The Wall Street Journal’s Erica Alini reports that tough economic times are putting the squeeze on laptop users who make their local coffee shop a preferred workspace:
[I]n a growing number of small coffee shops, firm restrictions on laptop use have been imposed and electric outlets have been locked. The laptop backlash may predate the recession, but the recession clearly has accelerated it.
In response, Jay Hathaway, of The Download Squad asks “Are coffee shops really cutting off laptop users?” An overwhelming percentage of the respondents to Hathaway’s poll say “No.” Perhaps the WSJ article is much ado about nothing.
Still, it’s worth considering the economic impact of the habits that such apparently rare policies are meant to forbid. It’s a question that those of us who live and work in college towns should be especially concerned with.
College towns are known for their coffee shops, and many independent coffee shops have thrived mostly because of their proximity to a higher ed campus. However, what happens to the bottom line if all the seats are filled with customers less interested in spending money than in finding convenient Internet access and a break from the library or office? You may not think twice about the impact of your actions on a seemingly faceless corporate-owned business, but how do you feel about supporting–or not–the locally-owned, independent places that are an integral part of your campus community?
Is it unethical to take advantage of free wifi for hours at a time without buying more than–say–a $4 latte?
[Image by flickr user tombothetominator, CC-licensed.]
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13 Responses to The coffee shop as workspace
Nels - August 12, 2009 at 6:36 pm
You know what bugs me? The people who don’t even spend the $4. I was at Starbucks in Avon the other day, and a guy came in with his laptop and sat down to start working. He bought nothing. Whenever I’m in NYC, I always spend time at the Astor Place Starbucks, and half the crowd there hasn’t bought a thing, often waiting for someone else to arrive but taking up seats for a good twenty minutes.
And if you know of any independent coffee places near your school, Jason, let me know. I don’t know of any near me, but I’d drive down toward you for a good one.
Nels - August 12, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Oops, for some reason, I thought Jason wrote this. Sorry!
George Williams - August 12, 2009 at 7:35 pm
That’s okay, Nels. We get that all the time, given how much we look alike:
George
Jason
I know, right? …uncanny.
Mandy Jansen - August 12, 2009 at 7:48 pm
I look at buying coffee (and a snack, sometimes) at a cafe as paying a bit of rent. The question for me is — how much time did I pay for? I think it’s unacceptable to buy nothing and use the space / wifi, but I don’t know when I’ve stayed past my welcome.
Brian Croxall - August 12, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I have a hard time working in coffee shops because I prefer my work environments to be silent. (I’ve been known to put in ear plugs while in my office on a Saturday because my computer’s fan is too loud.) However, I’m trying to get more accustomed to this given my work schedule this year (which involves teaching at a school two hours from where I live and I won’t go in to the office three times a week).
But my feeling is that one should absolutely buy something at the shop. I’ll have to think about a formula for determining when one needs to purchase a second (third, fourth) item.
Julie Meloni - August 12, 2009 at 8:25 pm
I actually have a formula: 2 hours per custom drink. That’s the easy version. Custom drink is basically anything that’s not simply coffee or tea. If it’s just coffee or tea, which often comes with refills at a discounted price, then I buy a pastry or something. Basically, if I know I’m going to hunker down for 4-6 hours, I plan to spend $8-12 for the privilege. I don’t feel bad if I’m there and have been for some time and other people want a spot, as long as I’m continually contributing to the cash flow. Then again, I’m not the kind of person who would be comfortable taking up a big table for 4 in the middle of a crowded place, and I probably wouldn’t be in there anyway if it was that busy. I guess bottom line is that I am conscious of paying my way, such that I actually think about it enough to write a comment…
George Williams - August 12, 2009 at 9:06 pm
When I lived in Kansas City, my preferred spot to get coffee and read or write was Muddy’s, right across the street from campus. In fact, one of my colleagues used to hold at least a portion of his office hours there.
There was, for a time, an issue with younger people–mostly high school students, I think–hanging out, talking with their friends, and smoking up a storm (such that one smelled like an ashtray after even a brief visit there) but not buying anything.
Amazingly, once smoking was banned, that problem disappeared.
I never developed a formula like Julie’s, but I think hers sounds about right:
Sure, your average Starbucks can afford to absorb the hit from a 6-hour WiFi user who only spends $2 on a regular cup of coffee, but the local independents are hard-pressed to do the same.
How tough is the coffee house biz, lately? Speaking from personal experience, I’ve only lived here in Spartanburg, SC for a little over 3 years, and in that time I’ve seen 3 independents and 1 Starbucks go out of business.
My current spot is the always awesome Little River Roasting Company.
I’m curious: have others noticed a trend in coffee houses having a tough time making ends meet?
Drew - August 12, 2009 at 10:34 pm
I am a big fan of studying at coffee shops, it works for me. Recently Barnes and Noble announced that their Wi-Fi access is free, but it never works. No dice.
Underground Coffee in Greenville just seems to have an anti-laptop vibe to it, they restrict usage to two hours, and it seems like a better hang out than study spot.
Other than Coffee Underground, I have never seen anyone enforce laptop regulations, and I hope it stays that way.
I say Atlanta Bread Company has it right, they have a login code that is printed on your receipt which guarantee that you buy something.
George Williams - August 13, 2009 at 8:26 am
The link was wonky, at first, so I fixed it for ya, Jeff.
George Williams - August 13, 2009 at 8:42 am
I love Coffee Underground, Drew, and I didn’t realize they had a 2-hour limit to wifi use.
And you’re right about Atlanta Bread Company’s approach: it’s smart to make it impossible to log onto the network without getting a receipt for a purchase.
I’d hate to see coffee houses adopt increasingly draconian rules and elaborate systems for using their networks, but I’d hate even more to see them start going out of business–or continue to go out of business, as they have been in Spartanburg.
Having said that, the geek in me wonders how hard it would be to develop a system that rewards larger (coffee | sandwich | booze ) purchases with longer WiFi times.
Hmm…
jmcclurken - August 13, 2009 at 7:31 am
I completed much of my revisions to my book manuscript while sitting in a Caribou Coffee near my house. Free wifi, and free refills on drip coffee. However, I usually bought food as well throughout the 6-8 hours a day I would work there.
However, the place was rarely full during the weekday times that I was there and so I never felt guilty if I didn’t buy anything more than my initial coffee or tea. [I did put the manager and assistant in the acknowledgments to the book. Does that count for something? ]
jeffmcclurken - August 13, 2009 at 7:34 am
That would be Caribou Coffee I was referring to until I messed up the link….
Michael Willits - August 14, 2009 at 11:10 am
In one sense, wifi has become overhead lighting; that is, we expect that it’ll be there, and we’d balk if we were. charged for the privilege of well-lit spaces. In fact, we’d likely just stop frequenting an establishment that charged for such a basic utility. Is wifi that far off from being such a basic utility, part of the ever-growing costs of doing business? One can imagine the day when the electric lamp was viewed as a luxury business expense. Why pay for electric lamps when candles are cheap? Besides, if a business isn’t open past dark, there’s little need for additional hours of illumination. However, perhaps like electric lighting, the significant profit to be made by an otherwise small business investment likely drove many businesses to suck it up and take the hit on their bottom line. Or, pass along the cost to their customers. Either way, here we are today debating our expectation of free wifi… that it should just be there — like lighting.
However, the temptation to jump on the local coffee shop’s wifi is dangerous when we forget that the wifi, no matter how convenient, is there to bring us in to the shop to buy things. It’s there to make the experience more pleasant for us, especially if the competition down the street hasn’t yet boarded the clue train.