Family steal beachgoer's chairs when they go for lunch, protest when they call the police on them: 'We shouldn't have left it'

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Sep 18, 2026 9:15 AM EDT

Why did they just assume they could sit there?

The beach is a great day out and everything, but it has to be said that it can also be pretty impractical. The sand gets everywhere long after you've left, and there is the dilemma of where to go to the bathroom. You've got to make sure you have, at minimum, decent sun protection and hydration with you, and if you want to leave and come back again, you have to decide whether you are going to pack up every last thing or leave it there and risk somebody taking an interest in your stuff.

Of course, the stress is worth it for the magic of enjoying some time by the sea. You just have to be aware of your surroundings and make sure you have a backup plan if things don't go the way you planned them. It is no fun to have a beach day ruined just because of some impracticalities or the unnecessary actions of others. While some annoyances are unavoidable, some can be swiftly dealt with and allow you to keep on enjoying your time as you should be able to. It is important to take action.

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  • A man sitting on a beach chair and wearing a hat reaches into a cooler.
    via Fellipe Ditadi (Unsplash+)

    A man sitting on a beach chair and wearing a hat reaches into a cooler. Actor performance of story events.
     

  • Some friends were enjoying a beach day, and they set up chairs and an umbrella on the beach near their house. As the beach wasn't very busy and home was close by, they would often leave the chairs unattended so that they could go for lunch and come back.

    However, when they did this recently, they returned to their chairs to find a family had sat in their spot and were taking drinks from their cooler. They got hostile when confronted and told them to call the police. One of the friends complied, and while they got their chairs back, neither the family nor the other friends were happy.

  • Am I wrong for calling the cops on a family that was using the chairs and umbrellas I left on the beach?

    I'm staying with friends at the beach and since it's technically the off season, the beach we are at is barren, if you look up and down this 10 mile street of beach, this is maybe a dozen people at most on the beach. That combined with the fact that the house we are at is only a 5 minute walk from the beach means we've been setting up our chairs and umbrellas in the mid morning and often leaving them unattended as we go for lunch.
    via Snazzle-Frazzle
  • This time around we came back from lunch at the house and found a family sitting in our chairs and even drinking the sodas that were in the cooler we left. My friends were dumbfounded but I was not having it so I went straight down and asked them what they thought they were doing. They were acting all coy and saying that they thought the chairs were abandoned. I
    via Snazzle-Frazzle
  • told them no, it wasn't and to get out. That's when they dropped the coy routine and got snarly, telling me if we didn't want it taken, we shouldn't have left it and if we don't like it, we can call the cops. I told them alright, if that's what they wanted and walked off.
    via Snazzle-Frazzle

  • The friends didn't feel it was worth escalating.

    My friends were telling me to just drop it as I was calling the cops and I could tell the dispatcher was rolling their eyes and I was on the phone with her, but sure enough after 20 minutes police rolled up the beach access I pointed the family out to them on the empty beach and followed the officer. At first they told the cop the stuff was theirs but
    via Snazzle-Frazzle
  • then I pointed out my name was written on the back of my chair. I would have been content with the cop just having them give us our stuff back, but since they lied to the cop, he ended up writing them all tickets. Now they are all mean mugging us from the balcony of their house two down from ours and my friends are still saying I shouldn't have
    via Snazzle-Frazzle
  • made a scene. I didn't have any intention of the cop giving them citations, I'm not pressed about the cost of the stuff, for me it was just the principle of someone stealing something and then actually going "finders keepers" when the owner tries to get it back.
    via Snazzle-Frazzle
  • Two people relaxing in folding chairs on the beach, looking at the sea.
    via Ezequiel Garrido

    Two people relaxing in folding chairs on the beach, looking at the sea. Photo is a representation of scenes.
     

  • Technically, they were stealing.

    ACTSATGuyonReddit They were trying to steal your stuff. You did nothing wrong. Don't leave your stuff unattended.
    via ACTSATGuyonReddit
  • kindofan sshole17 NTA. They 100% knew they were in the wrong. Just using the chairs would be one thing, but they took drinks out of your cooler!? Trashy!
    via kindofansshole17
  • pokederp56 NTA. So your friends were ok with them just using your stuff and drinking your beverages until...what? They got tired? What if they had just stolen the stuff and taken it home while you weren't there?
    via pokederp56
  • They called your bluff on the police, and they were the ones who lied to them in the first place. Could you have asked nicely? Yeah. But as soon as they claimed your stuff was theirs, all bets were off.
    via pokederp56

  • They weren't respecting the etiquette.

    Own-Ad-28 People leave beach stuff unattended all the time. NTA. You gave them a chance to leave without a fuss. The tickets are 100 percent their fault. They are dishonest people. If they give more issues, call the police again. Apparently they are slow learners.
    via Own-Ad-28
  • Mohitosan NTA. Leaving your chairs unattended doesn't magically transfer ownership to whoever happens to sit in them, especially when you came back, identified yourself as the owner, and explicitly asked them to leave.
    via Mohitosan_
  • The fact that they were drinking your sodas and then lied to the cop makes the " we thought it was abandoned" defense pretty weak
    via Mohitosan_

  • They could've brought a picnic instead.

    Cygnata ESH. You for just leaving the stuff there unattended, them for just taking it. Next time, bring lunch with you.
    via Cygnata
  • desertboots ESH because consequences to your car might outweigh scoring a point. Your friends LIVE there. They have to deal with this. You were a bad guest. The idiots deserved tickets. Two wrongs don't make a right.
    via desertboots
  • Equivalent-Apple-313 ESH Them obviously for lying, stealing your pop and refusing to move when you came back for your stuff. But you and your friends for leaving your clutter on a public beach.
    via Equivalent-Apple-313

  • They were asking for trouble.

    AshamedResolution544 NTA, yes, you take a chance but really? taking the drinks and outright lying. They started the fight and don't forget, invited you to call the cops. Good for standing up to bullys. Cop wrote them tickets so you were even more justified. Who cares if they're giving you the eye.
    via AshamedRevolution544

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chairs friends beach entitled people
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