If you go, sit down, and want to reserve the seat next to you for your kid or husband, or whatever, O.K. If you go to a seat, put some junk on it to reserve them, and then take off, you're subject to eviction.
Now, parking spots are a different story. I went to a women's fast-pitch softball tournament that my daughter was playing in. There were many teams there. There was a roped-off area for parking. Acres, we're talking. In the closest area to park was a parking spot with a folding chair in it. I got out and grabbed the chair. This lit up a bunch of people nearby, all women as far as I noticed, who started yelling at me. Turns out that they were reserving that parking spot for a friend of theirs who had yet to show. I looked them over, folded up the chair, carefully put it on the other side of the rope, said something along the lines of, "sorry, you can't reserve parking", and stepped aside as my wife parked the van. The key here is to blow off any criticism, regardless of profanities, obscenities, etc.
No way I would leave my purse on a seat and leave the area.
I was on a thread about people who will drive around the shopping centers looking for slots up close to the store.
Once my hubby jokingly(i'm sure) said to me, 'Honey, you wouldn't mind laying down in that spot and saving it till I get the car and come back, would you'?
I told him, 'how about you lay down and I go get the car'? Parking slots are serious issues to some people.
Might makes right. I guess you're with this Balducci thug...