Reply to Starbucks to require purchases to hang out in stores

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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. [/quote]

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).[/quote]

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. [/quote]

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![/quote]

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