Yes, I had forgotten about that! Well row 1s are for Ambassadors only, as everyone here should know. I like that row since if I use a laptop or MP3 player I don't want some wally crashing their seatback down on it for a "kip" on a 73 minute schlep to Dusseldorf.

But seriously I rarely have a problem since I use a floppy bag, which squeezes around any staff bags. Sometimes that causes an issue, for that unfathomable female staff shoe switch manoeuvre - the crew member opens the row 1 locker to get out their flatties and finds my 15 kg bag blocking off their rollaboard. A quick smile and an offer to assist then follows (though it's usually can't be taken up since this operation is often done before the seatbelt sign is extinguished).

But a bit of give and take, warm words and a smile or two, go a long way in my experience. Also, I tend to store across the aisle from my seat, so I can keep an eye on it, and that seems to cause fewer problems with space-hoggers. Incidentally, when staff bags are in row 1, the cabin crew are sometimes keeping them there for the arrival of row 1 passengers - then they get moved behind the captain's seat.