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One morning at Starbuck’s

Basil

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I saw a guy at Starbucks today.
No iPhone.
No tablet.
No laptop.
He just sat there.
Drinking coffee.
Like a Psychopath.
 

Boink

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Funny you should mention this. I'm on a bit of a campaign against some Starbucks customers. Here's a post and photo from my FB page.

I'm on a campaign to annoy people that go into coffee shops to plug in their computer and, essentially, encamp themselves for hours (emailing, surfing the web, gaming, watching movies/TV)… sometimes without buying anything. Why does this bother me? Because this often results in: A) no place to sit-down, and B) wi-fi that is so slow that one can't even check an email on the phone.

So, given most of these people plug in, I have acquired a bunch of very realistic-looking electrical outlet stickers (that even look 3 dimensional). I'd love to see someone actually try one of these.

I've been brutal on a couple of nearby Starbucks. Here is just one shot of this very satisfying activity (below).
Yep, I'm a "get off my lawn" merry prankster geezer now. LOL
T
hey usually don't last long, but I'm enjoying it.
outlet.jpg



 

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What's that thing on the chair?

LOL :highly_amused: And I read it too!!! Ink-on-the-fingers old-world stuff. I do have access to the electronic version but hate it. :rolleye:

My wife has started to listen to audio-books but so far I've resisted.
 

TR3driver

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I'd resemble that remark, except I never set foot in Starbucks.

My point of view, being an "Internet cafe" is part of their business model. Seems rude to me, to try to annoy their other customers, even if you don't approve of how much (or how little) they buy, or how long they hang around.

BTW, if you get a phone app that downloads messages, instead of using (shudder) web mail, you won't care how slow the WiFi is. I've been using one called K-9, because it nicely supports having multiple email accounts (including a mix of gmail and POP3).
 

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Actually, my assault would apply to nearly any coffeeshop (and I put one in a Panera Bread - a place filled with similar "offenders"). People now even loiter outside such places to mooch off of wi-fi. Even Starbucks HQ has admitted it's a problem (since they are not internet cafes). Many are watching TV shows... and that's really ruins the speed of wi-fi.

Honestly, I'm not opposed to it... but they should consider a 1 hour time-out or equivalent. Many now run their business out of these places, with stuff spread all over. What I think is rude is to take a table for 3 hours and force others to just get something and go. Why take over the place and drive others away?

Besides, it's just plain fun to tease these folks. All of the regular outlets are functional, though a friend has suggested I cover those (but I won't go that far with the tease). :cool:

I'm rather fond of this one:
sboutlet.jpg


Bottom-line? It's fun (and I'd probably pull the gag on some friends with one in their garage).
 
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Basil

Basil

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Someone recently gave me a $25 Starbucks card for a favor I did for them recently. I’m looking for another deserving person who actually sets foot in SB to “pay it forward”
 

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I'll confess to using Starbucks back when I knew Howard Schultz (who probably won't remember me). This was back when he had a little company down on 1st avenue in Seattle (late 1970s)... before it went public. Boy, I blew it on that investment possibility. A mutual lawyer friend of ours took the company public and made some serious money.
 

TR3driver

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They now don't even require that you buy a cup of coffee to use the WiFi.
https://apnews.com/2305a7e4e6de4b71bdd38631882c7bd4

If they don't want to be an internet cafe, it would be easy enough to limit internet access. Give out a password with each purchase that expires in an hour or two, for example. I've been other places (mostly overseas) where they even charge for the password that expires.
 

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Yes, there have been some serious legal issues with forcing people to buy stuff. Some stories have been rather nasty (with some questionable or thorny racial issues).

I still don't consider them "internet cafes." As you indicate, if you want to see real internet cafes, look to Europe where they started. Those shops are internet places that sometimes serve food and drink... and, yes, they charge (though that was more back in the day when you sat down to a terminal). I used to use them in Europe before I had a smart-phone (but now we get a sim-card every year when visiting). There's no mistaking that offering free wi-fi is a draw. Again, I object to it being a draw to the extent that it's driving people away.

Anyway, when I've spoken with Starbucks HQ in Seattle (I have a few friends in high places there), they agree that a simple solution is to have passwords with time-outs. That written, I think they consider it too much trouble (or do right now anyway).

Regardless, I'm having fun (until my stickers run out).
:eek:
 
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