Starbucks clarifies policy on paying customers

Joined
May 6, 2005
Messages
13,135
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
The had a high profile arrest at a Starbucks a few years ago of a couple of people who hadn't bought anything but also weren't being disruptive. They made it an "open door" policy where they weren't going to stop people who hadn't purchased anything, but apparently that's created issues. Personally it sounds more like an issue with mental illness, but I've seen police brought in to places to help eject people who either weren't paying customers or who had stayed too long after making a nominal purchase. I'll admit to staying at a McDonald's for more than the limit on a sign, but for the most part they weren't interested in kicking me out. I've seen people who are obviously there for hours who don't look homeless, and are just nursing a cup of coffee for that time.

79330901-1.jpg


I'm not a Starbucks fan, but I've been to one before on a business meeting held in a public place.

But here's one article on this:

 
some folks were using SB as a place to do buisness. They would meet clients there all day long. people staying longer than usual is why many of them removed the outlets so folks would have nowhere to plug their equipment into .

i am sure they realized that they were losing biz because when folks came in and there was no where to sit , they would just leave.
 
some folks were using SB as a place to do buisness. They would meet clients there all day long. people staying longer than usual is why many of them removed the outlets so folks would have nowhere to plug their equipment into .

i am sure they realized that they were losing biz because when folks came in and there was no where to sit , they would just leave.

This is the real reason Starbucks is so expensive. They're not spending $3 just for the coffee. They're really buying wifi and table access
 
This is the real reason Starbucks is so expensive. They're not spending $3 just for the coffee. They're really buying wifi and table access

They do way more takeout than anything else. The locations with drive-thrus can be crazy with how many people won't get out of their cars to just go inside. Apparently at this point, most of their corporate-wide orders are mobile app or drive-thru.

I remember staying in Manhattan once. It was an expensive room, but had no complimentary in-room coffee. One morning I waited in a long line at the hotel lobby for a $4 cup of coffee. But the next morning I went outside to see what there was in the area and a SB was on the same block, and actually cheaper. Barely a line too. Still not a fan, but it was what I thought it would be. Years ago I'd been to one in Manhattan, and it was well before Starbucks became the absolute behemoth that it is now. I got some coffee and they served it in a glass cappuccino sized cup, along with free refills.
 
If you are at a McDonalds with a time limit, you aren’t in a great neighborhood. The same goes for a Starbucks, etc.

Almost every location had a sign somewhere. But these days it may be placed in a more prominent location with stronger wording. I remember signs were typically behind the cashier.


Not sure how it worked. The biggest issue they might have at McDonald's would be with teenagers, and apparently a lot of seniors. I went to one location where it looked like a regular morning thing for a group of retirees, and they were clearly going to be there longer than 30 minutes.

Still - I guess it could be like Ikea in China.

Managers at the IKEA location in Shanghai complain that many visitors do not even make purchases before settling themselves down in the canteen to socialize with strangers who are there for the same reason.​
Now, IKEA has had enough. The Shanghai cafeteria has announced that anyone who isn't eating iss not allowed to sit in the cafeteria, and accused the senior citizens of belonging to "illegal blind-dating groups" and participating in "uncivilized behavior." Other customers have complained that the large groups of elderly daters have at times spit in the store, and are prone to arguing with one another.​
 
I was kicked out of a McDonalds in a less than desirable part of Louisville a few years ago. I sold my Corolla to a young man who taught at a high school in a rough part of town. The plan was for me to do the cash deal for the car and then hand out at the bookstore across the street until my wife (who was in Lexington visiting a sick relative) could come pick me up. I brought my iPad in a backpack to pass the time.

Unfortunately I discovered soon after accepting $3000 in cash in exchange for the car that the bookstore was closed...and it began to rain. There was a McDonalds a couple of blocks down the street so I walked there and bought a cup of coffee. I discovered I only had $2-3 in small bills and coins and all the rest was $100s, and I didn't want to be flashing those in this neighborhood, so coffee was all I could afford. It never occurred to me to use a credit card, although I don't know if this particular store even accepted them. I was wearing jeans and a hoodie, maybe a fleece jacket and apparently that wasn't dressy enough because after about 45 minutes of nursing my coffee they politely but firmly asked me to move along.

Long story short I spent the next three hours trying to stay out of the rain and not get mugged. I jokingly refer to it as the time I was homeless, but it did in all seriousness give me a new appreciation of how hard life must be for people without resources. I had at least $5k in cash in my pocket, a credit card and a smart phone. And a gun. I could have been in a hotel room in 10 minutes or in an Uber in five, or could have even called a nearby cousin to come take me to her house. I found a bench tucked into a corner of a shopping center that was under an awning, so I stayed there until my wife came to get me. It gave me a bit more sympathy for the people who have no choice but to sleep on those benches.
 
Unfortunately I discovered soon after accepting $3000 in cash in exchange for the car that the bookstore was closed...and it began to rain. There was a McDonalds a couple of blocks down the street so I walked there and bought a cup of coffee. I discovered I only had $2-3 in small bills and coins and all the rest was $100s, and I didn't want to be flashing those in this neighborhood, so coffee was all I could afford. It never occurred to me to use a credit card, although I don't know if this particular store even accepted them. I was wearing jeans and a hoodie, maybe a fleece jacket and apparently that wasn't dressy enough because after about 45 minutes of nursing my coffee they politely but firmly asked me to move along.
That's really strange.

I worked at a Dunkin during high school. I can understand why a franchise such as Starbucks or McDonalds would create rules like this, we had some sketchy characters who would "hang out" in our lobby for hours. It seemed to always be older men by themselves who would stake out in the corner of the lobby near closing time admiring the high school aged female coworkers I had. There were also a few times I had to ask rowdy groups of clearly intoxicated people to keep it down or to leave. I work on a college campus, and while I'm not a frequent Starbucks visitor, the Starbucks on campus rarely has any seats available. It is usually full of college kids with laptops using the wifi, but not many of them have drinks...

