Starbucks has so far refused to comment on the stories that are circling the blogosphere, however many have suggested that it is part of a trend by café owners sick of so-called ‘laptop loungers’ who spend all day in an establishment.
Many in the creative and media industries have taken to using cafes in lieu of renting office space.
Without access to an electrical outlet laptop users can only work as long as their battery life allows, which is generally 1.5 to 2 hours.
Time magazine wrote: “At Starbucks, there are laptop users, and then there are those laptop users. The ones who spread all their papers out and stay for hours on end, turning a coffee shop table into their makeshift cubicle.’’
Meanwhile on the Starbucks gossip site ‘Charles’ wrote: “I manage a B&N cafe and we have about 16 tables and a bar with stools which seats about 45 people total. Our cafe is always full of friendly people actually talking with each other, reading books, and enjoying a latte and maybe a slice of cheesecake. How is this possible you ask? We have one outlet…period.”
Another anonymous user of the site wrote: “If you are one of those people who uses Starbucks as their office, sits in a store for 8+ hours a day, putting all your files on a table, using a separate chair for your laptop case/ suitcase enjoying unlimited free refills with your Starbucks card, asking for cups of water and refuse to move until you are good and ready all for the USD1.85 you pay as ‚’rent’,’ then perhaps your actions will answer your questions [about covering the outlets].”
Editor’s notes: Whilst there were various reports that Starbucks did cover its outlets, the company neither confirmed nor denied whether this had been an official practice.
According to this article on Laptop Flow, the average laptop, as of March 2023, lasted 6 – 8 hours for regular workflow.