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Starbucks in Korea asks customers to stop bringing in printers/desktop computers

fortune.com

11–20 of 280 posts

Re: Starbucks in Korea asks customers to stop bringing in printers/desktop computers

#11
post #9

The solution is to bring back cybercafes, or cafes which were set up up to go online. Such culture existed in the 90s but was then ended by the widespread online accessibility by home ADSL and later mobile internet. https://www.vice.com/en/article/worlds-first-ever-cyber-cafe...

South Korea has many pc cafes, so called pc bangs / pc방, and there are also many study cafes where you can work for long periods.

Re: Starbucks in Korea asks customers to stop bringing in printers/desktop computers

#13
post #2

Seems like an opportunity for a coworking-lite space -- rent a seat/desk spot for 1 hour blocks.

There's already a large offering of such spaces in Korea. You have cafes where you can bring your laptop and work in peace, there's pc cafes / pc bangs which are more for gaming but provide a desktop, there are places where you can rent co-working spaces or spaces for co-working that you can use with a membership.

Re: Starbucks in Korea asks customers to stop bringing in printers/desktop computers

#14
post #9

The solution is to bring back cybercafes, or cafes which were set up up to go online. Such culture existed in the 90s but was then ended by the widespread online accessibility by home ADSL and later mobile internet. https://www.vice.com/en/article/worlds-first-ever-cyber-cafe...

The 'problem' with those for remote workers is that you pay per minute/hour in a cybercafe - in a normal coffee shop you can just nurse one coffee for hours and pay a single low cost (and get a coffee).

I can't remember the name of it now but back in 2010s there was an 'OK' managed drop-in office space you could rent for £10 a day in central London - which came with free coffee and printing - I haven't looked at the prices lately.

Re: Starbucks in Korea asks customers to stop bringing in printers/desktop computers

#18
post #2

Seems like an opportunity for a coworking-lite space -- rent a seat/desk spot for 1 hour blocks.

Isn’t that how most coworking spaces work already? I’ve worked from a lot of them, and it always worked like that: I check in when I arrive in the morning, and when I check out at the end of the day, I pay for the number of hours I have spent there (often capped to a maximum of 5 hours or so, even if I stay longer).

Re: Starbucks in Korea asks customers to stop bringing in printers/desktop computers

#19
post #15

Or maybe Starbucks should install a common printer with a fee? The large items policy still makes sense, though

That will ruin them at $1,500 to $2,000 per litre of ink...

They could provide Starbucks branded ink of which 95% of the cost is licensing fees which they pay out tax-free to themselves.

Re: Starbucks in Korea asks customers to stop bringing in printers/desktop computers

#20

People bring printers to Starbucks… really ? I’m kind of surprised it feels like an abuse to me o_O it would never cross my mind

South Korea is cyber café country. If you open a café there, people expect some specific services.

I guess the fact people come with PCs and printer is a way to demonstrate how they don't want this part of US culture and would like to keep theirs. So either adapt and start offering PC bang in South Korea or go home.

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