Slashdot Mirror
A Coffeeshop's Weekends Without Wi-Fi
Glenn Fleishman writes "Victrola Cafe and Art in Seattle is a popular coffeeshop that offers free Wi-Fi--except on the weekends. In an experiment, the cafe started shutting down its Wi-Fi network on Saturdays and Sundays after watching their culture erode: the shop became full (and was turning away customers) with six-to-eight hour Wi-Fi squatters, many of whom didn't even purchase anything. Their second Sunday without Wi-Fi was one of their best revenue days in some time. I don't propose a Wi-Fi (or free Wi-Fi) backlash, but it's interesting how with some time under their belt, the clash of inward facing technology and outward facing culture hit these particular entrepreneurs' limit."
2. ???? -> Take away WiFi
3. Profit!
There's quite a few ways to get rid of Wi-Fi geeks:
Firstly, open the curtains, turn on the lights, and turn the aircon up above 20 degrees C. Do this every hour on the hour and the shop will clear to cries of "Nooooo, the Day Star!"
Alternatively, confuse them by putting herbal sleep powder in the coffee and cola. They'll feel more drowsy, so buy more cola and coffee. Problem solved. Every few purchases, give them one infused with Penguin Mints (for added caffeine)
Contribute to the online videogame encyclopedia: GamerWiki
Oh how sad! They lost their regular clientele of pot-smoking hippies who have nothing better to do than sit around in coffee shops, talking about how much they hate America and love Socialism.
Stay in Capitol Hill, faggots. That way we can fence you in when you get too out of control.
Wanting to turn a perfectly good internet cafe into a coffee shop!
For every present, there is a past
They can't do that. Internet access WANTS to be free. It's evil to force people to pay for something of value.
The world will be a much better place when everyone gets everything they want for free. These "businesspeople" are just greedy bastards who are trying to opress the masses.
And what's this with paying for the coffee? I don't have to pay for my coffee at work, so why should I have to pay for the coffee at the coffee shop? Coffee wants to be free, too.
Anyone who opposes the Open Coffee and Open Wi-Fi movement is clearly a slave of Bill Gates. They must be stopped. Someone should do something about them. Me, I'm too busy looking for free broadband internet access to liberate my mp3s, movies, and software.
I hate it when I make a joke and I get modded "+5 insightful". Mod the stupid comments "funny", not "insightful", pleas
I'm not a big famous coffeeshop but I have my share of customers. Even though I like to occasionally surf the web to see if I can chat with other coffeeshops (it's lonely being a coffeeshop), it's really affected my self-esteem. I feel very used, like people forgot why I'm here (hint: coffee, you idiot!). I suppose they were always here just because of some or other product, I felt like I was a part of giving coffee to my customers, via my slav..employees. Now they just come to hook up and tune out. I'm left watching the little lights on the router flash. I'm tempted to pour coffee in their fucking laptops, but pulling the plug on their connection has made them realize that I do matter and that I am in control.
the yuppie leechers go out and spend $120 on a spare battery... to save fifty cents on a cup of coffee.
Leeching, it's not just an activity, it's a way of life.