> Would this not be worse for independent coffee shops since you're taking up a seat to read, while the people that work employed by Starbucks couldn't possibly

> Would this not be worse for independent coffee shops since you're taking up a seat to read, while the people that work employed by Starbucks couldn't possibly care less what you were doing? this was just the first example I could think of for a type of business where the independently owned ones are more pleasant, but good question. my guess is that independent coffee places understand that being a pleasant place to hang out is a large part of their value-add and price it in appropriately, but who knows? I certainly agree there are some types of businesses where I don't really care. if I want to buy a stick of RAM in person, I want it today and I want to pay a competitive price. unless the employees are outright rude, there's not much they can do to improve or harm my experience.