Going during non-peak hours, not buying anything and using laptop = questionable.

Going during peak hours, not buying anything and using laptop = dickish.

@Bioengineered Smoothie: That is a great idea. Such as one of my comments about how in Europe, particually France, you get a key code on your receipt which you input into the bathroom key lock to use the restroom. I bet the owner's could print out a key code on the receipt and this could be inputted into a keypad on their webportal limiting use to an hour.

@pecan 3.14159265: "especially if you have a lot of students as clientele." And since when do students have any discernable cash? LOL.

@LeChiffre: Oh i mean, Amen brutha man. I can't tell from you name. LOL.

@Principia: "Anyway, I'm not sure that it's how you meant to come off, but you sound like you have some serious entitlement issues." Amen sista!

@karmaghost: I was in Earl's Court, London, back in '07 and it was the same way. My access to wi-fi at a Starbucks cost me 20 pounds for 24 hours. However I did find a local wi-fi shop that offered internet access for 2 pounds all day. That is probably gone these days.

@cabjf: I am the same way. And to be honest, only in the United States that we have culture of allowing customers to sit and order nothing AND to use the restrooms for free also. We have been spoiled into thinking that as customer's that we have a right to do as we please. This attitude began in the early 80s and as of 2000, it got really bad. Anytime that you step into a business, you're costing them money either in direct or indirect expenses. I try to limit my time on my pc at Panera's based on what I buy but usually no more than an hour, 90 minutes tops. In Europe, you have to buy something such as at a restaurant. On your receipt you'll get a 5 to 7 digit code and you enter this into the key lock to enter the bathroom. I don't blame them because using a restroom adds up in cost. And as many times that I have watched non-paying customer's at Panera, KFC, and bookstores take up space and time, I am certain that this has added unnecessary costs to their bottom-line.

@EinhornIsAMan!: Did you not understand my point, or are you unable to respond to it in a mature manner?

Sometimes we reserve the few big tables for non-laptop users to eat lunch. We have lots of small tables and a counter (all with outlets) for them to use.

No one's complained yet.

Picture a half circle and then that half circle divided in half. There is a barrier that keeps both sides apart as far as the seat goes but the table is shared by both.

I have met many people and have had numerous interesting conversations eating there. I get the occasional person that doesn't want to converse and I just leave them alone but for the most part the people I have met there are pleasant.

The cost of all of the above is paid for by the store without receiving anything back.

Nothing and if the company that supplies that sandwich says you should move, guess what? It's a private company that can tell you what to do as long as it's not in violation of your rights and since you aptly stated that you have no rights to a table. I think you understand where this is going.

@EinhornIsAMan!: Yes the people sitting there all day are the "elitists" the ones who go in to sit for 5 mins relax and then leave are the average people who want nothing to do with the elitists cafe patrons.

A private business wants money it's not a place for people to freeload sucking up electricity and wifi bandwidth while others, who are often paying more in a shorter time thus more profitable, want to enjoy the atmosphere as well as the amenities.

The people who hoarde the seats/tables/outlets all day do so by buying the cheapest possible items - and sometimes even ask for a cup so they can drink the free water.

It's beyond a joke. Cafe's provide seats and stuff, yeah. But if you're one of the people mentioned in the article...go back to your mothers basement - or go back to your office! - instead of living in a cafe and being cheap about it :)

Anytime I use free wifi at a coffee shop, I always have a constant stream of cash flowing their way, even if it's just an extra drink or two.

"I think that you're the type to go into an entitled huff whenever you can't find a seat into which to wedge your precious butt"

Well, when he buys a drink, and wants to sit down for a few minutes he has the right to be pissed off at the people who have overstayed their welcome, sitting there all day on their laptops after having bought one drink.

Elitist? Are you really that stupid? He never made a claim to any seat. Furthermore, being able to afford it is immaterial. If you can't afford to buy more than one $2 drink in a 5 hour period, you can't afford to take up valuable space in a private business. When you do that you're taking up prime real estate. Please, explain how it is elitist or entitled to expect people to purchase a reasonable amount to justify their being their for 5 hours. If anything, the people who think they can sit there for 5 hours with a $2 drink are the entitled elitists, not skankingmike, who recognizes that he is in a private establishment, not a business, and is not a selfish pig.

