When I'm in a non-chain coffee shop, I make sure to tip well and to make sure to keep an eye on how active the shop is. Plus, buy a coffee or a small thing to e

When I'm in a non-chain coffee shop, I make sure to tip well and to make sure to keep an eye on how active the shop is. Plus, buy a coffee or a small thing to eat every so often if I plan on being there for awhile. If it gets busy and its been a decent amount of time (30-45m-ish) since my last purchase, I'll just head out. The exception to this rule is the coffee place in my college's library; there's plenty of seating in the rest of the building. If I'm on a couch there, I tend to stay there until I'm done with whatever I'm working on.