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[britmom]

I find that I'm far more productive working on my research in my local coffee shop than anywhere else. I'm on sabbatical this semester so I'm looking at spending a small fortune on coffee and food. Hence, my question...how long can you nurse a cup of coffee before you feel obliged to buy another?


I'll start: every 60-90 minutes. Right now I'm working in my coffee shop 3 or 4 times a week, usually from around 9.30 until 2pm. It looks like I'm spending around £25 (about $35) per week. Gulp. I better get a promotion on the back of this research or I'll be seriously out of pocket.

[wet_blanket]

Context dependent.  What kind of city are you in?  Is it a weekend day and are tables scarce? Does the place serve (exist, not serve you) primarily as a hangout location or as a work location?  One of my local coffee shops has a sign asking that people honor their one purchase minimum.  I have been known to take that quite literally.

In most of the places in Current Town, I would feel comfortable with two purchases in the time frame you mention, maybe a coffee on arrival and a cookie late morning.  This wouldn't fly in Old Town.

[tee_bee]

I think it depends on how busy the shop is. If it's bustling, and people are in and out, it's not a matter of buying--it's a matter of not camping out. For example the Starbucks on Conn. Avenue in DuPont Cir. in Washington DC is a madhouse nearly all the time--don't camp there, even if you can get a seat. On the other hand, the two coffee shops nearest me are both pretty slow, and do most of their business with the drive-thru window. Indeed, one--Caribou Coffee--is very big and sort of encourages a lot of hanging out and doesn't really seem to mind if you nurse a coffee for a long time.

There's a ranging debate on various web sites frequented by "knowledge workers" on the "ethics" of lingering in coffee shops. I think the best thing to do is assess the vibe, emulate what other good customers are doing, and be sensitive to any signs from the management about how much to buy and how long to linger. I will say that, compared to the denizens of my local coffee shop, your 9.30 to 2 schedule is a quick drop-in compared to theirs.

I agree with your frequency of buying things--and, at least back in the States, spending seven bucks a day (I assume a five day week) is really pretty good, I think.

ETA: wet_blanket covered a lot of this, much more succinctly!

[britmom]

Context dependent.  What kind of city are you in?  Is it a weekend day and are tables scarce? Does the place serve (exist, not serve you) primarily as a hangout location or as a work location?  One of my local coffee shops has a sign asking that people honor their one purchase minimum.  I have been known to take that quite literally.

In most of the places in Current Town, I would feel comfortable with two purchases in the time frame you mention, maybe a coffee on arrival and a cookie late morning.  This wouldn't fly in Old Town.

Hmm, good point. I'm in a suburb of a small-ish city (in the UK). I've never seen a 'one purchase minimum', although it wouldn't surprise me if that sort of thing exists in places like London and Manchester. There's definitely no limit on the numer of purchases.

As for availability of tables - it varies, depending on the time of day. It's usually busy between 11-12 and 3-4, but otherwise half full. It's unusual for someone to not be able to get a seat

It's mostly a hangout for retired people and mothers with young children, with the occasional academic/student turning up. It's a very middle class/non student-y area.

So far, I've bought 3 coffees and a toasted sandwich. I've been here 4 hours. I think that's more than respectable; perhaps I can get away with spending less.

On preview...tee bee - I'm usually here 3 days a week, working out at around $11 per day. Running total for today is £12.25 ($18) for 4.5 hours. I obviously spend more on the days when I stay over lunch time. On the plus side, their loyalty card gives you every 10th coffee free...

[wet_blanket]

On reflection, I rarely think about whether it's time to buy something else.  I think my natural hunger/thirst/food envy/coffee addiction result in appropriate "payment" for the table.

[scampster]

On reflection, I rarely think about whether it's time to buy something else.  I think my natural hunger/thirst/food envy/coffee addiction result in appropriate "payment" for the table.

Me too. And once you are a regular, it often evens out. If you are a total cheapskate, the staff will remember, but if you buy enough overall, then I'm sure they don't think much of it, as long as you aren't hogging a table during busy times.

A lot of places near me only give you the wireless code if you buy something and it lasts anywhere from 2-4 hours. So in some ways they are saying "You should buy something every 2/4 hours." While minorly annoying to have that dictated, it also takes the guilt off me.