@pax: It would be kind of nice if the library sold coffee.

I say kudos to the shop owner. I say install cell jammers too and promote yourself as a douchebag-free zone.

That's another way to look down on the guy in "your" seat, right? Because clearly you're better -- and therefore richer -- than him, so while you can afford to buy crap all day long, he obviously can't...

Here's a simpler version that's less open to misinterpretation -- I think that you're the type to go into an entitled huff whenever you can't find a seat into which to wedge your precious butt, and will blame squatters, illegal immigrants, a board with a nail in it, or whatever as a result of your complex. (In fact, I'll bet you get upset when you do find a seat, but you notice that someone else has a "better" one.) Is that clear enough?

If you buy a lot of items from them throughout the day then by all means park your butt in a chair and do all your work.

If you're in that need of space or wifi then might I suggest a 3g card for your laptop or rent a small office space with others?

You're quite naive aren't you?

The reason people offer free anything is to entice you to buy more. But when people start not buying more or in fact buy little to nothing yet still partake in whatever offering is free, then they cease being good customers and start becoming bad. hence the removal of them from that place.

That concludes your lesson in Business Basics 101

I generally avoid lunch time, and when the shop starts to get crowded with non-studiers, or it's lunch or something, I pack up, take a walk, and come back in 30-45 minutes. And I buy another 2 dollar iced tea.

It's pretty nice, it gets used for lots of things, like LUG's, meetup meetings, and yes, business meetings. Oh yeah, and the cost to reserve the room is an absurd amount of zero. That's right, it's free, you just gotta reserve it on an available date and it's yours.

That cafe is the best thing about this dilapidated town I live in.

and renting the key for recharges.

this story really makes me wish i could afford to rent some of the empty space in one of the local half emtpy strip malls, lay out some tables and chair, coffee machines, set up some internet and sell daily passes. all you can drink bad coffee if you make it yourself for like $10 a day or something.

@friendlynerd: First time I went to europe many did this anyways. I thought it was weird but found it interesting to have random college age girls sit at my table and speak in a language I didn't understand to each other. I really didn't care as long as it was adults. I'd be ticked if someone with kids did it though. Kids are annoying.

I must really be an anomaly then. I feel guilty stopping at McDonald's or Dunkin Donuts to use the restroom without buying something.

@JulesNoctambule: It seems like maybe the high school and college kids are just not the type of people they want in their cafe at all, then, which is pretty snobby of them. Why should my money be worth less to them than a business guy in a suit?

@JulesNoctambule: They're buying coffee but they're not considered customers?

I also love eating outside, weather permitting. Especially with a nice spring breeze blowing.

I understand though. New York is really fucking expensive. Most people, especially younger people, can't afford large apartments in the city. For most people I know who live there who are my age (mid 20s) and not wealthy, their apartments are basically a bed, a sofa with a TV, a kitchen and a bathroom. Most of your living in a place like NYC, I would argue, is done outside the home-parks, libraries, coffee shops, bookstores, malls, etc.

On Monday I actually went to a pretty large library in town that I'd never been to before, probably the second largest library in the Portland Metro area, and it was so silent, even for an enormous building. It was almost eerie.

Point being, I love my local libraries. And they always have little conference rooms or segregated desks for students to work.

I'd rarely shared tables at coffeeshops before moving to New York City. It really is a great way to meet the people in one's community.

@Red-headed bookworm: My MIL is one of those, you have to sit and talk for an hour or two after you eat even if you came in to eat 1/2 hour before closing time. I eat out with her as little as possible.

