Starbucks to South Korean customers: Please leave your desktop PCs and printers at home

[Shawn Knight]

Facepalm: Many Starbucks customers can be spotted working or studying on their laptops or tablets while sipping a drink. In South Korea, however, the trend has gotten so out of hand that the company has put up signs nationwide asking customers not to turn cafés into home offices.

According to a recent report from The Korea Herald, Starbucks has banned the use of full-size desktop computers, printers, power strips, and privacy partitions in its South Korean coffee shops. Could you imagine popping in for a quick caffeine boost and seeing someone hammering out a report or even playing a game on a desktop computer?

The publication labeled this sort of clientele "cagongjok," which is a portmanteau of the Korean words "café" and "study tribe" and is most often used to describe people that work or study at coffee shops for extended periods.

The new signs also ask customers to make room for others at shared tables and to take their belongings with them if they plan to step away for an extended period. A representative for Starbucks Korea told The Korea Herald the new policy is designed to help keep stores comfortable for all guests and to reduce the potential for loss or theft.

Photos of workstations have been shared on Korean social media, and they're as ridiculous as they sound.

According to a 2019 estimate from the Korea Foodservice Industry Research Institute, a $3 cup of coffee covers just one hour and 42 minutes of "seat time" before that customer is no longer profitable (remember, they're consuming electricity to power their devices and may even be turning other potential customers away by taking up seat space).

The number of coffee shops in South Korea doubled between 2015 and 2024, and now heavily outnumbers the country's four largest convenience store chains.

It's worth reiterating that Starbucks isn't banning laptops or study sessions, they simply want customers to leave their home office where they belong – at home.

Image credit: Niels Kehl, The Korea Herald

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Starbucks to South Korean customers: Please leave your desktop PCs and printers at home

 

[GodisanAtheist]

The balls on folks bringing in their entire battle station + partitions and such to a cafe.

Always warms the heart to know ridiculous parasitic behavior from clients is universal.

 

[Megalomaniac]

If you give access to virtually any resource free of charge, you're literally asking for this to happen.

WiFi should have maybe a 30 minute limit or 1 hour limit based on the price of the order.

 

[airbornex]

Somewhere in Seoul there’s a guy angrily wheeling his full gaming desktop out of Starbucks wondering why everyone’s glaring at him.

 

[CapNemo72]

If you give access to virtually any resource free of charge, you're literally asking for this to happen.

WiFi should have maybe a 30 minute limit or 1 hour limit based on the price of the order.

In many countries, mobile 5G is unlimited. I pay 35usd/month. I never use any "free" wifi

 

[Megalomaniac]

In many countries, mobile 5G is unlimited. I pay 35usd/month. I never use any "free" wifi

I live in NYC. I own one house in Queens and 1 in Long Island. NYC started erecting Public Wifi poles around the city with excellent 5G access. They made the mistake of also installing 110v outlets and USB ports so people could charge their phones in emergency.

Guess what happened?

We had migrants start camping at the poles, setting up tents on the corners and generally running down the look of the neighborhood.

After numerous complaints, the police got them out of there, but it only goes to show you, that FREE is nice but you can't give away too much. Either that or NIMBY.

 

[MasterMace]

Oh what? I'm sorry, I thought this was America! isn' this America?
[/endmeme]

 

[Draconian]

Cheaper than going to internet cafes, which South Korea has.

 

[MiqWalsh]

Lol! I've seen it all now. Nice to see craziness ain't restricted to the Western world. Full desktop rigs, printers AND privacy partitions? Jeez.....

Miq.

 

[onebignerd]

Unbelievable!! Save yourself all the time and money and make your own coffee at home. Never understood the attraction to Starbucks!

 

[FaTaL]

If you give access to virtually any resource free of charge, you're literally asking for this to happen.

WiFi should have maybe a 30 minute limit or 1 hour limit based on the price of the order.

this is the dumbest suggestion ever read.

 

[acrossthestars]

From Google Translate,

"Guide to comfortable use of the store

At tables that accommodate multiple people, please yield your seat to other customers.

Personal desktops, printers, power strips, partitions, etc. cannot be used in the store.

When you leave your seat for an extended period of time, please make sure to take your belongings with you to ensure smooth use of your seat."


Are internet cafes too expensive? Or is this the work of scammers, because people talking in the background provides the illusion of a busy call center?

 

[toooooot]

If you give access to virtually any resource free of charge, you're literally asking for this to happen.

WiFi should have maybe a 30 minute limit or 1 hour limit based on the price of the order.

I used to get drinks at a Starbucks in my area. But when they limited parking lot to 15 minutes max, I stopped going there. Limits need to have limits too. Their drinks are damn expensive. The only limit (which I assume has happened globally) I do not criticize is their stores putting locks on the bathrooms. People always used Starbucks stores as public bathrooms. This was not right. So they locked them and did the right thing.

 

[toooooot]

Someone should tell the dumb South Koreans to make your coffee at home... save some money and have a better quality coffee than crappy Starbucks...!

You can't run all the way back to your home on a break. Meanwhile, starbucks is across the street.

 

[Win7user]

Brings, new meaning to the word, arrogance or Gen Z ...

 

[ZedRM]

Crazy people! They deserve to be kicked out!