No, You Can't Study on the Floor. Not Yours.

[powerboy]

OfficeSlug, one of my buddies is just like that. He lives in his own apartment, and he gets 2 spots, but has only one car. He lets his family or friends use that spot, but the neigbors use it, and they wont move the car at all. The one time, I parked there, they left a not stating that I will be towed next time.

[Pagan]

a couple of girls got all pissed off when they were asked to move so the carpet people could set up for the overnight. they were sprawled on the floor with their homework and shit everywhere, blocking traffic and generally being a nuisance.

EEEEWWW!!! Plus, I know what goes on in our store. There's no way in hell I'll even kneel on it, let alone lie on it!

Ya know, I think those girls might have been related to the trio that was in the music dept the other night. These guys gave new meaning to the phrase, "raised in a barn" and apparently don't get in the big city very often. One of them was singing (and I use that term loosely) at me some horrible "song" by some comedian named Cledus (I think, never heard of him). So, I'm over fixing Rap for the 15th time that night, look over to one of the aisles in Rock/Pop and two of these geniuses are laying on the floor, on their backs, reading CDs! ICK! Happily, they had to leave as we were closing!

[Red Briggs]

What customers have to realize is that the store they are shuffling into day in and day out is f-in private property. I functions on hours that are set by someone in charge of the property. It is owned by someone that is not them. They have to leave if you ask them. I had one guy dragged out of my Staples because he thought he was some sort of freaking activist and wouldn't move from the front of the store because we wouldn't return his year old computer. (Sorry Spiffy, forgot to email you about that ) Anyhoo, I called the fuzz and they pulled him out kicking and screaming and I stood @ the the door ing him into the back of a cop car. See, being the only business supply store in town has it's advantages. Cops need business supplies, and we give'em a deal. His wife came in and apologized for the "disturbance" she called it and took the computer home.

Just because you can go to and from a place whenever doesn't make it public property. We as businesses offer goods and services and we want you to come. Sometimes, though, we have to ask you to leave and never come back. All I know, is someone @ a business told me that, I would have realized I stepped over the line. We want customers to come back. Otherwise how do we get paid? It's all give and take. More give on our part, but they need to realize there are limits.

[steviededalus]

My Google-fu is strong: "Adverse Possession"

The idea is that if a piece of property is openly held by someone for a period of time, and they act like it is theirs long enough, and no one objects, they get to keep it. The two most common variations are "Homesteading" (where unowned land is settled and maintained for a period until it is claimed by those who have settled there) and "Squatter's Rights" (in which legally owned, but neglected or abandoned property is taken over by another party, for a long enough period of time that they can legitimately be said to be in control of it).

These are basic principles of land ownership. Of course, people who don't grok legalese have pretty much trampled the concept with the 'possession is 9/10ths' thing--it doesn't apply to anything other than land, and possession generally takes years, if not decades, to take hold.

Adverse possesion isn't wholly appropriate to the scenario under discussion for two main reasons:
1) Adverse possession claims require the trespass to last a long time, ranging from about 7 years in some Western states to 40 years in others. That's one really long picnic...
2) Almost every state requires that the trespass be under "color of title," meaning that the trespassor must actually believe that they have a legal right to the ownership or use of the land.

Trespass is the more appropriate legal doctrine in dealing with people on your land. Just call the cops on them and press charges.

Regarding people parking in your space:
For the guy with two spaces, you might try parking with your truck in half of both, if you can. That'll teach 'em.
Last year, when a guy parked in my space, I tried to have him towed. The property managers didn't help, because it was after hours. The cops said they don't handle that sort of thing. And the towing companies were really rude when I asked if they towed trespassing cars. In the end, the guy just left and I never saw his car again. Meh.

Regarding "possession is 9/10ths of the law:" The Straight Dope always has the answer. Mostly, it's just rhetoric.

[felixxkatt]

An alarming number of people have trouble telling the difference between "mine" and "not mine."

I had neighbors (since moved) who thought I was a bitch because I objected to the them parking in my driveway ("well, you weren't using it") and having picnics on my lawn ("my grass is too tall and you just mowed yours").

man, i have/had that problem with the neighbors kids behind our house... we finally put up a fence, and then the kids were sitting there WAILING and crying. (they range from 4-9) i told their parents at least a dozen times that we are remodelling and it is too dangerous for the kids to be in my yard with huge piles of loose rock and stone. (and my insurance would be happy to shoot through the roof to cover the liability, i'm sure). the parents always sounded sympathetic but the kids were ALWAYS in my freakin yard. i was mad at the kids and furious with the parents... obviously they were not watching their brats! and if one of them fell and bashed his head on the broken concrete slab in our yard, who would they blame, do you think???