@italianscallion33:

It could be done really simple, wifi connection redirects all traffic to a web page where you enter the code from the bottom of the receipt and then you can use it for a certain amount of time. No additional hardware just a software proxy.
I've once or twice needed a connection so I just drove into the parking lot of some place with free wifi, connected, found what I needed and drove off, having to input a code from the recipt would prevent that as well.
Just don't do like starbucks and make it part of a crap company like AT&T

Happens in other places too. We went in Panera bread one day and when I went to get a high chair there was a plug strip with 4 laptops plugged in going right through the high chair. When I reached to unplug the plug strip to get it out of the high chair three of the four users jumped up to stop me, they must not have had enough battery life to survive the 5 seconds it would have taken me to un-rude their cords.
Even without laptops people are still rude, try taking your family of 4 in a place for lunch, looking around and seeing all the tables for 4 taken by one person each and all the tables for two are empty so you have to put your 4 around a tiny table.

and there are a lot of people who go into places (at where I work especially) and they spend 0 dollars and sit there all day long. We don't' even have free wifi but we have desk space so that = interviews and meetings.

hell we even have a guy that comes in with his own printer. hows that for a freeloader?

All I ever want to do is sit down with my toddler and enjoy a couple of muffins, but I don't even bother buying the food because there's no where to sit. We head into the attached Nordstrom and eat in their (more expensive, dammit) cafe instead.

I'm not saying they should stop this, if those students are good customers then so be it. But I do understand the sentiments of the coffee shop owner in the article.

Judgmental much? I doubt most of these people are hanging out in a coffee shop playing World of Dorkcraft instead of eating dinner at home with their families. They are probably students or people who work from home/have flexible bosses and choose a coffee shop because it is convenient, offers coffee and snacks, has comfortable chairs, and is a good change of pace.

Me!

It wasn't right then, and it's not right, now. Little freebies for paying customers ... i.e. the wi-fi in coffee shops and the condiments at Automat ... are exactly that, freebies in exchange for business, to be used accordingly. They are not "entitlements" for people who don't want to pay their fair share.

As an IT consultant, I can tell you that the "'free' wi-fi" offered by coffee shops, is NOT "free" to the shop! They pay an ISP for the Internet service, and they paid for and must maintain the access points, proxy servers, etc. Although most of the costs are fixed and don't depend on usage, not all are; some have metered charges from their ISPs, or they may pay a premium if throughput goes above a certain level; the more active users on their network, the greater the chance it can be compromised, which can cost them time or money or both; and so on.

I think all that's needed are some nice signs easily visible from every seat that say "During peak hours, please be courteous to guests who are waiting for a table." You wouldn't even have to put "laptop users" in there. Granted, you can't make everyone feel guilty but it might work on some.

Also, places could add more outdoor seating. Wouldn't help in places with cold winters, but it'd help during summer. I LOVE eating outside if I'm not using my laptop.

Also, the first chain to do this would probably lose business to the chains who do not. So I don't think any chains would run at this idea.

As a corollary, sometimes when there's nowhere else to sit at a place like Chipotle, I go into a giant booth. Then a family comes along, and they're like "Move you selfish asshole." Yeah, because I really have that much of a sense of entitlement. I always unequivocally refuse to move in the middle of a meal (COME ON-IN THE MIDDLE OF A MEAL), but I always say "This table easily accommodates 6. I'm one person, you guys are 4. I won't move but you are welcome to sit at this table." I think that's a perfectly reasonable response

The same happened with the big Border's in Chicago. It wasn't the doing of bourgeois entitled freeloaders, but homeless people basically hanging out and taking naps all day in the bookstore. That combined with people who are actually looking for books but sitting there all day, what an unsustainable business model. And disgusting on more than one level

I went to a private college subsidized by the state government-so by law their libraries had to be open to the public. So imagine my surprise when I left the public library in horror, and realized that I needed a student ID to get into the Georgetown or GWU library. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

OTOH, you go to the student union, or a coffee shop, and I find there is so much conversation that it all blurs together and becomes nondistracting white noise. My parents think I'm crazy, but it's so true

@tomok97: Or two Starbucks stores across the street from eachother! And then some comedian could come along and make a joke about it and tell me that the End of the Universe is in my home town of Houston, Tx!

I can't even imagine the privileged background people who complain have, put a cork in your bourgeois bitching.

