A family put up a sign in a public beach. It's being called the 'dictionary example of entitlement'.

Picture this: the sun is finally out after a particularly nasty winter. You grab the kids, lather on some SPF, and swing by the local fish and chip shop before heading to the beach. 

Despite the busy beach, you miraculously spot a free picnic table in the distance. You high-five your partner and quickly bee-line toward the prime real estate, lest another beach-goer beat you to it.

With a sense of victory, you’re about to place your fish and chips on the table, when you notice a sign: the table is "reserved".

Do you shrug your shoulders and go set up camp on the sand? Or rip off the sign and take a seat? 

One of the signs in question. Image: Facebook/@Soph N Ros 

This is the scenario that unfolded at Sydney's Balmoral beach recently — on not one, but two picnic tables, mind you — and the majority of the public have shared the same reaction. 

After the signs, which read "Reserved 31/8 from 1pm", were shared on Facebook, one ropeable user commented: "That photo should be the dictionary example of entitlement".

Another added: "Better be sitting there 'reserving' the bench, otherwise first in best dressed".

Most commenters claimed they would simply remove the sign and take residence at the picnic table, with one adding that the sign owner should have had someone guarding the table "if they wanted it that bad".

There were also, um, more aggressive suggestions of where the culprits should put the sign, but we'll leave those up to your imagination.

Balmoral beach. Image: Getty

As a surprise to no one, there isn't any way to actually reserve a picnic table at Balmoral beach.

Now, while we don't know the intention behind the pseudo-reservation, a devil's advocate might say, 'Oh, give them a break. Maybe they just wanted to give their child the beach party of their dreams! It's not easy shepherding a bunch of kids around a beach.'

But that devil's advocate would most definitely be drowned out by the angry mob waving their metaphorical pitchforks in the comments. In fact, the closest the sign owner got to a sympathetic response was a message that read: "It depends on who comes first," implying that the sign owner was in the right "because they woke up early, got there and reserved it".

With that being said, some people did note that if the tables were being reserved for a wedding or an important event, they could let it slide.

A note to the culprit: next time, add "reserved for a wedding" to your sign, and beach-goers may nod their heads and walk away without furore. Or just book a table at Macca's.