[felixxkatt]

they were sprawled on the floor with their homework and shit everywhere, blocking traffic and generally being a nuisance. .

what skeezes me out more than the carpets at our branch of same store, is the "comfy chairs" we have... they smell like old farts and BO and yet people stake them out and sit in them ALL DAY LONG.... ew ew ew ew!

[B&NGoddess]

what skeezes me out more than the carpets at our branch of same store, is the "comfy chairs" we have... they smell like old farts and BO and yet people stake them out and sit in them ALL DAY LONG.... ew ew ew ew!

exactly. we have regular that comes in and paws at the rather pricey D&D or other comic book type things and then lowers himself into a chair for a few hours. he is so funky that we have to not only febreeze the crap (not literally, i hope) out of the chair, but return the books he's looked at.

[ArenaBoy]

Quoth Dips
An alarming number of people have trouble telling the difference between "mine" and "not mine."

I had neighbors (since moved) who thought I was a bitch because I objected to the them parking in my driveway ("well, you weren't using it") and having picnics on my lawn ("my grass is too tall and you just mowed yours").

Ugh, one of the reasons I am glad I don't live with my family anymore. I used to live right near our downtown (Two blocks away) and every summer around the 4th of July we would have this carnival and fireworks. The festivities brought out idiots parking IN my spot that I parked in for the duration that it was there. After 2 days of dealing with idiots for the first time ( I was 16 at the time). I took the liberty of buying a tire, used one of my swords and put it into a tree with the sword sticking through the tire with a sign saying: "This is what will happen when you park here. " Needless to say, I never had problems with that again.

[Gawdzillers]

Picnics on YOUR lawn?

Brownie points if you get the reference.

[Argabarga]

An alarming number of people have trouble telling the difference between "mine" and "not mine."

I had neighbors (since moved) who thought I was a bitch because I objected to the them parking in my driveway ("well, you weren't using it") and having picnics on my lawn ("my grass is too tall and you just mowed yours").

And every time I made them move, they would ask that same question your SCs did, "Where am I supposed to park/have my picnic?"

Why do they think we have to figure that out for them?

sounds like he needs to be put up at etiquette hell (www.etiquettehell.com)

[Jester]

I would've threatened shove the blanket someplace really painful.

The back seat of a Volkswagen?

[Spiffy McMoron]

The back seat of a Volkswagen?

Well played, good sir, well played.

Mallrats reference, for the win!

[OfficeSlug]

The one time, I parked there, they left a not stating that I will be towed next time.

THEY left a note on YOUR car because you were in HIS spot? How dare you visit your friend!!!!

/snorts

[Bluenomi]

THEY left a note on YOUR car because you were in HIS spot? How dare you visit your friend!!!!

/snorts

I was visiting a friend once who lives in an aprtment complex. I made sure I parked in a designated vistor parking spot while I was there. I came out to find my car covered in stickers saying 'You cannot park here, you will be towed' Mine wasn't the only car like that. Someone must have been cranky and covered all the cars they didn't think belonged there. Took me ages to get them off.

[Killer Bees]

An alarming number of people have trouble telling the difference between "mine" and "not mine."

I had neighbors (since moved) who thought I was a bitch because I objected to the them parking in my driveway ("well, you weren't using it") and having picnics on my lawn ("my grass is too tall and you just mowed yours").

And every time I made them move, they would ask that same question your SCs did, "Where am I supposed to park/have my picnic?"

Why do they think we have to figure that out for them?

I'm going through something like that myself. One of the guys in my apartment building has parked his boat in front of my garage door. I don't own a car and only use the garage for a laundry which I can access from a side door, but that's not the point.

He didn't even ask first. He came to me about a year ago and asked to use my garage which he would pay me for. But the garage door key is the same one I use to open my front door (I have a security screen in front of that) and I said no.

At the time, my friend was storing his wordly possessions in the garage, but he's since moved them out.

This neighbour has a car he's restoring in his garage and he parks his regular car in the yard out of the way of others. So he's either got too small a place or too much stuff.

I never see him and last time I spoke to him about noise he was making he was rude and nasty. So I think I'll just ring the landlord and let him sort it out.

Arrogant arsehole!