Just like sure, you can sit around browsing for books at Barnes and Noble for 5 hours. People always get defensive and say the store encourages sitting around and relaxing and reading. That's not the point. Using a bookstore as your own private library is an abuse of resources provided for paying customers. It's not your right, it's a benefit given to you by the company's policy. If I stay at a bookstore for five hours (which I've done) I at least buy a couple of books/drinks

(btw, Rogue, I'm truly impressed -- I can't imagine the effort it takes to find that comment ambiguous. Bravo.)

@kevinhall: It's not the laptop that's the problem, it's the space that the person is taking up because they've got their laptop there and don't need to move for anyone else. It's the fact that they're sitting there for hours without any care as to how they're taking up space that paying customers could be using.

You're not "entitled" to a table by any law-restaurants can change their policies whenever they want, and I wouldn't be surprised if they did because of selfish assholes like you. I don't gulp my coffee and run out the door either. I sit around on my laptop, read the paper, a good book, do some work for anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. But I don't for a second pretend it's my God given right to sit there all day without maybe buying another drink

One of the guys I'm convinced he was kicked out of his house or something, because he leaves behind toenail clippings and shaves in the bathrooms, and has an odd smell and wears the same outfit every day.

I'm so tired of these people.

Look, go in the afternoon and sit all you want. If you go at lunch and there are no tables, and people are standing around with no place to sit, and you've finished and still on your laptop, then you're the selfish, entitled douche.

I would have approached them and said that they were welcome to reserve spaces for seminars (depending on the restaurant's policy). I also would've called the highest higher ups and politely documented what happened and suggesting reserving a space in the future. If it gets people in trouble after they've been warned, too bad. Might get through, might not, but it's worth exploring avenues.

And none of the "they're customers engaging with other customers" bullshit. Even if they don't bring outside food, a private business has every right to regulate the assembly of its patrons-it's quite obvious that holding large meetings without some sort of reservation with the restaurant is selfish, cheap, and disruptive

In the NYPL, I tried to get in some quiet reading and two homeless men started arguing about the existence of God, and quickly escalated to a shoving match that almost knocked me & another reader over. It's an amusing NYC moment, but I don't like my library visits to be a full contact sport.

Coffee shops tend to have lower incidences of these things.

@JulesNoctambule: I've done that more than once. People who are just honestly trying to get work done on their laptops don't seem to mind. The freeloaders are the ones who give you dirty looks, as though you're invading their *private* space.

@pecan 3.14159265: I got a great deal of the reading for my dissertation done at a coffee shop at my university. This was in 1997, so the issue wasn't about wi-fi, but I always made sure I scraped enough change out of the couch to at least be able to buy a salad and tea while there, given that I was going to be taking up the better part of a huge table for several hours. But I also specifically went during off-peak hours (2-5 pm) so as to avoid the rush.

I can't IMAGINE going into a place that serves food and hogging their wi-fi, and tables, for hours without ordering. That's just crazy.

I can see people circumventing this by asking other people for the current password, but then you can refuse service to someone giving away your service.

Just make sure to post the rules where de peoples can sees dem.

@cabjf: I always felt it was very rude to sit for longer than a few minutes without buying something, and certainly inconsiderate to sit for hours through a meal rush. Coffee shops are for-profit businesses, not libraries.

For one thing people use laptops for many purposes. They may be working, writing a letter to a relative, reading the newspaper that is no longer printed on paper, reading an ebook, playing solitaire, studying, writing a novel, or drawing a picture. How many of those activities would you find objectionable if they were using paper instead of a laptop. Frankly, I think a lot of people are simply annoyed by the digital aspect of it. Nobody complains about the guy who reads the whole Sunday New York Times while sipping his one small coffee. Or the person who sits reading a book for hours. Or the people who sit and talk endlessly about something nobody else really cares to hear, like their goiter or their kids' diapers.

Business owners put in wifi to attract customers. It was a choice they made because it increased their incomes. If it decreases their income they will turn it off. As a customer, if wifi is important to you, as it is to me at times, then go where the wifi is and the shop owners will get the message.

