Cartoon: ‘Savesies’ versus ‘no-savesies’ as snow falls again in Philly

Snow is once again blanketing Philadelphia, so expect to hear police pushing their “no-savesies” campaign today.

In a uniquely Philadelphia tradition known as “savesies,” residents who spend time shoveling out their cars try to save their space using an inanimate object, most commonly a cone or a chair (though earlier this month, photographers at The Inquirer spotted everything from kids toys to trash cans in use).

“Savesies” goes way back. After a 2010 snow, a police spokesperson told The Inquirer: “Officially, you cannot put a chair, milk crate, your grandmother ... officially, it’s not your spot, and you can’t save it, officially.”

Officers have been trying to discourage “savesies” since at least 2014, an attempt to prevent the angry brawls and profane tirades that tend to erupt when someone tries to take ownership of a public parking spot. Technically, it’s illegal, and according to a snow etiquette guide recently written for The Inquirer, “savesies” are permitted only if “a person is seated in the chair and remains there without pee breaks until you return.”

To its credit, the Philadelphia Police Department has been pretty creative with its #NoSavesies campaign, taking to social media with fun memes and a light touch. My favorite is its parody of the opening of Netflix’s Stranger Things, appropriately changed to Savesies Things.

“We’re trying to approach people from all different angles,” Sgt. Eric Gripp, the police department’s social media director, told The Inquirer a few years back. “And also, hopefully, to show we’re like everyone. We have nerds in our ranks, too, like everywhere else.”

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