Starbucks pulling plug on laptop users?
Starbucks is well-known for coffee, but laptop users love their juice — electrical juice.
After 4 days and only 3 Cafe Americanos, the Starbucks manager had a bad feeling about this guy.
Now, a rumor is floating amongst the Interwebs that New York City Starbucks locations are replacing electrical sockets with blank faceplates, effectively pulling the plug on laptop (ab)users plagued with poor battery performance.
The Seattle-based caffeine pusher did not immediately return a request for comment.
I can see the need to DC AC hogs, but I know a lot of folks, including some of my favorite reporters I never see anymore, use Starbucks as a transient office.
Starbucks Gossip provides the following jolt:
If you are one of those people who uses Starbucks as their office, sits in a store for 8+ hours a day, putting all your files on a table, using a separate chair for your laptop case/ suitcase enjoying unlimited free refills with your Starbucks card, asking for cups of water and refuse to to move until you are good and ready all for the $1.85 you pay as “rent,” then perhaps your actions will answer your questions [about covering the outlets].
An AJC reporter who shall remain nameless tells me she recently lost her connection after 30 minutes at another local coffee shop, so it looks likes Starbucks is not alone in trying to prevent prolonged PC parking.
Starbucks seems to go out of their way to be friendly, so this is a perilous PR path, if true. After all, we can get coffee and electricity at work, if it comes to that.
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211 comments Add your comment
C from Marietta
August 5th, 2011
10:22 am
I go to Starbucks all the time. I am laughing reading this drama. It’s NO WHERE near as bad you as your making it out to be. I have open seats everytime I go. I think you folks just love to whine and complain about anything and everything. BTW.. If you think Duncan Donuts has better coffee. Your crazy.
Barack Obama
August 5th, 2011
10:28 am
I will have the AG look into this immediately. It sounds like discrimination and I will make sure my people (Blacks and Muslims) will continue to get FREE electricity and internet from those racist people at Starbucks. I might even force them to give my brothers (Blacks and Muslims) free coffee and charge white people double. Now thats some Hope & Change we can get behind.
GRAY GHOST OR WHITE KNIGHT
August 5th, 2011
10:29 am
Enter your comments here
Rational
August 5th, 2011
10:34 am
YES. This makes sense … it’s a business trying to make money. It’s not for the officeless to take advantage of the situation then run off the paying customers. How about a timer on the free internet? Barnes & Noble should not be a library for the non-paying either.
GREY GHOST OR WHITE KNIGHT
August 5th, 2011
10:35 am
The old Georgia Tech eatery in the basement of the Admin building had no chairs just standing height tables.
The Germans call them Schnell Imbess ?? quick eat.
Never a crowd.
No reason to go now
August 5th, 2011
10:39 am
You mean to tell me that that the only reason to go to Starbucks now is for over-brewed, over-priced coffee? That will be all she wrote Star*ucks.
wayne robinson
August 5th, 2011
10:41 am
I’m always amazed at the selfish lack of respect so many people show doing stuff like this. Starbucks is providing an atmosphere to attract people to come and enjoy a coffee, not providing office space. But some people are just oblivious to good manners and doing what’s fair and right. They should be ticketed and sent to manners school.
David B.
August 5th, 2011
10:43 am
While I don’t even like Starbuck’s coffee, I can’t blame them or any other coffee shop for doing this. The commenter in the article is right.
john
August 5th, 2011
10:53 am
You guys are pricks! First of all, starbucks coffee sucks. The expresso taste like dirt compared to other places in the city (octane). Next, the only people who are going into starbucks are young kids trying to be hip and business people who are to rushed to smell the roses. When i go to a coffeeshop its to study and relax. Im not one of the people who sits there and doesnt order tho. I generally spend around 20 dollars on food and drink in a period of 5-6 hours of studying. So the way i see it, im adding to the environment by making it not suck as much, and Im spending way more than you corporate suit dicks and your lattes or your annoying kids and their frappacinos. Maybe you should take your arse to mcdonalds and get their coffee. Or keep going to starbucks cause im not gonna have to look at your annoying faces.
HP
August 5th, 2011
10:54 am
Panera is notorious for this. I have a tray full of the $15 lunch I just bought and can’t find a place to sit because all the tables are taken up by people and their laptops, bags, etc…And NO food or drinks purchased there. It’s not right, point blank.