4 ms·

As a cafe customer however it's irritating that you're taking up space for someone who'd like to sit down and drink their coffee. Or to put it another way: you

As a cafe customer however it's irritating that you're taking up space for someone who'd like to sit down and drink their coffee. Or to put it another way: you're saving yourself money but (potentially) at the expense of the cafe owner who loses walk-in customers b/c his place is filled with barely-paying squatters.

sleepychu 8y ago
I often use a cafe which is focused on playing tabletop games etc. Food/drink is extremely overpriced but with the understanding that you're really buying time and they just have a "don't be a dick" rule that you really ought to be buying something ~once/hr
- cuu508 8y ago
  > buying something ~once/hr what do you buy? 8 lattes or 8 pastries a day, every day, doesn't sound healthy...
muzani 8y ago
Cafes like Starbucks were designed for squatting though. It's not like coffee was meant to be that expensive; it includes rent.
dotdi 8y ago
I completely agree with you, so what I do is to find cafes that are not very popular which is probably a win-win: I hate sitting in packed cafes and the smaller cafe sells some more coffee+snacks by doubling as my office.
codazoda 8y ago
Not sure I get the argument. Cafe owners seem to be looking for the types that come in regularly, spend a lot, and stay a while. Why else offer WiFi at all? Turn off public WiFi and this customer type will go elsewhere.
htkibar 8y ago
Not entirely. The guys is a frequenter which means recurring revenue, and making the cafe look lively is something that gives it social proof. If the place has such a problem, they can mitigate it ofc. For example, you can limit the chargers for example (or arrange tables in a fashion that would limit it). Then the amount of squatters would be limited. Also, as another commenter said, you can just turn the wifi down (or limit the time). You can even charge for the wifi.
- PakG1 8y ago
  Limiting the power outlets used to be effective until laptops started getting USB Type C. Now everyone can just bring a power bank to charge their laptop, right? Charging for the Wi-Fi would probably have a greater effect, plus additional revenue stream, but then would this negatively impact the experience of other more casually sitting customers. I would be curious to see the coffee purchase numbers for a working squatter vs other customers. If someone sits in a coffee shop for 6 to 10 hours a day, I can't imagine them buying only one coffee. People can get thirsty throughout the day. And if they get hungry too, well, that's additional revenue if the working squatter doesn't want to lose their spot just because they went for lunch. Or maybe they're on a roll, and can't afford to risk breaking their zone by going to a restaurant. To determine whether the working squatter has a higher or lower sales per hour number would probably also depend on the cafe's sitting customer turnover per hour.
yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
Naturally this will devolve into an argument over an apples-to-oranges comparison. Some cafés are usually busy, and there is social pressure to not be taking up space for other paying customers. Some cafés are not very busy, and having some remote workers inside will at least make it look like a functioning business, attracting other paying customers. It’s up to the remote worker to use some discretion in assessing the situation of the café they’re frequenting.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
ndnxhs 8y ago
I have heard libraries are the perfect working places for when you want to get out of the house. You don't have the pressure to keep buying stuff and they usually have plenty of space.
- Kurtz79 8y ago
  I have always used libraries to study at university and they would be my first approximation for working remotely, if I ever do it. Free, silent, no pressure for buying a coffee or having to leave your spot for other people.
eeZah7Ux 8y ago
"irritating"? Cafe owners are free to allow laptop users or ask people to stay for a short time.

sleepychu 8y ago

I often use a cafe which is focused on playing tabletop games etc. Food/drink is extremely overpriced but with the understanding that you're really buying time and they just have a "don't be a dick" rule that you really ought to be buying something ~once/hr

cuu508 8y ago
> buying something ~once/hr what do you buy? 8 lattes or 8 pastries a day, every day, doesn't sound healthy...

muzani 8y ago

Cafes like Starbucks were designed for squatting though. It's not like coffee was meant to be that expensive; it includes rent.

dotdi 8y ago

I completely agree with you, so what I do is to find cafes that are not very popular which is probably a win-win: I hate sitting in packed cafes and the smaller cafe sells some more coffee+snacks by doubling as my office.

codazoda 8y ago

Not sure I get the argument. Cafe owners seem to be looking for the types that come in regularly, spend a lot, and stay a while. Why else offer WiFi at all? Turn off public WiFi and this customer type will go elsewhere.

htkibar 8y ago

Not entirely. The guys is a frequenter which means recurring revenue, and making the cafe look lively is something that gives it social proof. If the place has such a problem, they can mitigate it ofc. For example, you can limit the chargers for example (or arrange tables in a fashion that would limit it). Then the amount of squatters would be limited. Also, as another commenter said, you can just turn the wifi down (or limit the time). You can even charge for the wifi.

PakG1 8y ago
Limiting the power outlets used to be effective until laptops started getting USB Type C. Now everyone can just bring a power bank to charge their laptop, right? Charging for the Wi-Fi would probably have a greater effect, plus additional revenue stream, but then would this negatively impact the experience of other more casually sitting customers. I would be curious to see the coffee purchase numbers for a working squatter vs other customers. If someone sits in a coffee shop for 6 to 10 hours a day, I can't imagine them buying only one coffee. People can get thirsty throughout the day. And if they get hungry too, well, that's additional revenue if the working squatter doesn't want to lose their spot just because they went for lunch. Or maybe they're on a roll, and can't afford to risk breaking their zone by going to a restaurant. To determine whether the working squatter has a higher or lower sales per hour number would probably also depend on the cafe's sitting customer turnover per hour.

yakshaving_jgt 8y ago

Naturally this will devolve into an argument over an apples-to-oranges comparison. Some cafés are usually busy, and there is social pressure to not be taking up space for other paying customers. Some cafés are not very busy, and having some remote workers inside will at least make it look like a functioning business, attracting other paying customers. It’s up to the remote worker to use some discretion in assessing the situation of the café they’re frequenting.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

ndnxhs 8y ago

I have heard libraries are the perfect working places for when you want to get out of the house. You don't have the pressure to keep buying stuff and they usually have plenty of space.

Kurtz79 8y ago
I have always used libraries to study at university and they would be my first approximation for working remotely, if I ever do it. Free, silent, no pressure for buying a coffee or having to leave your spot for other people.

eeZah7Ux 8y ago

"irritating"? Cafe owners are free to allow laptop users or ask people to stay for a short time.