Coffee shops look to oust 'laptop hobos'

[Layback Bear]

Lady Fitzgerald I think you just might be to wise to get a smart phone.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Lady Fitzgerald I think you just might be to wise to get a smart phone.

Why?

 

[Layback Bear]

How could anybody possibly do shopping for food without one.
It's a joke (poor joke).

 

[sygnus21]

Hi y'all

Just getting back in town so I'd like to respond now...

I would still maintain though it should be easy for a business to recognize who is and isn't a customer -- for instance I would provide say a small alcove for users who just want to use the Wifi service (I'd provide that as a service to the community) while reserving the Interior of the store for customers.

I'd have TWO different routers -- the exterior one would give the "Free Loaders" say 30 mins before logging them off while Customers would get access to the 2nd network for as long as they wanted. -- Can't be too difficult and the cost to the business is minimal and everybody benefits -- those who just want to check email etc and then go on their way while allowing customers the full convenience and facilities of the store. The first purchase would have a unique password / userid on their till receipt and could only be used until log off - that would stop "Cheating" by passing the receipt to a non purchaser. There are all sorts of easy solutions to the problem -- just needs a little bit of imagination -- while STILL providing a service for the community and keeping goodwill.

Great idea. If they're going to start charging customers I'd rather use the system you propose.

Actually as far as the EU is concerned I'm really happy that Iceland has officially withdrawn its application for Membership -- the EEA agreements with the EU are in place and this is a MUCH better deal for a small island with only a few natural resources. For EU nationals and a few others you still don't need a VISA to visit -- the Schengen agreement is in place (No Visas required and no Border checks if coming from another state in the Schengen Agreement).

Haven't been keeping up with EU politics, but wanted to say that I've been to Iceland a few times via Keflavik Naval Station; was Air Force. Really enjoyed Keflavik, especially in the summer where you can sit outside and listen to some of the local musicians.

I've been wanting to get back to Iceland to do some photography, but just haven't had the opportunity to do so yet. It's in my plans though.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi y'all

Just getting back in town so I'd like to respond now...

I would still maintain though it should be easy for a business to recognize who is and isn't a customer -- for instance I would provide say a small alcove for users who just want to use the Wifi service (I'd provide that as a service to the community) while reserving the Interior of the store for customers.

I'd have TWO different routers -- the exterior one would give the "Free Loaders" say 30 mins before logging them off while Customers would get access to the 2nd network for as long as they wanted. -- Can't be too difficult and the cost to the business is minimal and everybody benefits -- those who just want to check email etc and then go on their way while allowing customers the full convenience and facilities of the store. The first purchase would have a unique password / userid on their till receipt and could only be used until log off - that would stop "Cheating" by passing the receipt to a non purchaser. There are all sorts of easy solutions to the problem -- just needs a little bit of imagination -- while STILL providing a service for the community and keeping goodwill.

Great idea. If they're going to start charging customers I'd rather use the system you propose.

Actually as far as the EU is concerned I'm really happy that Iceland has officially withdrawn its application for Membership -- the EEA agreements with the EU are in place and this is a MUCH better deal for a small island with only a few natural resources. For EU nationals and a few others you still don't need a VISA to visit -- the Schengen agreement is in place (No Visas required and no Border checks if coming from another state in the Schengen Agreement).

Haven't been keeping up with EU politics, but wanted to say that I've been to Iceland a few times via Keflavik Naval Station; was Air Force. Really enjoyed Keflavik, especially in the summer where you can sit outside and listen to some of the local musicians.

I've been wanting to get back to Iceland to do some photography, but just haven't had the opportunity to do so yet. It's in my plans though.

Great place -- let me know and I'll show you some really great places in Reykjavik. !!! Summer time is brilliant. (Mind you I'm biased !!).

Plenty of FREE Internet around too -- the Coffee shop Hobo problem doesn't exist here.

Here's our cheap airline (equivalent of Easyjet - for cheap flights although July is the most expensive -- September is great as most of the tourists have gone and it's still pleasant).

Cheap flights to Iceland - WOW air

Cheers
jimbo

 

[sygnus21]

Thanks.

And BTW I meant to say enjoyed Reykjavik, not Keflavik. I guess that's what I get for posting with an exhausted brain

Anyway thanks for the offer. Hopefully sometime next year I'll be able to make it.

 

[Kari]

Regarding this matter, I find the Time Café a good idea: You pay for the time, get all the coffee you want to and WiFi free of additional charge.