I actually work quite well at coffee shops as well (and the pub!), but recently I have been forcing myself to work in my office or at home to save money and calories. I can't justify having one of those big delicious cookies every day.

But if I had to put a time on it, I would say that I average buying something every 60-90 minutes. I also mostly try and work at places with free coffee refills though.

[wanna_writemore]

This is what my purchasing would look like, given your 9:30-2 schedule: a medium or large coffee upon arrival, something edible around 11 or 11:30, whether a sandwich or something small on occasion, and another drink or a cookie later.  I guess that's around every 90-120 minutes.

[aldara]

Seconded on just picking up the vibe, and in my experience really good tipping fosters more goodwill than buying more stuff. Having a reputation for being a nice not-pain-in-the-ass customer helps.

[ejb_123]

I find this thread interesting. When I was working on my Master's degree, I never considered doing any work at a coffee shop. If I went any where besides to the library to work, I drove to the lake to work under a picnic shelter. I always seem to think better when I'm outside. During the snowy cold of deep winter, I went for long walks in order to think and then came back to my snug, warm apartment and worked on my thesis, etc.

[glowdart]

Seconded on just picking up the vibe, and in my experience really good tipping fosters more goodwill than buying more stuff. Having a reputation for being a nice not-pain-in-the-ass customer helps.

I agree entirely with aldara.  Vibe is important, tips are key, & don't hog the big tables. 

There was one place in grad school town where people hung out there all day working.  They had a sign which conveyed: "don't be a freeloader" in much more humorous terms.  I could only take so much of that place since it was really rather like being in the library (full of stressed out grad students sitting with laptops amid piles of books) and sometimes classes would come and meet there, too.  So, I used to rotate between coffee shops - sometimes a different place each day, but on my non-teaching days, I'd start at the above place, then move to the lunch & coffee place towards the end of the lunch rush and hang there through late afternoon, and then move to the dinner & coffee place.

[empyrean_aisles]

I've just come back from an afternoon working in a coffee shop, and this is the first post I see!

(now somebody give me a prize for not checking the fora while working at a coffee shop)

Here's my data point: I spent £5 for about 2.5 hours in this particular cafe (one drink and two bits of food) - £4.25 plus 75p tip. Big UK city. Not very busy, maybe half the tables occupied, and probably half of all the people had laptops.

[zuzu_]

Chime on the tips. Unless it's the owner or manager, they don't care what you BUY. Employees care what you TIP.

The other key factor to consider is whether other people want to use the table you're using. If you are preventing other customers from using the establishment, the employees will see you as diminishing their tips.

[eigen]

I usually only buy a cup of coffee all day when I work... But I tip nicely. All of my regular places, I know all or most of the workers, and they usually give me employee discounts on whatever I buy.

So yeah, a second on it's not how much you buy but how much you tip, usually.

But then, most people hang out for extended periods in the coffee shops around here, it's kind of expected.

[tuxedo_cat]

Seconded on just picking up the vibe, and in my experience really good tipping fosters more goodwill than buying more stuff. Having a reputation for being a nice not-pain-in-the-ass customer helps.

I agree entirely with aldara.  Vibe is important, tips are key, & don't hog the big tables. 

Exactly.  Which reminds me that I really need to remember to tip more!  Once the staff get to know you (I ask their names once I've been there a few times, and pick up my drink with a cheery, "Thanks, Cory!"), I think they really don't care, so long as you are thoughtful about your presence and how crowded it gets.  At my current hangout, I have made a point of buying an actual meal about only once a week -- fortunately the food is very good.

But it's struggle when you're really trying to watch your budget.  You can also look at it this way:  it's just a semester and being able to work continuously and productively is an enormous priority when you're on sabbatical.  Do the math for what this will add up to for the whole period and think:  "Is this a good investment for supporting the stability of my career?"

[collegekidsmom]

Sitting in a coffee shop right now working (OK, reading the fora too). I have a large drink and bought another drink in a bottle to take home. I do all my work in coffee shops. All of my best papers have been written in coffee shops. I can focus for some reason, and now it's a real habit. If I think of writing, I think of coffee shops. What I do is move around to different coffee shops-start with tea, get something to eat, go to other coffee shop just to make a change-get another drink. It seems productive and pathetic at the same time. I don't think I bother anyone because I come by often but don't really stay that long. If I saw there were no tables for other people, I would go-but that is almost never the case.