Starbucks - Free Wifi
People against 'squatters' and 'internet moochers'
I really hate when people are so self-centered, conceited and selfish. It really shows how stupid and ignorant they can be... Let Me summarize an idea someone submitted to Starbucks today, and the comments that followed.
Posted on 11/30/2012 5:33 AM by mudpuppy144
1. Increased bandwidth for in store customers. 2. AT&T has a chance to start showing there higher capacity and speed to the masses. Could be good to help improve there image as well as improve customer satisfaction. 3. It's now 2012. Cable Internet is old and slow on newer programs. Today I couldn't even take a survey for Starbucks in the store. Food for thought! Mark
Awesome Idea!!! I support this 100%.
gobo Top Commenter 11/30/2012 5:41 AM
Quite honestly -- I'd rather not give customers more incentive to camp out at the store and play WOW for hours for free.
amandanor Top Commenter 11/30/2012 6:27 AM
I'd prefer to see Starbucks go to dial-up Internet. There's no reason to give the free WiFi moochers any more reason to stay there for hours and hours more, preventing people from being able to sit and consume their purchase in a reasonable amount of time.
Coffee Son 11/30/2012 6:27 AM
As long as the customer who's camping buys a good amount of coffee, whats it matter how long they are there?? Given, I DO agree that its not fair to the rest of the cusomters to get on and suck up all that bandwidth playin an MMO. -- but the same goes for all those customers who stream in music from internet radio stations, or live feeds... and not even going to mention those who plaster their noses in all those YouTube Videos and Netflix, and Hulu... Those take up the same amount of bandwidth, if not more, like those who get on and do a little online gaming, with WoW as an example.
However, I camp out at Starbucks a LOT, and some times for 12+ hours on end during my off days. I do not have internet at my house and I found it is CHEAPER and more cost efficient to hang out at starbucks, have my fill of coffee, AND do what I feel like on the internet. I have noticed that even though some games I do play might take a little bandwidth, Starbucks has a throttler on their internet service that will cut you back on speed\bandwidth when more people are on their internet hotspot.
I do agree on the Fiber Optic internet... Even honest web surfers would benefit from this because the few stores I linger around get so busy that it doesn't matter how little bandwidth everyone is usin, the technology is so old that it still just can't keep up.
Coffee Son 11/30/2012 6:41 AM
I forgot to mention... It doesn't matter if someones been there for 10 minutes, or 2 hours... If there aren't any seats, there aren't any seats. I spend about $15-$20 a day, 3 to 4 days a week at my local Starbucks. I consider it a bad idea to make customers feel like they aren't welcome for more than 5 minutes just to make room for someone else, or discriminate against those who like to come enjoy a couple good drinks and a leisure\entertainment time. Thats why Starbucks provided seats that were a bit more comfortable, and floor plans to allow you some moving room.
Shoot, Starbucks will lose a lot of business if they went to dial-up because you have a LOT of other Companies who bring in their management team to have a conference over Skype or what have you, over the internet that Starbucks offers, and sometimes could last a couple hours, and still take up the same bandwidth as the gamers, audiophiles and videophiles.
It is what it is, and going dial-up is detrimental to Starbucks as a Business.
jotaylor2 Top Commenter 11/30/2012 7:31 AM
dial-up ain't gonna happen, but i agree that it makes no sense to increase the capacity; i too am tired of the squatters
and i don't want to hear your skype conference either
hnlworker 11/30/2012 9:47 AM
Voted up - more bandwidth is good, but I also agree that there needs to be limitations to the service. I've seen suggestions that address this that are worth noting here.
The best is to provide a wi-fi login/password that is only good for 30 minutes after it is used that prints at the bottom of the receipt. That way, whoever wants to use the wi-fi needs to buy something else in 30 minute intervals to stay online (and no, free coffee refills should not count).
JCLSpkt Top Commenter 11/30/2012 11:06 AM
yeah, hnlworker. i recall suggesting that a while ago and i was told in no uncertain terms that it was a stupid idea. i know that at the beginning the wifi had a time limit, then many complained about that, so now it's free. not everyone can be made happy about the wifi. therefore, i suggest starbucks getting rid of free wifi all together. make whatever it's called that people can get on their own internet server and not make starbucks pay for any of it. that way, the moochers will have to supply their own service.
hnlworker 11/30/2012 11:08 AM
@JCLSpkt - I think your idea is great. Internet cafes already do this - why can't Starbucks?
Coffee Son 11/30/2012 12:34 PM
I wanna know why most of you, for whom the shoe fits, are so against people sittin for a lot longer than you think they should, surfin the internet? Whats so special about your daily routine that other would-be squatters shouldn't be allowed to utilize the service Starbucks offers?
