I saw a guy come into a Sbux in downtown (the one at 9th and Santee) and set his crap down on the last remaining table and get in line behind, oh, about 8 other people… including 3 dudes who looked like they were extras in American Me… those guys got their coffees, took a look around, remembered that nerdy guy who was thinking he would hold the only remaining table until he completed marking time in line… and they went over and (actually quite gently) placed his stuff on the floor and took the seats at that table. Darn if that dweeby guy didn’t just get his drink, pick up his shit and VERY quietly make his exit…

The good news, though, is that Starbucks chairs are a totally renewable resource! :)

All things being equal, nothing. But in the real world not all customers are equally capable of saving seats.

I think you’re assuming the wrong question for your morality test anyway. It’s not just “What if everyone in the world saved seats in advance,” it’s “What if, when faced with dwindling supplies of a highly valued resource, everybody worked to their own advantage at the expense of others?” Obviously that’s a much different answer.

However, as mentioned, I think the reason most people don’t risk just putting down their stuff is because they don’t want it to be stolen. Which is why I don’t think you can compare it to taking a table at a restaurant before your whole group shows up (which many restaurants don’t allow, and can be rude).

I don’t think of this in question of ethical or moral terms, just plain courtesy.

Is it really any different to exploit the fact that you brought a jacket than it is to exploit the fact that you brought a friend?

One of the basic morality tests is to ask “What if everyone did what I’m proposing?” This rule easily rules out something like stealing cable, because if everyone did it, there’d be no money to produce cable in the first place. In this case, if everyone grabbed their table first, then… tables would be allocated on a first-come/first-served basis. What’s wrong with that?

Its one thing to steal a seat someone might take, but I’ll be damned if someone else is going to walk in behind me and snag a seat.

But when in doubt, I’ll avoid being an asshole… usually. I must confess to the occasional desperation.