Mobile Users Plug-in Anywhere They Can

jasonla writes "The New York Times looks at mobile technology users who leech power from restaurant and airport outlets while on the road. The article looks at the habits and 'culture' of people who use portable devices -- such as laptops, iPods and cellphones -- and what the businesses think of power hungry customers." As interesting as the phenomena of customers leeching power from the businesses they frequent is the self-imposed etiquette of many users.

Comments

what about the other leachers?

[RMH101]

people who use a businesses' air, light and even gravity?

Re:what about the other leachers?

[kfg]

You've been modded offtopic, but I'll support you in this, at least up to a point.

The fact is that restaurants arn't really in the food industry, they are in the entertainment and hospitality industry. Food just happens to be a major part of their entertainment and hospitality offerings, but not even necessarily the biggest part.

Being treated well by the staff is very important and part of the atmosphere and ammenities that people go to a restaurant for (otherwise they could just go buy a bunch of bananas and chunck of cheese from a local mart, for a fraction the price).

Electricty, in the form of lighting, TV sets, radios, video games and other necessaries are part of parcel of the ammenities they offer that people go there for. Now those ammenities include a place to plug in your laptop. It isn't "leeching," it's what they are there for, and paying for.

Dear restaurant industry. Your custormer's needs are changing. Give them what they want. Tack a stupid quarter onto the bill if it makes you feel better.

Those of you that fucking cope will turn out to be the winners.

KFG

Re:what about the other leachers?

[wernercd]

Hooking lights up to your neighbors? You need new neighbors if they charge you for coming over then.

That analogy is baloney. If I got down to starbucks and want to use my computer while drinking their coffee or hot coco, how is it stealing when I pay to use their premises? If it costs more for them to operate because of this, then they should raise their prices.

Two companies: Company A lets me use their outlets, Company B don't. Company A gets my buisness and my money. It's not like pirating a game and the company don't get paid.

stealing... pffft... Not when I'm buying stuff from there. If they don't want my buisness then they can remove/cover the outlets and I'll speak with my money.

Re:what about the other leachers?

[TheLoneCabbage]

dig it brother:

I spent 20 years doing everything in resteraunts from cleaning toilets to managing.

Now I was never fond of customers who would sit there smoking for 4hrs after their meal. But I'd kill to keep those bar flies stuck to their stools for another 2 beers.

When the vote came up to ban smoking in public places in Florida, every resteraunt owner (not the bars)was tripping over him/herself to pass it (one resteraunt couldn't do it, cause smokers would leave, but if they all did it at the same time.. It's not just cause we were tired if scrubbing tar off the ceilngs, or it stinking the place up. It was that smokers hands and mouths are bussy as they smoke. There for there is nothing for them to buy. And they are still sucking up space, air, and waitresses.

Now some guy on a laptop is a different matter all together. They take frequent breaks, and are continuously buying coffee, and snacks.

In one case we had a russian buisness man (I kid you not) called Borris. He made us his office. From 10am till 7pm he was there every day. Yelling and cursing on his cellphone, playing his game boy, and pounding at his note book. He must have been into us for $75 a day. We made the food and coffee to order for him. We named a sandwich after him. We added an espresso machine for him. (ok so other customers drank the espresso too). Borris is not that unusuall, especialy with the Starbucks example. And what ever it took to make him happy we did, because we never would spend more than he did.

Electricity is cheap. And 10 laptops will cost me less than running 1 big screen TV.

It's not stealing, if your a patron. If you come in, clog the toilet, juice your laptop, and don't leave a single cent behind, then your a leach. But your in the minority, by far. It's worth it.

Re:what about the other leachers?

[Thuktun]

Dear restaurant industry. Your custormer's needs are changing. Give them what they want. Tack a stupid quarter onto the bill if it makes you feel better.

This is true of more than the restaurant industry. More and more consumer-facing industries are turning on their own customers because the customers are behaving different from what they like or expect.

Some examples that jump out at me:

• RIAA and MPAA suing small-time copyright infringers instead of changing their business models to cater to digerati.
• Best Buy leading the way in its sector by trying to exclude the 20% of its customers that they find troublesome.

I'm sure there are some I'm forgetting, but I'm just now consuming my morning caffeine.

Re:what about the other leachers?

