Starbucks to require purchases to hang out in stores

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

I'm buying stuff. If they want to enforce 20-30 minutes for paying customers, fine, but would result in lost business not only from people who work from these spots, but also (for example) friends wanting to meet up for coffee. Most of those meetups would be more like an hour, not 20 minutes.

So you think your $5 latte entitles you take up their space for an entire day? And you don't see a problem with that. If you need to work, go rent a place, go to the library, work from home. Starbucks is a business. They need to turn tables and sell products. I would love if they enforced the 20-30 min limit on everyone.

First off, "$5 latte", you clearly haven't been to Starbucks since 2013. I don't work there the entire day. It's a couple hours. And clearly, Starbucks does not see a problem with that. I don't see them setting time limits or banning anyone who actually is buying things.

I guess they do with this new policy. Kudos to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

I'm buying stuff. If they want to enforce 20-30 minutes for paying customers, fine, but would result in lost business not only from people who work from these spots, but also (for example) friends wanting to meet up for coffee. Most of those meetups would be more like an hour, not 20 minutes.

So you think your $5 latte entitles you take up their space for an entire day? And you don't see a problem with that. If you need to work, go rent a place, go to the library, work from home. Starbucks is a business. They need to turn tables and sell products. I would love if they enforced the 20-30 min limit on everyone.

First off, "$5 latte", you clearly haven't been to Starbucks since 2013. I don't work there the entire day. It's a couple hours. And clearly, Starbucks does not see a problem with that. I don't see them setting time limits or banning anyone who actually is buying things.

I guess they do with this new policy. Kudos to them.

It applies to people who aren't buying anything. Can you read?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

I'm buying stuff. If they want to enforce 20-30 minutes for paying customers, fine, but would result in lost business not only from people who work from these spots, but also (for example) friends wanting to meet up for coffee. Most of those meetups would be more like an hour, not 20 minutes.

So you think your $5 latte entitles you take up their space for an entire day? And you don't see a problem with that. If you need to work, go rent a place, go to the library, work from home. Starbucks is a business. They need to turn tables and sell products. I would love if they enforced the 20-30 min limit on everyone.

But would if I want to order $20 worth of drinks and food and stay for 3 hours? I do that all the time and spend a ton of money at Starbucks. If they limited me to 20-30 minutes, I would not go at all and would find another coffee shop that would let me stay for longer because the whole point for me is finding a place with a pleasant atmosphere, food/drink, and wifi so that I can get a break from my home office and interact with people instead of being a shut in. I probably wouldn't go to Starbucks at all if it didn't serve this purpose, and I bet I spend a lot more money there than most people.

I love the entitlement. Go to the office and interact with people!!!!!!!!!

Or do one of those part time office share rental arrangements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm totally on board. I work at Starbucks once or twice a week and always order one or two items that I consume over the time I'm there. The random people coming in to sit down, use the bathroom, get themselves water, etc. take up seats that paying customers then can't use, and cause a lot of work for the people who work there.

I used to work at the public library instead of Starbucks but stopped because they have the same issues. But I understand it more there -- that's a public good and a lot of libraries are explicitly designated as places for people to go to get out of the heat, for instance. I wish fewer people needed those services, but I don't begrudge them using the library or another public building even if it diminishes my use of it.

Starbuck is a private company and they also serve food and are invested in keeping a hygienic space as well.

No we need the dog people to stop bringing their dogs in the stores. It's gross, folks. Recently someone brought their dog in from the snow and the dog literally did the shimmy shake all over like 7 people working on laptops near the door. Dogs don't belong there, sorry.

All of the above reasons we hardly go to Starbucks anymore. I miss the laid back seating style with comfy chairs and sofas where you would go and meet up with friends for coffee and chat. Now it's everything else, including laptop workers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

I'm buying stuff. If they want to enforce 20-30 minutes for paying customers, fine, but would result in lost business not only from people who work from these spots, but also (for example) friends wanting to meet up for coffee. Most of those meetups would be more like an hour, not 20 minutes.

How much are you buying when you're working? I see time limits in some restaurants where we've spent over $100. They don't let us park at a table all day because they need turnover to make money. What's more, when I do meet a friend at Starbucks for coffee, I've got glares from the laptop folk who want quiet so they can work.

