[Topspinmo]

Looks like you aroused some of the seat savers. I agree in your butt not on in it and saving the seat next to you it's open season. As for me I could care less the square go old real quick.

[tuccillo]

This is a common practice with beach chairs at bench resorts: get up at the crack of dawn and put your towel on a chair and then come back much later. The problem is it encourages more and more people to do it as they realize they won't get a chair unless they start doing the same thing. I admit to doing this a few times at beach resorts ;-) There is really no upside to management trying to eliminate this behavior - all it will do is create confrontations and nobody wants to put their employees in a position to have a confrontation with a customer. I would not encourage anyone to remove other peoples string or seat pads - you run the risk of a confrontation that may not end well. I think the only real solution is to bring your own chair. There could be a problem with no space being available for your chair but "it is what it is". My wife and I usually bring foldout chairs with us to the town square but leave them in the cart unless we can't find a seat. I feel sorry for the people who have to plan their lives around having to "reserve" a seat, hours before the entertainment starts at the town squares, in a totally obnoxious manner. I try to be more spontaneous and go with the flow. We always seem to find seats.

Originally Posted by twoas1@comcast.net

At 3:00 in the afternoon, 80% of the chairs were SAVED by people. No one in sight! Just empty seats, with thin little cushions sitting in them, and some strung together with yarn and string. By 5:15 and 5:30 they were still empty. From 4 til 5, still empty. I sadly watched people stream past, searching for any and all empty chairs. Scanning for any place to sit. I felt so angry at those people who saved chairs at 3 then went off to play a round of golf or have a leisurely supper. I am surprised at the gaul of people to string chairs together, (some 8 or 10 in a row) and or place cushions on chairs 2 to 3 hours before hand. If you want a chair saved, then you best have your butt plopped in the seat. I would like to see management be on duty at 2 until music begins, to stop people from saving chairs then leaving. I suggest that everyone who sees strings or cushions, cut the strings, and move cushions to the wall behind them. Management...this has to stop...what are you afraid of?

[twoas1@comcast.net]

wow, a lot of people also don't like seat savers. I don't get angry for myself, but for others who come around at 4 and see nothing available. They walk around and look so sad, as they look out upon a sea of string and cushions. I don't want anything drastic to happen with the strings and cushions and don't want the wrong doers to go to prison. For instance, management is very prevalent the days of parades. They keep a sharp eye out for anyone putting chairs in walkways to keep it clear for dancers etc. There is no reason at all, that 2 people can keep an eye out for these seat-savers from 3 on. They simply see someone placing cushions or stringing chairs, watching to see if they start to walk away, ....THEN approach them and say, "No saving chairs. Policy is: You can save a maximum of 2 chairs IF one person stays and is present to represent the saving of the two chairs."

[PaPaLarry]

Originally Posted by tuccillo

This is a common practice with beach chairs at bench resorts: get up at the crack of dawn and put your towel on a chair and then come back much later. The problem is it encourages more and more people to do it as they realize they won't get a chair unless they start doing the same thing. I admit to doing this a few times at beach resorts ;-) There is really no upside to management trying to eliminate this behavior - all it will do is create confrontations and nobody wants to put their employees in a position to have a confrontation with a customer. I would not encourage anyone to remove other peoples string or seat pads - you run the risk of a confrontation that may not end well. I think the only real solution is to bring your own chair. There could be a problem with no space being available for your chair but "it is what it is". My wife and I usually bring foldout chairs with us to the town square but leave them in the cart unless we can't find a seat. I feel sorry for the people who have to plan their lives around having to "reserve" a seat, hours before the entertainment starts at the town squares, in a totally obnoxious manner. I try to be more spontaneous and go with the flow. We always seem to find seats.

Sounds like the best solution is to distribute the chairs @ 5:00pm, as was suggested in one of the posts. Or at least, give it a try. Maybe the POA can work out a solution, or The Association ?

[tomjbud]

Originally Posted by tuccillo

I feel sorry for the people who have to plan their lives around having to "reserve" a seat, hours before the entertainment starts at the town squares, in a totally obnoxious manner. I try to be more spontaneous and go with the flow. We always seem to find seats.