Asking someone to leave after 45 minutes who is sipping on a coffee seems a bit extreme though, especially in a rain storm.
 
some folks were using SB as a place to do buisness. They would meet clients there all day long. people staying longer than usual is why many of them removed the outlets so folks would have nowhere to plug their equipment into .

i am sure they realized that they were losing biz because when folks came in and there was no where to sit , they would just leave.
The local one has completely lost my business, for that exact reason. Nowhere to sit. Lots of tables filled with one person clearly being at home.

I am not paying for a coffee to go, but from observation hundreds do.
 
Simple business decision. SB now has the discretion to kick out whoever they want. A metrosexual on a laptop for 2 hours may have the leeway to stay, where some homeless cat with dreds may get the boot after 20 minutes.
No one wants to smell a urine crusted stew bum while patronizing any private business. More garbage from some social engineer trying to control the world. Some of those loafers CAN work, but hey life is good.
 
Elkins45: Was it $3,000 or $5,000?

During rehab, my sister asked me to bring her SB coffee daily, as the institutional coffee was tasteless.
The people using the place as an office clogged the place, imparting a different feel than one would expect in a coffee shop.

In an Upstate NY town, a Walmart opened which included 4 or 5 tables near the deli + prepped food counter.
Immediately, those tables were filled with 450 lb. slobs who hung out there all day long.
The tables were removed and replaced with racks and tables of baked goods.
 
I have used restaurants for business meetings for decades - but of course much more upscale places.

If I know I am going to be much longer than usual, I ask the host or server - I am planning to stay here a couple hours. I am meeting people. Is that OK? I ask before I sit.

I try to do it off peak, whenever possible. 1-3 - no one cares. Noon is a problem.

They often sit me out of the way. Added bonus.

I order lots. I order desert in a to go box. Maybe someone takes, maybe we don't.

I tip really, really well.

Restaurants are almost all owned by owner operators, including franchises, and operate on really thin margins. The fact that some people don't seem to care is just another example of sociopaths in society.
 
That's really strange.

I worked at a Dunkin during high school. I can understand why a franchise such as Starbucks or McDonalds would create rules like this, we had some sketchy characters who would "hang out" in our lobby for hours. It seemed to always be older men by themselves who would stake out in the corner of the lobby near closing time admiring the high school aged female coworkers I had. There were also a few times I had to ask rowdy groups of clearly intoxicated people to keep it down or to leave. I work on a college campus, and while I'm not a frequent Starbucks visitor, the Starbucks on campus rarely has any seats available. It is usually full of college kids with laptops using the wifi, but not many of them have drinks...

Asking someone to leave after 45 minutes who is sipping on a coffee seems a bit extreme though, especially in a rain storm.

Theoretically a manager of a business always has discretion to do allow whatever. My kid had to go to the bathroom really badly and I found myself driving around looking for any place. Finally saw a hotel and my wife and I figured they weren't going to stop a kid from using the bathroom in the lobby.

Once I made the mistake of buying coffee for a homeless guy (who was asking for that) on the way out of a McDonald's. He was polite and I had a deal for a 99 cent "any size" cup. I thought that he just needed a cup of coffee and was going to drink it outside. Once he had it, he was looking for another cup to share the coffee with another homeless guy and wanted to go inside now that he had the cup. However, he smelled OK, probably bathing regularly and doing laundry at local homeless shelters. I don't know how the manager felt about it, but as far as homeless guys went, he wasn't disruptive and his hygiene was OK. But I have no idea how long he spent inside.
 
I have used restaurants for business meetings for decades - but of course much more upscale places.

If I know I am going to be much longer than usual, I ask the host or server - I am planning to stay here a couple hours. I am meeting people. Is that OK? I ask before I sit.

I try to do it off peak, whenever possible. 1-3 - no one cares. Noon is a problem.

They often sit me out of the way. Added bonus.

I order lots. I order desert in a to go box. Maybe someone takes, maybe we don't.

I tip really, really well.

Restaurants are almost all owned by owner operators, including franchises, and operate on really thin margins. The fact that some people don't seem to care is just another example of sociopaths in society.

Starbucks doesn't franchise though. Even the locations in supermarkets and Target stores are directly operated by corporate.

Just recently I was drinking alcohol and wasn't ready to drive home. I found myself in a supermarket waiting for the buzz to wear off. But the most convenient place for me to rest was actually inside their Starbucks section where they had small tables and stools. I also had my items in a basket that I was going to purchase, but hadn't paid for yet. This was kind of late and they had closed, but they didn't put away the stools. Some employees were taking their breaks there and one went back behind the counter for something. But nobody told me that I couldn't be there. But I looked relatively clean.

This particular supermarket used to have tables and benches outside, but those were removed. A few in front, but also to the side. Obviously they were for customers who had bought things like sandwiches or whatever from their deli or sushi counter. But they would have customers stay there for a long time, especially high school aged. And the seating on the side were often taken up by vagrants.
 
This is the real reason Starbucks is so expensive. They're not spending $3 just for the coffee. They're really buying wifi and table access
Exactly, During college or traveling out of town when I am working remotely, it's not the WiFi that matters so much, it is the access to charge your laptop, do some work, and drink coffee or lemonade.

I couldn't care less about using Starbucks only for their coffee or lemonade...

Countless hours spent working or finishing up class work during college, it's the peaceful environment, charging access, and WiFi (used to be, now hotspot is so cheap no point in the WiFi)
 
Back
Top