Brits Are Growing Tired Of So-Called Coffee Shop “Laptop Lurkers” – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks has been criticized for its policy of allowing people to sit and stay without making a purchase in its stores, which has led to a rise in laptop lurkers. The company has installed panic buttons for workers across several of its US sites, causing confusion among UK high streets. Staff have been given new guidelines for getting rid of people coming into their stores just to use the toilet or fill their water bottles without spending any money.

Workers are now being trained in conflict de-escalation amid a turn against customers who take up tables for hours, using free Wi-Fi, and barely buying a coffee. Struggling coffee shop owners have accused them of ruining the atmosphere of once-bustling high-street hubs and stopping them from making any money. Now, fed-up Brits have called on UK chains to take a stand against the laptop louts and come up with inventive ways to preserve our café culture.

Some Brits have hit back at the new move to bring panic buttons into select stores, branding it ‘ridiculous’ and ‘baloney’. The company has also seen boycotts over a perceived link to Israel, although the company blames misinformation and says it has never given any money to the nation or its military.

Mr. Niccol, who is four months into his new role and used to run Mexican food outlet Chipotle, has set forth a raft of measures to improve the coffee chain’s business, which has taken a hit from increased competition and weakening demand in the US and China. His strategy includes lowering wait times and implementing a ‘coffeehouse code of conduct’ that will require customers to make purchases if they wish to use the restrooms or log-on to in-store Wi-Fi.

Last September, MailOnline spoke to cafe owners who said they are losing money because of ‘table hoggers’, who buy as little as one bottle of water or eke out a singular hot drink for as long as they can in order to keep their spot. In an attempt to tackle the practice and deter the WFH crowd, many have brought in tough new measures – refusing to offer free WiFi, limiting the hours laptops can be used in, and even banning them altogether.

Milk & Bean in Newbury, Berkshire, has just four small tables inside and a handful outside – with its co-owner Chris Chaplin saying that he finds laptop users don’t buy as much as customers who are there to relax. Chaplin, who runs the independent with his partner Freya, said the worst thing about the cafe being filled with laptop users was the impact it had on the otherwise friendly ambience and the ‘lack of awareness’ displayed by some remote workers.

A spokesperson for Starbucks said that the operational updates being introduced on Jan 27 are for North American stores and are not being implemented internationally (including the UK) at this time. Starbucks also said it would cut some jobs and reduce the extra layers of management to focus on improving in-store operations by increasing store hours to meet Mr. Niccol’s target of wait times of less than four minutes.

Read More @ Daily Mail