Bad experiences at the gate?
 

Recently, I was sitting by my gate for my flight and had my laptop backpack on the seat next to me. There were a good number of empty seats nearby but one person decided to sit on my backpack without saying excuse me or asking me to move it? The fact that my computer costs around $1K and the bag containing other expensive tech. gadgets kind of pissed me off. Anyone have a similar experience with people taking your seat or sitting on your stuff that was next to you?

That’s happened to me enough times that I keep the bag between my feet and halfway under the seat if I’m in the terminal.

If I have lounge access it’s generally not an issue and there’s enough space around the seat to keep a bag out of the way.

Worst experiences I've had at the gate involved TSA. But that's just me.

Regardless of whether there were other empty seats or not, anyone can choose to sit anywhere they like in the departure gate (other than those reserved for handicapped and the elderly.) But, I wouldn't sit on someone else's luggage, laptop or not, without asking them to remove them first.
I kept my sad and departed expensive laptop half way under the seat (so that I could keep an eye on it and it didn't disappear from the back!) but the person seated next to me suddenly got up and stepped on the laptop.

Don't forget that there are vision-impaired people in the world who may not see a dark-colored bag sitting on a dark-colored chair.

I've gotta say that it annoys me when people put their bags on a seat designed for a person. Sure, there were empty seats available. However, I've seen situations where a person sits down, puts their carryon bag on the adjacent empty seat, then gets involved in reading (or zones out or whatever) and never moves the bag when the abundant empty seats get occupied and an actual human needs the seat.

That's no excuse for deliberately sitting on someone's bag, even if the bag is occupying a seat. I would not do that, even though in the privacy of my own mind I might think a certain person is a jerk for taking up a seat with an inanimate object, perhaps forcing others to stand.

I might, politely, say something like "Would you be so kind as to let me sit in that seat, seeing as how seating is scarce right now?".

cute impression.