I KNOW!!! The whole idea of working from Starbucks is so asinine I can't even! For one, my employer would never allow me to participate in a meeting from Starbucks. Their WiFi is public, there are people around listening that my employer didn't vet, there is background noise, the list goes on. That's before we even come anywhere the entitlement issue these folks have with parking themselves in a business for hours to conduct business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

Nope, Starbucks' business plan has always been built around the idea of being a "third space" and offering a place for people to hang out. A 20-30 minute limit is antithetical to this. Whether someone is working on a laptop, reading a novel, or hanging out with a friend, these are all intended uses of a Starbucks. I remember at one point they told shareholders that they didn't really sell coffee so much as rent real estate for the price of coffee. Which is accurate.

But yeah, you have to pay the rent. That means you buy something there. I get people want a place to go but there are other places to go where you don't have to pay -- train stations, public libraries, parks. Starbuck is a for-profit business and they have no obligation to serve as a public restroom or homeless shelter.

I don't even drink coffee by the way. So I order non-coffee drinks and food. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here (unless you are buying something).

I guess they are rethinking that with the new policy. Or order something every 20-30 minutes to justify using their space as your personal office.

Nope. The policy is meant to cater to people who want to come and hang out, and purchase Starbucks products. There is no 20-30 minute limit. It's just that if you come in and don't order anything, they can ask you to leave. They said in the announcement of the new policy that part of the intent is to make it a place you want to "linger" (implied is that they don't want it to feel like a Greyhound station, which some Starbucks definitely do at this point due to the open door policy).

The goal is to kick out the people who come and don't buy anything but make it unpleasant for the people who are buying things, including the people who camp for hours working while also buying multiple grande lattes and breakfast sandwiches (this is one of their core customers).

Starbucks loooooves me and they are showing me how much with this new policy designed to address my comfort. Thanks SBX!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

I'm buying stuff. If they want to enforce 20-30 minutes for paying customers, fine, but would result in lost business not only from people who work from these spots, but also (for example) friends wanting to meet up for coffee. Most of those meetups would be more like an hour, not 20 minutes.

So you think your $5 latte entitles you take up their space for an entire day? And you don't see a problem with that. If you need to work, go rent a place, go to the library, work from home. Starbucks is a business. They need to turn tables and sell products. I would love if they enforced the 20-30 min limit on everyone.

First off, "$5 latte", you clearly haven't been to Starbucks since 2013. I don't work there the entire day. It's a couple hours. And clearly, Starbucks does not see a problem with that. I don't see them setting time limits or banning anyone who actually is buying things.

I guess they do with this new policy. Kudos to them.

It applies to people who aren't buying anything. Can you read?

OK so you plan to buy something every 30 min? Great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

I'm buying stuff. If they want to enforce 20-30 minutes for paying customers, fine, but would result in lost business not only from people who work from these spots, but also (for example) friends wanting to meet up for coffee. Most of those meetups would be more like an hour, not 20 minutes.

So you think your $5 latte entitles you take up their space for an entire day? And you don't see a problem with that. If you need to work, go rent a place, go to the library, work from home. Starbucks is a business. They need to turn tables and sell products. I would love if they enforced the 20-30 min limit on everyone.

there are plenty of places that would meet all your needs. they are called OFFICES!

But would if I want to order $20 worth of drinks and food and stay for 3 hours? I do that all the time and spend a ton of money at Starbucks. If they limited me to 20-30 minutes, I would not go at all and would find another coffee shop that would let me stay for longer because the whole point for me is finding a place with a pleasant atmosphere, food/drink, and wifi so that I can get a break from my home office and interact with people instead of being a shut in. I probably wouldn't go to Starbucks at all if it didn't serve this purpose, and I bet I spend a lot more money there than most people.

[Anonymous]

So what. Most people buy something unless in a huge bathroom emergency and hate juice or coffee or tea. Thats common courtesy.

We’ve all seen the WDC downtown McDonalds, with homeless people hiding out in the back. Or bathing in the bathrooms. Or the downtown public library smells.

That’s bad for businesses. Plus there are shelters all over downtown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

I'm buying stuff. If they want to enforce 20-30 minutes for paying customers, fine, but would result in lost business not only from people who work from these spots, but also (for example) friends wanting to meet up for coffee. Most of those meetups would be more like an hour, not 20 minutes.

So you think your $5 latte entitles you take up their space for an entire day? And you don't see a problem with that. If you need to work, go rent a place, go to the library, work from home. Starbucks is a business. They need to turn tables and sell products. I would love if they enforced the 20-30 min limit on everyone.

