Greg In The Desert

A seattle coffee house has turned off it’s free WiFi for the weekend. With surprising results.

Strongin said that the five-year-old cafe added free Wi-Fi when it seemed their customers wanted it a couple of years ago. It initially brought in more people, she said, but over the past year %u201Cwe noticed a significant change in the environment of the cafe.%u201D Before Wi-Fi, %u201CPeople talked to each other, strangers met each other,%u201D she said. Solitary activities might involve reading and writing, but it was part of the milieu. %u201CThose people co-existed with people having conversations,%u201D said Strongin…. Worse than just the sheer number of laptop users, Strongin noted, is that many of these patrons will camp six to eight hours%u2014and not buy anything. This seemed astounding to me, but she said that it was typical, not unusual. The staff doesn%u2019t want to have to enforce the cafe%u2019s unspoken policy of making a purchase to use the space (and the Wi-Fi), and on the occasions that they approach a non-buyer about a purchase asking, %u201CCan I get you a beverage?%u201D the squatter often becomes defensive, explains they%u2019ve bought a lot in the past or just the day before… They%u2019ve gone two weekends with no Wi-Fi, and so far, they%u2019re pleased with the results. The staff %u201Cloves it,%u201D she said, and regular customers are %u201Ccoming up to us and thanking us.%u201D They have received a few nasty emails. But Strongin said that last Sunday was one of the best revenue days they%u2019ve had on the weekends in a while. %u201CIt was kind of a bold move.%u201D

I frequent a local coffee shop called Satellite. I always buy a ice tea (sorry, not a coffee drinker) and muffin and make use of their free WiFi for several hours.