Germany's first one opened some time ago, but although the charge is only €3 per hour the young entrepreneur has not been able to break even. Anyway, I think this idea is good when the price is right for both sides; something me as the customer am willing to pay, at the same time providing enough for owners to make profit.

'Time is money' in new Wiesbaden café - The Local

Kari

 

[jimbo45]

Regarding this matter, I find the Time Café a good idea: You pay for the time, get all the coffee you want to and WiFi free of additional charge.

Germany's first one opened some time ago, but although the charge is only €3 per hour the young entrepreneur has not been able to break even. Anyway, I think this idea is good when the price is right for both sides; something me as the customer am willing to pay, at the same time providing enough for owners to make profit.

'Time is money' in new Wiesbaden café - The Local

Kari

Hi there
one reason I don't like the idea of charging by the hour for example is that people often feel obliged to STAY for the FULL hour whether they want to or not once they've paid for the service. They are then LEGITIMATELY occupying space that could be used by people making purchases (i.e Customers).

I think my business model of two systems (Free for customers and up to 30 mins Free for non customers) would work better -- or if the owner doesn't want to do that why not add a very small surcharge onto your purchase so that the cost of the Internet is subsidized by the paying customers -- if there are sufficient volume of customers I'm sure a surcharge of something even as small as 25 Eurocents might be sufficient.

Just running an Internet Only type of establishment won't pay -- you have to sell something else as well be it books, clothing, or even coffee / soft drinks.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Kari]

Regarding this matter, I find the Time Café a good idea: You pay for the time, get all the coffee you want to and WiFi free of additional charge.

Germany's first one opened some time ago, but although the charge is only €3 per hour the young entrepreneur has not been able to break even. Anyway, I think this idea is good when the price is right for both sides; something me as the customer am willing to pay, at the same time providing enough for owners to make profit.

'Time is money' in new Wiesbaden café - The Local

Kari

Hi there
one reason I don't like the idea of charging by the hour for example is that people often feel obliged to STAY for the FULL hour whether they want to or not once they've paid for the service.
...
...

This from the quoted article:

Customers are charged €0.05 per minute, amounting to €3.00 an hour. When they come in the door, Volkova gives them a wristband with the time marked on it. When they leave they hand it back and their bill is calculated to the minute.

Feeling obliged to STAY for the FULL minute might be an issue to some, although I doubt it .

 

[Nomad8459]

My thought would be to stop making people homeless, but then that isnt likely to happen either.

I know that isnt very constructive, but having seen some of the scenes from the USA of people sleeping in tubes designed for waste outflow and the like, I think its a very sad time if that is happening.

Hopefully the politicians can bang their heads together and start working for all aspects of society - I know idealist or what.

Internet cafe was meant to be a social exercise as much as a business or end user exercise, its typical of course that the social aspect makes way for the commercial but I believe there is still a place for these hospitality venues.

 

[indianacarnie]

I'm sitting across the street from a McDonalds that limits your (their?) wifi time to 20 minutes..... and from what I've seen, they enforce it. I spend many months of the year on the road, as most everyone knows, and have come to depend on the free wifi services that abound. So...... In the Dunkin Donuts across the street from that McDonalds (where I'm sitting right now ) their wifi is unlimited...... and the place is packed with customers. The VAST majority of which have coffee cups and paper plates next to their machines. (Maple frosted donut and a Brownie with Black coffee = Breakfast of Champions!) Across the street theres maybe 5 cars. Now I'm not saying theres a correlation ...... but I see what I see.

I ALWAYS spend something when I utilize a free wifi, as I just think thats the "right" thing to do. I know that some don't and those are the ones causing this "problem". But from MY perspective.......... if the charges/red tape to get connected become too much, I'll just take my business elsewhere.

 

[jimbo45]

My thought would be to stop making people homeless, but then that isnt likely to happen either.

I know that isnt very constructive, but having seen some of the scenes from the USA of people sleeping in tubes designed for waste outflow and the like, I think its a very sad time if that is happening.

Hopefully the politicians can bang their heads together and start working for all aspects of society - I know idealist or what.

Internet cafe was meant to be a social exercise as much as a business or end user exercise, its typical of course that the social aspect makes way for the commercial but I believe there is still a place for these hospitality venues.

Hi there
The whole Homeless issue is a totally different ballgame -- actually if you think about it why not remove ALL government subsidies so that social works are done by private charitable organisations and REAL FAMILIES -- not by people who have zillions of kids and seem to expect everybody else to support them.