First off, "$5 latte", you clearly haven't been to Starbucks since 2013. I don't work there the entire day. It's a couple hours. And clearly, Starbucks does not see a problem with that. I don't see them setting time limits or banning anyone who actually is buying things.

I guess they do with this new policy. Kudos to them.

It applies to people who aren't buying anything. Can you read?

OK so you plan to buy something every 30 min? Great.

No, I will buy something once.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

+1. Of course you should buy something when you use their space, but buying something doesn't entitle you to camp there all day using their wifi.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

I'm buying stuff. If they want to enforce 20-30 minutes for paying customers, fine, but would result in lost business not only from people who work from these spots, but also (for example) friends wanting to meet up for coffee. Most of those meetups would be more like an hour, not 20 minutes.

So you think your $5 latte entitles you take up their space for an entire day? And you don't see a problem with that. If you need to work, go rent a place, go to the library, work from home. Starbucks is a business. They need to turn tables and sell products. I would love if they enforced the 20-30 min limit on everyone.

First off, "$5 latte", you clearly haven't been to Starbucks since 2013. I don't work there the entire day. It's a couple hours. And clearly, Starbucks does not see a problem with that. I don't see them setting time limits or banning anyone who actually is buying things.

I guess they do with this new policy. Kudos to them.

It applies to people who aren't buying anything. Can you read?

OK so you plan to buy something every 30 min? Great.

No, I will buy something once.

Then don't be surprised when they ask you to leave. As they should, you entitled dimwit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So what. Most people buy something unless in a huge bathroom emergency and hate juice or coffee or tea. Thats common courtesy.

We’ve all seen the WDC downtown McDonalds, with homeless people hiding out in the back. Or bathing in the bathrooms. Or the downtown public library smells.

That’s bad for businesses. Plus there are shelters all over downtown.

As has been noted earlier, shelters do not allow people to stay there during the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

I'm buying stuff. If they want to enforce 20-30 minutes for paying customers, fine, but would result in lost business not only from people who work from these spots, but also (for example) friends wanting to meet up for coffee. Most of those meetups would be more like an hour, not 20 minutes.

So you think your $5 latte entitles you take up their space for an entire day? And you don't see a problem with that. If you need to work, go rent a place, go to the library, work from home. Starbucks is a business. They need to turn tables and sell products. I would love if they enforced the 20-30 min limit on everyone.

First off, "$5 latte", you clearly haven't been to Starbucks since 2013. I don't work there the entire day. It's a couple hours. And clearly, Starbucks does not see a problem with that. I don't see them setting time limits or banning anyone who actually is buying things.

I guess they do with this new policy. Kudos to them.

It applies to people who aren't buying anything. Can you read?

OK so you plan to buy something every 30 min? Great.

The policy does not require this but also I would be find buying things while I sit there, in fact I already do this because if I finish my drink but am still working I will usually order another or get something to eat.

I know you've made hating people who work at coffee shops like 20% of your personality but fortunately Starbucks loves people who work at coffee shops and people who work at coffee shops love Starbucks. It's a deeply symbiotic relationship and you can't break us up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, so you should be able to sit and "work" there for hours but no one else should?

I personally think 20-30 min limit for everyone at a coffee shop is very reasonable.

I'm buying stuff. If they want to enforce 20-30 minutes for paying customers, fine, but would result in lost business not only from people who work from these spots, but also (for example) friends wanting to meet up for coffee. Most of those meetups would be more like an hour, not 20 minutes.

So you think your $5 latte entitles you take up their space for an entire day? And you don't see a problem with that. If you need to work, go rent a place, go to the library, work from home. Starbucks is a business. They need to turn tables and sell products. I would love if they enforced the 20-30 min limit on everyone.

there are plenty of places that would meet all your needs. they are called OFFICES!

But would if I want to order $20 worth of drinks and food and stay for 3 hours? I do that all the time and spend a ton of money at Starbucks. If they limited me to 20-30 minutes, I would not go at all and would find another coffee shop that would let me stay for longer because the whole point for me is finding a place with a pleasant atmosphere, food/drink, and wifi so that I can get a break from my home office and interact with people instead of being a shut in. I probably wouldn't go to Starbucks at all if it didn't serve this purpose, and I bet I spend a lot more money there than most people.

Who are the people you're interacting with? The barista?