Coffee shops look to oust 'laptop hobos'

sygnus21 said:

Do you hang at your local book/coffee shop for hours just to use it's free Wi-Fi service?

Starbucks and small, independent coffeehouses alike now have growing concerns about the large number of customers who camp out for hours at their tables. These "laptop hobos" are working, surfing the Web, using the shop's outlets as an unlimited power supply for their wireless devices and occasionally getting downright territorial with other customers over space.

Source: Coffee shops look to oust 'laptop hobos'- MSN Money

For the record I hang out at my local Barnes & Noble with my lappy doing all sorts of stuff, especially schoolwork cause being at the house at times can get distracting when trying to get work done. In fact, I'm headed out to B&N now to work on a review

Hi there
When I'm in Amsterdam (Holland) the Coffee Shops have a lot more "Services" available than just Internet. I'm sure Internet usage isn't the prime reason visitors / patrons use these places. !!!

In any case it would be quite simple for the business owner / manager / franchisee to say allow ist 20 mins free and then CHARGE for usage after that if no other purchase was made. You could even ensure that users had to insert a coin to access the Electricity supply.

I'm sure there are all sorts of ways to encourage "Deadheads" to move on while allowing genuine customers reasonably free access -- just needs a little bit of "Initiative".

It's not right either to expect a SMALL business owner (often making just a small amount of money and barely surviving) to provide HOMELESS facilities caused by the scandalous practices done by the Banking industry (remember the "Sub Prime Slime" issues) in creating huge amounts of homeless people with their aggressive re-possession policies. Shelters for Homeless people should be provided IMO by State, Federal, Local governments (City / Town level) and voluntary charities (e.g The Salvation Army - who do a fantastic job and I'm in now way religious at all) and not by struggling business owners who are trying valiantly in spite of the politicians to kick start the economy again.

Cheers
jimbo

Hi there
I've seen in places like Brussels / Paris etc very well organized gangs of "Gypsy looking" like women --invariably with small babies in tow making a fortune begging around the popular tourist parts. They even "Swap babies" for a while - working in shifts -then at around 17:00 - 18:00 a man usually in a top of the range Mercedes / BMW / Audi picks them up where they disappear for the night counting out their "Earnings". I'm quite sure a load of so called "Homeless" aren't so "Homeless" after all. -- I'm not referring to genuine homeless people like some of the "Panhandlers" you see in the USA plying their trade under some Freeway Bridges in places like Houston TX BTW but there are a HUGE number of people begging who aren't anything like homeless at all.

Cheers
jimbo

PeaB4YouGo said:

I had a neighbor who noticed for weeks about a guy who parked in front of her bldg., day after day, to the point where she called the cops. They couldn't do much about someone parking legally on the street, but they promised to keep a look out while on patrol. After a couple days, they spotted him and questioned him. The cops told her that he was tapping the wi-fi of someone who hadn't secured their signal, and there was little they could do other than to warn him that he was spooking the residents.

So, she called me a couple of days later and asked me to come by to help her set up her new router. When the time came to set up the wi-fi section, I asked her what kind of passkey she wanted, she (inevitably) said she'd never had to set that up with her old router. Oddly enough, after setting this all up, and getting her laptop configured to connect to her new router, the guy stopped showing up, and several of her neighbors began to ask if they could use her wi-fi because they'd recently lost their connections.

Your police are either lazy or ignorant. Unauthorized internet access is a Federal violation. Loitering is also illegal in most jurisdictions.

Geez, how did this turn into a homeless debate?

Yes, homelessness is a big issue all over the world, but that's a political discussion elsewhere. No where it the post or link I provide talks about the homeless problems with regards to the main issue... users who camp out all day just to use free Wi-Fi, thus abusing the system.

Getting back on track...

jimbo45 said:

sygnus21 said:

Do you hang at your local book/coffee shop for hours just to use it's free Wi-Fi service?

Starbucks and small, independent coffeehouses alike now have growing concerns about the large number of customers who camp out for hours at their tables. These "laptop hobos" are working, surfing the Web, using the shop's outlets as an unlimited power supply for their wireless devices and occasionally getting downright territorial with other customers over space.

Source: Coffee shops look to oust 'laptop hobos'- MSN Money

For the record I hang out at my local Barnes & Noble with my lappy doing all sorts of stuff, especially schoolwork cause being at the house at times can get distracting when trying to get work done. In fact, I'm headed out to B&N now to work on a review

Hi there
When I'm in Amsterdam (Holland) the Coffee Shops have a lot more "Services" available than just Internet. I'm sure Internet usage isn't the prime reason visitors / patrons use these places. !!!

Yeah, I'm aware of that part

In any case it would be quite simple for the business owner / manager / franchisee to say allow ist 20 mins free and then CHARGE for usage after that if no other purchase was made. You could even ensure that users had to insert a coin to access the Electricity supply.

Yeah unfortunately I think it may come to that

I'm sure there are all sorts of ways to encourage "Deadheads" to move on while allowing genuine customers reasonably free access -- just needs a little bit of "Initiative".

Agree

As I said, I use these services when I'm out and about, but at least when I do, they make a few sales off of me. I usually don't use places unless I plan on at least having a few cups of tea or snacks. In this, they at least make a few sales.

I think the chief complaint is that people are camping out all day taking up seats/spots where paying customers could be; that even if they use the Wi-Fi services - it should be a brief in and out move... not take up spots all day.

The other is the social aspect, they want people to socialize, not turn the place into a work space.

It's not about whether its quality or add riddled; its about being able to get free Wi-Fi to do what you need to do for the time being until you get home.

Now if you want to rely on it for your primary use, than that's on. Personally free Wi-Fi service should only be used for general browsing or short work... NOT as a main source, especially since it's usually not secured anyway.

As for adds being forced on you... I've yet to see this, especially places I frequent the most - Barnes & Noble, or my local coffee shop. I don't know what places you frequent that forces adds on you

Anyway perhaps I'm being a bit naïve because I'm thinking about those like me who just use the service when out and a about, but also do have Wi-Fi at home.