[homer_ca]

"Starbucks is in the business of providing gourmet coffee bean derivatives in a seemingly up-scale environment"

Actually Starbucks follows the tradition of European cafes where you can buy a fancy coffee drink and sit as long as you want to read, socialize or whatever, like a non-alcoholic bar. American restaurants follow more the food service model, and they're more likely to hurry you out after you've finished eating (or at a bar clear away your empties and ask if you want more drinks). One European commented that the waitresses in bars are nice and attentive because they keep coming back to ask if we're OK. I had to explain "Are you OK?" really means "Do you need more drinks?". :-)

Leeching????

[Herby Werby]

They don't bat an eye at helping yourself to serviettes or sugar but a little juice gets a 'leeching' tag?

It's not leeching

[nucal]

If I'm having an overpriced cup of coffee at Starbucks and paying for WiFi, they damn well better let me plug in ...

Blown-Air Hand Driers: enough juice for...

[ScentCone]

what, 50 laptops? The point is, public-ish facilities that want or depend on public traffic don't lose much by being accommodating, and no doubt generate some good will among the lithium-ion set. The guy that uses a lot more paper towels or flushes twice in a public bathroom is chewing up a LOT more overheard than the lady who's trickle-charging her laptop (let alone her cellphone).

I'd say the bigger cost is the risk of liability when one Starbucks customer trips over the power cord of another customer's laptop. You know, the one the user has stretched from the pillar in the middle of the room over to his table, where he's /.ing

Re:Two things.

[kjamez]

i'd say (without RingTFA) that a lot of the concern is just that you do sit there and drink only 2 coffee's in a hour. at 3 pounds/euros/dollars, it's not that same as if it was a bottomless cup of drip brew for 1 euro/dollar/pound. you are taking up a whole seat, but probably actually taking up a whole booth with your papers and laptop ... a booth that could better accomodate 3 people each buying 3 euro coffee's and only planning on staying for their cigarette, and going back to their workplace.

i have a hard time believing that shops are concerned with the minimal ammounts of power cellphones and laptop requires, but when you camp out with them waiting for your device to power up fully, you are costing them 'geniune' revenue (unless you are producing it for them, by having a meal over that span of your two hours).

personally, not being able to smoke in coffee shops (most, in america i've found, especially the west [i call it the 'left'] coast) prevents me from spending any real ammount of time in them (20 minutes for two coffee's, and probably only one to go) ...

it's the same reason mcdonald's chairs are so uncomfortable: they don't want you there. not just you (the geek with the laptop), anyone. they want you to drive through, or eat and get the hell out, cause more people could be sitting there ...

It's a bit of a fuss about nothing. Quote: "Somebody's got to pay for that electricity." Yes, the customer. They might say "if everybody came in and did it..." well, for 12 hours, there are 10 people drawing 100W, that's 12kWh, that's about 70p for the day. Boohoo.

again, not about the electricity: and 40 pounds/hr lost to the booth(s) lost by people camping and treating a restaurant as a workplace.

now i fully appreciate all the wifi spots about, and places like that are fully EXPECTING people to stay put for a few hours (hourly wifi access), but shops with less than 15 chairs are not making a fortune (or possibly even survivng) by having you work in a corner all afternoon.

Yes, they pay for other things, including air

[marcus]

Restaurants definitely pay for their air.

The air you breathe is processed, filtered, temperature and humidity regulated. That costs money and customers are people who are willing to pay for "atmosphere" which usually does include special lighting.

They pay for water, for toilets, for square footage.

That gravity that's holding your ass to the seat, that's called "real estate". Underneath your fat ass is dirt and that is where the gravity comes from.

What's so far off the mark? Another poster noted that restaurants are in the service industry, not the food industry. He is exactly on target. Power is just another potential service that they can market just like any utility(service) company. Hell, they could even improve the power and advertise "uninterruptible" for a premium if they thought there was a market for it.

Re:Turnabout is fair play...

[AK Marc]

For everyone who thinks this is OK, how about putting an extension cord out your window and publishing your address.

When I walk into someone's house with my laptop, I immediately plug it in. They don't mind. They invited me into their home, and use of all the facilities (bathrooms and power plugs included). When I'm invited into a business, I'm also given free use of the restrooms, so why not the power outlets as well? Use of the restroom is much greater cost than plugging in a laptop for the duration of my stay.

When you invite people into your house, do you charge them to use the bathroom? Do you charge them to get a glass of water? Would you charge them to plug in a cell phone? If so, you must not have any friends, if not, why would you expect to be treated more poorly when invited in by a business?