I know some folks can be oblivious to the need to clear out a table at a busy time, but I think that the problem is overblown and has more to do with a general lack of manners or situational awareness than the presence of laptop.

Take your unnecessary and confusing name-calling elsewhere.

Result? The place looks deserted, and I hear they're actually doing quite a bit worse financially. Guess those single plain coffees can add up over the course of a day.

Clearly the solution to this problem is that we need more coffee shops. If there were more places like this then the tables wouldn't be full. I imagine a world where there are mulitple Starbucks on the same block. Crazy, I know.

@babyruthless: I am a librarian and I have worked very hard to make sure that there are quiet places, and places for groups to talk. My patrons require both atmospheres, and I am lucky that my library is a special library in a private facility. Please, talk to your local library, especially see if you can directly contact the Library Director, as she or he is in charge of the facility, and in many areas will run more than one library. The Director may see a need for more quiet areas across the continuum and try to redirect more story times and the like to create "kid friendly" sites versus adult/study/working sites and times.

I think the deciding factor is whether or not you're preventing/impeding other paying customers. If the place is pretty empty, your presence would likely be welcome by just about any business, even if you're just soaking up a/c.

I wonder if these places could have a time limit code or key to access their internet that they print on receipts. It could expire after a certain amount of time and then the person would need to either buy something else or leave, that way you make sure you are always occupied by paying customers.

Judgmental much? I doubt most of these people are hanging out in a coffee shop playing World of Dorkcraft instead of eating dinner at home with their families. They are probably students or people who work from home/have flexible bosses and choose a coffee shop because it is convenient, offers coffee and snacks, has comfortable chairs, and is a good change of pace.

@ARP: Too true. People just don't care about others. If it's a busy time, eat your food and leave, don't stick around and take up space other people could be using.

@captadam: Good point. My local library has free WiFi and is quiet. They have lots of tables around. If you need to work in a quiet spot and aren't buying food, try your library. Just don't be the jerk who ignores the signs and talks on your cell while you are there. :)

@cabjf: Me too. I support her. If you don't purchase anything at the restaurant, it's kind of crappy to take up a seat. Would these people do that at any other type of restaurant? No.

@emis: I agree with this. I live in Germany, and here, its very common for complete strangers to share tables. My German is truly horrible, but I've still had some wonderful conversations with people I've shared tables with. However, if you did eat, you can stay at the table as long as you want. Its not uncommon to see people sitting and nursing a glass of wine and a cigarette or two over an hour after they finish their meal.

@TinkishDelight: This is the essential problem, people don't have common courtesy anymore and so people have to make up rules that will have unintended victims and consequences. If people were just a bit considerate, it could prevent a lot of issues like this.

@captadam: I have a problem with libraries though, and it's a bit odd. I think that libraries should be quiet. Or at least, have a quiet place to work. A couple of years ago, I was studying for my PhD qualifier, and needed to get out of the house. I went to the library, and couldn't stand all of the kids running around, all the talking, etc. I asked the librarian if there was a quiet place to study, and she said no. Apparently, in an attempt to remain relevant, the library has gotten loud. And I couldn't study for shouting at the patrons in my head to shut the hell up.

So I left and went to Starbucks. It was no more quiet, but I don't have the hangup that Starbucks should be completely silent. And I was able to study much more easily.

@Sparerib:

::confused:: Why Did it take you 3 days to catch on?

What if they have their own broadband connect card through their cellular provider? They wouldn't be phased by a charge for the store's wi-fi connection.

I also would tend to think that the cost of having a complicated (for the avg. coffee shop owner) system to provide the authentication, time limiting, etc, would be difficult to recoup considering you aren't generating revenue from it (like the pay per hour/day setups).

I suppose if the shop is large enough, say 10+ tables, you could try designating a few tables as "15 minutes only", or making a section of tables be considered a "no wifi or work area" ... as passive aggressive as it may be, I think that a few carefully worded signs also help people to "get it", letting them know that when it's busy and there are no tables available they may be asked to share or give up their table if they are done with their drink/food.