When you put limitations on a free-service, those limitations become a nuisance and drives off a lot of buisness away from Starbucks.
I'm sorry you feel squatters and prolonged-visitors are detrimental to your Starbucks experience, but lets look at it like this... Starbucks is a Business, and is in that business of making PROFIT. If Starbucks gains a lot more sales by offering free limitless wifi, what makes you think they will put limitations on that wifi that will destroy the opporunity to earn more sales????
Some of the comments people put up on here just blow me away, and I just can't understand how conceited and selfish they can be. Just because it isn't something you would do doesn't mean everyone else has to suffer for you to get what you want. I spend a lot of money at Starbucks while I am their 'squatting' or 'mooching off the internet', so I'm going on defense to shoot down all these prejudice arguments about people who do what I do.
hnlworker 11/30/2012 12:45 PM@Coffee Son
If you indeed spend a lot of money while you are "squatting", then you should have no problem with a system that requires you to purchase something every 30 minutes to stay online. This in turn will give Starbucks the revenue stream required to support more bandwidth for its PAYING customers that would include you and would disincentivize the squatters that don't buy anything, but take up space and bandwidth for hours and hours at a time - yes, the true moochers.
Coffee Son 11/30/2012 1:20 PM@hnlworker
In that case, I don't have an issue... Not one bit. But this goes right back to the point made earlier that JCLspkt made... It at one time, had a limit... Before suggesting or supporting a fix, try looking in to the reason why that limitation was removed. It was removed because the time baristas spent producing those 30 minute keys could have been spent making better quality drinks or providing greater service experience to their patrons.
When you take a location that sells over 500 cups of beverages every hour during peak times ... There is no reason to sacrifice time away from being consistent in quality and service experience just to go print up a new key for each of the already 50 seated patrons who are utilizing the wifi service ... every 30 minutes.
This idea of limitation is flawed and produces too many opportunities for mistakes to arise, especially when 30 people who have no clue how to enter this key in have to spend time asking directions from the barista on how to do it.
I have a problem with people who come in, sit down and buy nothing and mooch off the internet, and suck up all that bandwidth. As I said before it is a PUBLIC Buisness... We, as customers and by no means, have any right to deny service to anyone who walks in the door, whether patrons or not, because of our own biased opinions.
So why not come up with a better idea... charge $3.00 for internet service... good for 1 day. Then the Moochers and Squatters you hate so much that don't buy anything will either cough up the $3.00 or go to the nearest Whattaburger or MacDonalds for their internet needs.
Making everyone suffer just because of your biased opinions of someone else sure sounds like an awfull place to go. But I guess that would mean you get to have your comfy cushy seat though, since there won't be very many people there.... the business will dwindle, and oh no... that location shuts down due to lack of business... And please don't tell Me that will not happen because it DID happen. The Starbucks at Grand Boulevard in Destin, FL right next to Publix was shut down for this very reason.
A few people decided they didn't like the patrons who sat there on their kindles and notebooks for hours on end, ones who actually PAID for drinks, and so the store went to 30-minute internet time. In 3 months, the business dwindled to nothing except those few people who complained.
In 5 months, that store closed its' doors permanently - but at least those who complained got to sit in those comfy chairs for a couple days.
Wow... I am utterly appalled at how ignorant some people can be. I guess the next thing they will complain about is people who sit there for hours on end, enjoying a good cup of coffee, and reading a book off their Kindle... and how it interferes with their ability to find a seat so they can sit their asses down...
Cry Me a river and I guarantee you will create an ocean LONG before people with a decent IQ may possibly start to think about caring. Just how self-centered, conceited and selfish does one have to be before they are clinically insane? I really believe that these kinds of people are going to be the ones that bring this country to its' knees ... and I am talking about the ones who are so stereotypical towards other people who chose to do things in a manner that doesn't suit the crying-baby's personal routine, or habits, or beliefs.
Those kinds of people really need to get off their high horse and take a large does of reality.
I can attest that if you ever visit the Destin, FL Starbucks location, you will indeed find my ass sitting in a comfortable cushy chair, with my all-in-one dekstop sitting on the table, and my nose plastered against the screen surfing the internet ... and there will not be any soul in the entire store who will run to your aid when you can't find a seat to sit your ass in. It is a first-come first-serve facility, they offer there service without limitation, and I can guarantee they will not drive away sales just so you can sit down for 15 minutes.
It will be people like you, the stereotypical prejudice self-centered conceited selfish kind, that will cause everyone else, even people like you, to suffer a less than acceptable experience at ANY hospitality business... and if I had my way, you would be the ones limited on service, even more-so than you already think you are.
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