issue - what would you do?
DIR By: Songbird
Date: August 17, 2019, 7:19 am
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So Penn Station in NYC is a large and busy place: three
railroads, two subway lines, lots of people. There’s a waiting
room on the upper level that provides seating for Amtrak
passengers (and you must show your ticket) and a waiting room
for Long Island Railroad passengers on the lower level (also
“reserved” for ticketed passengers, but they never check)
The only other place to sit would be inside one of the casual
restaurants — do you want pizza or a hot dog or a burger and
fries?
There are no physical barriers that separate the dining area of
these restaurants from the station corridors.
So the other day I was in the “fast food sushi” restaurant. You
select your food, bring it to the counter to pay, then choose a
seat.
And while I was eating, a young couple came in and sat down, but
didn’t buy anything to eat.
There were a lot of empty seats, and there weren’t any customers
inconvenienced by their actions, so it wasn’t an issue.
But in the hamburger restaurant two doors down, there aren’t
enough seats for the paying customers, let alone someone who
isn’t buying food.
Some of the restaurants post signs that the seating area is
reserved for customers m some do not,
So ...question.
If you saw someone sitting in one of these restaurants but
clearly not buying food, and customers with food could not find
a seat, what would you do?
#Post#: 36818--------------------------------------------------
Re: Train station issue - what would you do?
DIR By: vintagegal
Date: August 17, 2019, 8:10 am
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If I was a customer with food who could not find a seat, I would
complain to the management. If I was not, I would do nothing.
#Post#: 36819--------------------------------------------------
Re: Train station issue - what would you do?
DIR By: Aleko
Date: August 17, 2019, 8:16 am
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I'm with vintagegal. The seating belongs to the restaurants, so
the problem is theirs and their customers'. If people who have
bought food can find nowhere to sit because the space is being
occupied by non-customers, it's on them to tell the restaurant,
and on the restaurant to eject the non-customers. (And whenever
there is in fact plenty of seating available, I very much doubt
that the management would consider it worth the aggravation and
the general dog-in-a-manger look of telling non-customers they
can't sit down.)
#Post#: 36822--------------------------------------------------
Re: Train station issue - what would you do?
DIR By: kckgirl
Date: August 17, 2019, 8:49 am
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The last time I was there, they checked to see if we had tickets
for New Jersey Transit before they would let us into the waiting
area where there were plenty of seats. In all the years I went
there, that was the only time they checked. If I went to one of
the restaurants and couldn't get a seat due to non-customers,
I'd speak to the management about it.
#Post#: 36854--------------------------------------------------
Re: Train station issue - what would you do?
DIR By: NFPwife
Date: August 17, 2019, 7:40 pm
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I'd be tempted to do something, but I'd tell myself, "You're
not the seat police," and ignore it. Why borrow trouble? Also,
if ppl are paying customers and can't get a seat it's a good
opportunity for them to practice assertiveness skills.
I just had something happen today and told myself, "You're not
the seat police," and it was really freeing. Because there's a
cultural question about it (in my mind) I might make a thread
about it.
#Post#: 36858--------------------------------------------------
Re: Train station issue - what would you do?
DIR By: Violet Bandit
Date: August 17, 2019, 8:21 pm
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I would only complain to the restaurant staff if I had bought
food, there was no seat for me, and I was absolutely certain the
non-customers really were non-customers and that they didn’t
come with another person who was picking up the food for them.
#Post#: 36861--------------------------------------------------
Re: Train station issue - what would you do?
DIR By: TootsNYC
Date: August 17, 2019, 9:01 pm
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If I weren't the customer or the store person, I would get judgy
in my head and keep walking.
If I were the customer, I would approach someone and say, "Are
you eating? Are you buying food?" And then I'd ask them to move.
Only if they refused after I asked them to would I disturb
the busy store folks.
If I were the store person and were asked about it, I'd tell
them to move. If I noticed it, I'd interfere if I had time, or
if the customer seemed of the type to be too hesitant.
Probably I'd yell across the restaurant at them kind of
brusquely.
But I'm not the seat police.
#Post#: 36874--------------------------------------------------
Re: Train station issue - what would you do?
DIR By: guest24
Date: August 18, 2019, 3:28 am
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Toots' last sentence is my first sentence! I don't really care
what other people do, most of the time.
#Post#: 36893--------------------------------------------------
Re: Train station issue - what would you do?
DIR By: NyaChan
Date: August 18, 2019, 4:46 pm
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It’s irritating but yeah, I’d just keep walking and find another
spot. It could just as easily have been that someone bought
food, finished and hung onto the table to have somewhere to
wait, or they sat down and ordered food later. To me it’s not
worth approaching them.
#Post#: 36894--------------------------------------------------
Re: Train station issue - what would you do?
DIR By: lakey
Date: August 18, 2019, 5:29 pm
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As most others have said, if I had food and no other seats were
available, I would bring it up with an employee. I don't like to
bring these things up directly with strangers because you don't
know how they will react. Sometimes people react defensively,
and even with anger.
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