It's amazing how many more patrons can fit when most start sharing tables--if you have 4-6 person tables you might double the number of people that can sit at once. Personally I have no problem with this, and I think that someone who does have an issue with it while they are monopolizing a table without buying anything is probably a customer you can afford to lose.

Based on the comments here, it seems that everyone (including me) is annoyed by coffee shop squatters.

@katieoh: And they always bought coffee.

@pecan 3.14159265: Personally I have no problem with this. Even from a business perspective I wouldn't see a problem with this. The key point here is that it wasn't busy. No one was waiting for a seat. Even if you weren't there the seat still wouldn't be filled. The coffee shop atmosphere is supposed to be comfy, casual and relaxed (Starbucks even coined it the "third place" You have your home, your work and your third place), so I don't think it's out of line to kick back and chill out there. You want to make it a place where people want to hang out. That's why they have the big leather couches and cozy lighting. That's why I don't want some pay as you go system. I think it goes against what a coffee shop represents. I do think though that common courtesy should be enforced at busy times when others are waiting and people are too selfish to move.

Last week, I left a day early for my vacation and worked that day from a coffee shop at my destination. I spent about $20 between lunch, sodas, and coffee working from a great new coffee shop that just opened there.

If you're going to sit there all day and leech their Wifi and electricity, you need to earn your keep. It might be too late for the coffee shop in this particular story, but by showing the people who run your local coffee shop that you're a good customer and not just a mooch, you can pretty much guarantee they won't kick you out when it gets crowded.

Hey... Put a parking meter at each table and have them accept tokens customers can ask for when they buy "X" amount of product. If they also accept coins then folks who want to stay longer can feed the meter.

Alternately (and better but more expensive to implement), digital parking meters at the tables into which the customer enters a code printed on their receipt. The more they spend the more time they get. Codes expire within the hour of issue so that folks don't collect them from the trash or beg them from departing patrons.

(And I say try because we caught on after 3 days and dropped the ban-hammer on them. Suffice to say it got pretty ugly.)

I really hope this sticks, and I hope it spreads to everyone just dicking around when there is a crowd waiting for a seat.

I used to frequent a cafe for lunch where a group of stay at home moms would meet up and chat. Yeah, it's cute in theory, but when there are 5 yapping ladies, each of them have 2 to 3 kids under 4 and they stay there for hoooours their cuteness is ruining everyone else's experience. I would circle the place over and over until they leaved just to get a spot. They would take up numerous tables and spread all their crap out while the kids would run around the tables screaming, dropping stuff all over the floor.

I don't want a universal rule (1 hour max at all times) but when you see there is a line outside the door and people are hovering around waiting for seats it should be common sense to move your entourage elsewhere if you finished eating hours ago.

@nnj: There's a great Family Guy scene that mocks this. Sorry, I'd post a link but they've all been removed.

@Principia: It's not just laptop users - my adolescent hang out had to ban personal chess sets at one point and charge for the shop set, because they had become the regular hangout for a big group of chess players who each bought one coffee and then hung out all day. Aside from taking up tons of space without buying anything, the chess club was also incredibly obnoxious.

@Bioengineered Smoothie: Our library is a hang out for the homeless and severely mentally ill. They smell, they ask you for money, and they don't read anything while they are in there. There is a community center for the homeless down the street, and a community center for the mentally ill two blocks in the other direction. But they get bored, so they go to the library. Some of them take naps there in chairs. The librarians try to shoo them away from the kid's section but they keep going back. And unless they are caught doing something wrong, they can't be asked to leave.

I've got no problem with this. Others have posted other good ideas. Recent netbooks are getting 5+ hour batteries. Before, the life of a laptop battery would have created an automatic limit of 2-3 hours and avoided the more direct conftrontation of kicking people out.

@Juliekins: I do remember spending about three hours without a drink though, so I'm thankful they didn't impose some kind of quota that I had to fill, like I had to buy one coffee every 1.5 hours or be forced out onto the street.