Looking at the history of the USA one has to respect the original inhabitants -- they only took from Nature enough to satisfy their needs and ensured enough was returned back to the planet so the next generations could survive. They didn't kill all the Bison for example and one thing that runs through the entire culture of these various tribes was RESPECT for their ancestors and Nature.

Earlier societies respected families and older people were valued. These days it's just "Throw away", exploit what you can and move on.

Selling people a FALSE DREAM doesn't work -- successful people usually have to work REALLY HARD believe it or not -- there's no such thing as "Easy Money" -- even Drug Dealers have found that one out --they might make a lot of money in say week one but they are probably being shot at in week two etc.

Sorting out this problem really needs people to get back to proper family values -- however unfashionable that sounds today. If you have 17 kids by 15 different partners - society will eventually react against having to pay for all this -- whatever country you live in.

Sorry for the Politics but people really need to get real -- you can't expect OTHER PEOPLE to sort YOUR problems out whether an individual or a Business -- use your Family or Social connections etc to sit down and discuss issues.

For those that are really ALONE institutions like The Church or other charitable foundations will do this job far better than the State.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[boohbah]

i bet your a daily mail reader jimbo.

 

[z3r010]

I bet your a mirror reader Booh

 

[Layback Bear]

In the U.S.A it's not that the Americans don't give to charity to help others we do. In my opinion it's how the moneys filter through the system and then spent. These figures don't count the trillions of tax payer dollars our Governments (Local, State, Federal) spend on Social programs of some kind.

Philanthropy News | Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

U.S. charitable giving approaches $300 billion in 2011 | Reuters

Charitable Giving Statistics | NPTrust

 

[boohbah]

I bet your a mirror reader Booh

nah! i dont read papers.
i try to avoid politics as much as i can.

 

[jimbo45]

I bet your a mirror reader Booh

nah! i dont read papers.
i try to avoid politics as much as i can.

Hi there
If only ....

However in a FREE society with many differing solutions to complex problems you shouldn't really opt out of the process even if you think the current encumbents are worthless.

Free democratic elections were won at great cost and to abandon these would really benefit NOBODY in spite of the fact that loads of politicians are totally not fit for purpose. Actually at the Local level there are quite a load of people putting in huge numbers of hours for very little reward -- not all of them are 100% corrupt.

I think I did make some reasonable suggestions on providing a Social service on the Coffee shop idea without bankrupting the providers of the business and allowing some limited Free use as well -- I'm not as "Right Wing" as a lot think -- Social Democratic is probably my best description -- but in the UK I couldn't ever see myself voting for the British Labour Party after experiencing the worst weekend in my life a few years ago at one of the so called "NHS Hospitals" in Manchester -- OK it was Free but I think an Abattoir might have been cleaner -- although the staff did the best they could under extremely trying circumstances and the services in Manchester apparently are a lot better than in other parts of the UK.

BTW I do read The Daily Mail (or more popularly known as "The Daily Wail" ) as well as "The Tory graph" (Daily Telegraph -- has a fantastic Sports section). The Mirror is worse than Toilet paper -- I'd rather read Murdoch's THe Sun which probably has about as much factual information in it as the "National Enquirer" seen in US supermarkets - although it also surprisingly has a decent Sports section - and not only for Horse Racing. I also like The Times and the F.T (Financial Times) and of course The Wall St Journal and of US papers The L.A Times. Most of these available via online systems.

Anyway enough of the Politics -- I think we should agree that having a decent public wifi service is a worthwhile effort and we shouldn't force the cost on to small business owners while VODAFONE, CISCO, VERIZON,BT etc amass HUGE almost obscene profits.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[sygnus21]

My thought would be to stop making people homeless, but then that isnt likely to happen either.

I know that isnt very constructive, but having seen some of the scenes from the USA of people sleeping in tubes designed for waste outflow and the like, I think its a very sad time if that is happening.

Hopefully the politicians can bang their heads together and start working for all aspects of society - I know idealist or what.

Internet cafe was meant to be a social exercise as much as a business or end user exercise, its typical of course that the social aspect makes way for the commercial but I believe there is still a place for these hospitality venues.

Let's not turn my thread into a political hot topic on homelessness as nowhere in the article is this topic mentioned, or alluded to.

Yes, perhaps the article used the wrong word (hobo) in describing the issue, but it has NOTHING to do with homelessness!

Let's not sidetrack this into a debate on homelessness.

Thank you.

 

[Nomad8459]

Apologies, hobos suggests homeless to me, I stand corrected

 

[Britton30]

I agree Drew, his was a way off base comment, especially alluding that only the US has homeless people.