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I’d like to propose a new rule: Cool Broads never save seats.
Who’s in?
Here’s my argument: If you and your friends want to secure specific seats or sit together, whether it be at the movies, the pool, or in church, everyone needs to get to the venue early. EVERYONE. Sending one person to reserve a whole row of seats, an entire pew, or twelve lounge chairs, is just not cool. It’s that simple.
All you have to do is dig deep into that Cool Broad heart of yours and put yourself in someone else’s shoes. For instance, if you make the effort to show up to the theater early, or come down to the pool the first morning of your vacation to soak up the sun, but there isn’t anyplace to sit because all of the seats have been “reserved”…it’s irritating. Right? Especially if not everybody shows up and choice seats are left empty, or people don’t trickle down to the pool for a couple of hours.
Here are a few places that I propose we allow the first who come to be the first to get served and agree not to save seats for others.
1. Movie theaters.
2. The pool.
3. Church.
4. Graduation ceremonies.
5. “Seat yourself” cafes or restaurants.
6. Wedding receptions.
7. 4th of July fireworks displays or “music in the park”. (i.e., lining up a dozen blankets to reserve a half an acre)
There are a few exceptions, of course (because there always are). For instance, if your poor little granny wants to attend Junior’s graduation with the family, but would likely melt if she had to sit in her chair (in the hot sun) for an hour prior to the event…you can save her a seat. If your husband or boyfriend wants to go buy popcorn before the movie starts…you can save his seat. If you’re absolutely positive that your friend will be meeting you for coffee in a couple of minutes and you spot two open chairs near the cafe’s fireplace…you can save her a seat.
Other than that…eh eh. Also, saving seats for more than one person is, in my opinion, rude. And even though there may be extenuating circumstances for doing so, everyone’s extenuating circumstances are more extenuating than the next guy’s, so I suggest we avoid saving seats at all.
So, if you and your friends want to sit together during the opening night of Sex and the City, plan to meet in the lobby (early) and walk into the theater together. It’s easy. If your friends are late and you end up either sitting next to the guy with the oxygen tank that won’t quit beeping, or you and your friends end up so far apart that you might as well be in different states, make a mental note to yourself to pad the time you tell them to meet by thirty minutes, thereby avoiding a repeat performance.
So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. What do you think?
~tcb
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10 responses so far ↓
1 Sugar // Oct 15, 2008 at 3:45 pm
So here’s another reason for not saving seats… the person that gets stuck doing the saving has the crappiest job in the world. They are the responsible one that showed up on time and spend the rest of the “saving” time fending off the irritated crowds. She has to ignore the dirty looks all in the hopes that her friends will show up soon so that she can relax. And do they show up on time? Of course not! Why should they? Silly Sally the People Pleaser is there… let’s stop and get a latte… And do they get Simple Silly Sally a latte? Um, no. Because they are inconsiderate cretins that Sally should have the sense to dump.
So, yeah, no Cool Broad should EVER save seats!
(done)
2 Stacy // Oct 15, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Myeaaah. Myeaaaaaaaaaaah. I want to be all, “Whateva! I do what I want! I am a saver and it means I am a GIVING PERSON!!!”
But you have a point as usual. Damitall.
I will save four seats or so (AND YOU CAN’T STOP ME!). But I agree that taking up an obnoxious amount of room is, to be frank, obnoxious.
Stacys last blog post..A fairly accurate picture of my usual life
3 thatcoolbroad // Oct 15, 2008 at 4:53 pm
@ sugar
hee hee…I sense a little first-hand experience there. I would’ve gotten Silly Simple Sally a latte…really, I would’ve! (and you’re right on!)
@ stacy
I love your…sound effects? And I love the fact that I can pretty much here you typing your comments…in my head, of course:)
4 Anjie // Oct 15, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I totally agree…saving a seat for one friend while she gets you coffee is fine….saving 5 (or more) while other people that have arrived at the event together and on time have to look for other seats to sit near each other not fine. I have to admit I have saved seats (hangs head in shame) but no more! I want to be a Cool Broad!
Anjies last blog post..I steal great craft ideas too!
5 Monkeytoemomma // Oct 15, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I have to agree. I remember rolling my eyes every time the people seated behind us at my mom’s college graduation kept saying “I’m sorry, these seats are SAVED”. AND, the people they were saving for NEVER showed up.
Monkeytoemommas last blog post..IMS: Too Good To Resist
6 Solo // Oct 15, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Have had to sit there enduring peeps’ getting a case of the ass about 5 or 6 seats that a “group leader” has insisted be reserved, thinking that I’m the one who did it. Not a good look.
7 candy // Oct 16, 2008 at 5:07 pm
agree - if you’re not there to save that seat of yours, too bad! other pet peeves of mine (there are too many!): http://carrieanddanielle.com/what-is-your-favourite-form-of-courtesy-that-you-like-to-practice/
candys last blog post..WiseUSA ‘08: A call for prayer in election season
8 Heather // Oct 16, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Oh, yeah. It’s been a big no-no in my book for a while now. Yeah, I’ll save hubby-2-b a seat but that’s because we came together and he’s out getting something to eat/drink/whatever. I will not save seats for several peeps that refuse to make the effort to show up at the agreed upon time.
@Monkeytoemomma
Doesn’t that just grind your gears?? I’ve had to deal with seat savers at weddings, graduations and even back yard cookouts! So irritating.
Heathers last blog post..Jumpers
9 Stacy // Oct 19, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Thought of you Friday night. We went to the homecoming game and some woman had saved four entire bleachers. The rest of her party didn’t show up until 2nd quarter, and then they were a bunch of preteens screeching at each other and pretending to be gay (and I really wanted to turn around and tell them that they did it frighteningly well, and give them a meaningful gaze, but I didn’t because I’M A COOL BROAD.)
Stacys last blog post..A fairly accurate picture of my usual life
10 Becky // Oct 20, 2008 at 1:12 am
I agree on everything except Graduations. I did not get to see my oldest daughter’s graduation because we went two hours before the ceremony and had to stand up at the top of the stadium with people in front of us with huge balloons. So when my second daughter was graduating I took her younger sister and we were there when the gates opened at 1:30. We spread out blankets to save the seats for my husband, and my other two children and another family that never saw their oldest daughter graduate either. We met alot of other families who had the same experience previously. I would do it again because it still upsets me that I never saw my oldest daughter walk up and receive her diploma after all of her years of hard work.
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