My local coffee shop doesn't provide outlets to customers. Once your battery is done, you either have to leave or *gasp* read the newspaper. How about coin operated outlets? Just like a parking meter for the car, put in a quarter and get 30 minutes of outlet power for whatever you need.

This is why the internet needs sarcasm and joke tags.

When I moved, before I got my internet hooked up, I would go to Panera every day for lunch with my macbook so I could check my email.

I suspect people go because they don't have internet, they don't have quiet at home (roommates, kids, neighbors, whatever), because there are fewer distractions, or because they want a change of pace.

@Bioengineered Smoothie: Some people have crappy libraries. The reason I didn't go to the library when I had my project due was because there was a really small library in my college town...and since I wasn't actually a resident, I don't think I could have stayed there for so long. I don't know if they would have asked, but the library was in a really crappy part of town and it wasn't a place I wanted to go to. It was small and dark and sure, it was quiet, but I still wouldn't have access to coffee.

I had multiple cups of coffee, probably a muffin or two...

@Bioengineered Smoothie: At any of my local shops, biscotti is quickly approaching $2.50, an atrocious price for a piece of deliberately-stale cookie stick.

In addition to the lost customers the store also has to pay for the electricity these jerks are using.

I would love to see a total ban on these people, not just at lunchtime, but at all times and at all places unless they are purchasing something. When I say purchasing something I'm not talking about a cup of coffee or anything else that they nurse for an insanely long period of time

I don't see why I would lug my laptop to the coffee shop when I could just use it at home. Unless you're a teenager, why would you want to hang out at a coffee shop anyway? Go home and hang out with the kids and stop worrying about the web.

Slightly off topic, but how about people using their local library for their internetz needs. I know the clientele may be a bit different compared with the local coffee shop, but that's the price you pay for basically being a free loader.

There has to be a balance between service consumed and money spent and those who exploit a good situation mess it up for everyone.

@Wolzard:

They covered that--just remember, no hitting in the face.

@ArgusRun:

Having experienced both--it's very different.

I get why they would ban them, but it's kind of hard to justify banning them during the weekend, especially if you have a lot of students as clientele.

One time, I had a massive annotated bibliography to compile and work on, and I had nowhere to stack 300+ sheets of paper and my laptop and books and my notes. I could have gone to the library, but the first floor didn't have easy access to coffee (and they didn't allow beverages) and the second floor (where there was a coffee shop) was packed because that's where the coffee was, and that's where all of the computers were for people working on various projects.

So I grabbed everything and drove to the shop across the street from campus. I had multiple cups of coffee, probably a muffin or two, and I was able to get some actual work done. Sometimes a coffee shop is your only refuge when you need to get stuff done and you can't stay in your tiny dorm room. I don't think I could have planted myself in a restaurant for six hours without annoyed waiters and management. I'm glad the coffee shop was understanding, and I think it helped that I was one of the only people to stay for hours and hours.

The free WiFi at these establishments is for customer use. If you're there during the peak lunch rush tapping away on your laptop sipping the remnants of a single drip coffee you ordered at 10.00 am, you haven't been a customer for about 2 hours.

I don't think any of these coffee shop owners object to your presence, provided they're either completely uncrowded or you're continuing to buy goods, but why do some laptop users think they're entitled to hang out all day leeching off the business, even to the point of driving away customers who'd like to sit down and have a full meal?

It's gotten so bad at one of the most popular coffee shops/cafés here that they actually turn their WiFi off on Friday and Saturday nights because people wouldn't adhere to requests from the owners to make way for paying customers on their two busiest nights of the week.

Anyway, I'm not sure that it's how you meant to come off, but you sound like you have some serious entitlement issues. A business owner's coffee shop is not a friend's living room.

How is it any different from two friends talking for thirty minutes over a cup of coffee?

@GitEmSteveDave_HasAList: And the worst part is, those inconsiderate jerks always took the comfortable looking couch and armchair. What if someone else wanted to sit there?

/just sayin'

Hate them all.

Personally, I absolutely hate trying to do work in a coffee shop. Too many distractions... maybe I'm just too ADD?