What a great philosophy! I'll bet your life is way happier and more fun than those whose life revolves around saving the "best seat". I also try not to let other people's obnoxious behavior get me down - life is too short!

[twoas1@comcast.net]

Orange Vests people need to be more vigilant when there are 300 people in a small area. More and more people are coming to the squares. No injuries so far in confrontations in seat-saving but it will happen. Wow, I can see the headlines now, "Fights and drunken brawls break out among Seniors in the sunshine state, in The Villages." Management and owners, take care. These headlines won't ONLY be in the Daily Sun! Check out Fox and CNN, plus Youtube and facebook when social media get hold of such news. When you have liquor and crowds like last night, you are going to have to quell arguments before they happen. If you don't believe a policy needs to be reinforced, then coolers should be allowed in the squares.

[twoas1@comcast.net]

if we distribute chairs at 5, then you would have mass hysteria. Crowds grabbing chairs and bumping into people. No, the square needs to fill leisurely and without rushing around. Love and care of one another is key. Kindness is the key.

[twoas1@comcast.net]

You are so right. Maybe the orange-vested people don't want to start confrontations and want the citizens to police themselves. So far it has not worked though. Maybe I should just take a deep breath and settle down. We DO bring our own chairs and will continue to do so. I just feel so badly for others. WWJD? He'd try to soften the hearts of the seat savers, and carefully lead management in the proper manner, filled with kindness and goodness. Ahhhhh, THIS '180' feels good this morning. Now to go swimming and golfing with friends. My worries are gone.

[kstew43]

moreover, 1 person, usually a adorable granddaughter, saving 8 seats that are tied together or cushioned. Hard to take the chairs away when an 12 year old is saving the seats for her grandparents.....

[JRichm369]

I agree that this is an obnoxious behavior, I also find it strange that people that are usually so nice and pleasant to be around can be so self centered. I have seen this behavior at church, and other public functions. I have gone to line dancing lessons where there is an open row when you attempt to get in that row you are told that those places are reserved, then when the lesson starts those places are vacant as the expected guests never show up.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by karostay

What next dog poop

What a great idea. Save up some dog stuff, take it to SS and leave a treat on the cushions of the seat savers. Hope my puppy can deliver.

This will start some excitement.

[tuccillo]

Prohibiting coolers in the squares is different than a policy on saving seats. The issue of coolers is a "money thing", although I suppose there could be some sort of state law. Reserving seats doesn't impact anyone's bottom line.

Originally Posted by twoas1@comcast.net

Orange Vests people need to be more vigilant when there are 300 people in a small area. More and more people are coming to the squares. No injuries so far in confrontations in seat-saving but it will happen. Wow, I can see the headlines now, "Fights and drunken brawls break out among Seniors in the sunshine state, in The Villages." Management and owners, take care. These headlines won't ONLY be in the Daily Sun! Check out Fox and CNN, plus Youtube and facebook when social media get hold of such news. When you have liquor and crowds like last night, you are going to have to quell arguments before they happen. If you don't believe a policy needs to be reinforced, then coolers should be allowed in the squares.

[twoas1@comcast.net]

Vote here in favor or against: Signs posted in town square, "Saving Chairs is against Village rules." Vote #1,----YES

[twoas1@comcast.net]

You are so right about coolers. If it means losing money, it is reinforced.
So I can assume you vote yes for signs stating that "saving chairs is against Village rules?"

[tuccillo]

The problem with a rule about saving seats is that you have to be very precise on the wording and then enforce it strictly. For example, if we have cushions on our chairs and get up to dance are we saving seats? Are you going to say that no seats can be saved before 5:00PM? If so, you will just get a big influx of people at 5:00PM putting down cushions. I would think that something along the lines of "no string" to save seats would be a good idea - that is truly obnoxious. The biggest problem I see is that there is no upside for management to do anything.

Originally Posted by twoas1@comcast.net

Vote here in favor or against: Signs posted in town square, "Saving Chairs is against Village rules." Vote #1,----YES