It's by far my favorite "coffee shop." Your tax dollars at work.
The biggest thing is to remember that you're in a place of business. If you're going to take their space, buy something, tip well, and be courteous to the people around you.
A netiquette for coffee shops, I wholeheartedly agree.
I work at coffee shops a lot; I keep sitting there when I can see there are plenty of empty tables - that means my sitting there is a net positive for the Cafe: I might consume more, and often do. And having customers is better than having none, it attracts other people.
If I see that many customers are coming and that I might actually block people from getting a table, I leave.
Only exceptions is Starbucks because its a huge chain and they have always had an official sit as long as you want policy which has worked out very well for them. I am not sure about the actual business trade off but I often end up at Starbucks because I know I can sit there as long as I want - this business might otherwise have gone to independents. I realize though that what works for a large chain might not work for the coffee shop on the corner.
On the other hand I can relate to the concept of doing good by those whom you rely on, a symbiotic relationship and what not. That's a very pro-society thing and I suppose that's respectable.
If you act considerately and don't cause problems (like occupying space when you are not spending) then this is less likely to happen, so there is certainly a degree of self interest.
In turn, they _like_ having me around. I've sold old hardware to one, gotten novel draft feedback from another, and have plans for a weekly anime get-together with another. That, and I even get plenty of free drinks!
Most businesses did't seem to mind people hanging out, makes the place look busier I guess. I figure as long as there are other empty seats I'm not in anyone's way. That said, if I did it again I'd probably tip a lot more than I had been tipping.
As for getting stuff done, if you find a coffee shop where people are working / studying, its great.
I have worked remotely from SE Asia for the past 8 years; Id go to visit clients in the USA two times a year and they would give me a cubicle in Palo Alto. I really enjoyed the company of my co workers, all great folks and it was great to see them face to face after IM ing them for 6 months. But to get actual work done, Id go outside and sit in a Coffee Shop...
The article is spot on about the downsides of working remotely - the biggest issues are routine, discipline, and communication.
What it does not mention are the downsides of working in the office: - Distractions by chatting with friends - Distractions by meetings - Lack of discipline because they pay you to warm your chair for 8 hours. If i am in the office, its work time - obviously. When I work remotely the only way to prove I was actually working is getting shit done.
I much prefer working from a quiet corner of the public library. The tables are larger (or you can get a private study carrel if you really need to focus), it's quiet, and I can browse the shelves when I need a break. As an added bonus, the wifi connection is often better (fewer people sharing)
But what if there's plenty of seating, and they're working off of their own internet? Are they still jerks?
If you buy a cup of coffee, no one bats an eye if you stay all morning. If you head out to get lunch and then come back without buying another cup obviously that's pretty tacky, but all AM or all afternoon is normal.
In Australia coffee shops rarely provide wifi. We've never been moved on but there's only so much you can do without a net connection.
In most of south east Asia in particular they're generally not phased by you sitting there for hours and hours. We avoid anywhere super busy which probably helps.
My wife and I will buy something periodically because we get hungry but the cost is usually minimal. A breakfast each, two fruit shakes mid morning, 2 lunches. Total cost usually less than $15.
As we're quite smiley friendly people and my wife is a woman, duh, and people often feel more comfortable talking to a woman we've wound up forming a bit of a relationship with the staff at some places. We've had the occasional free drink or snack, had staff worried about our welfare because we didn't show up one day, had staff taking it upon themselves to provide us with an extension cord so we could recharge our stuff while sitting at a table with a nice view, hugs all round when we drop in to say that we're leaving town. We've had masses of positive experiences and I can't really think of when we've encountered anything more negative than an unreliable net connection.
How does that work out financially? I imagine they aren't too pleased if you just buy a coffee and then occupy space for 5 hours.
But I don't really want to spend a fortune on excessive caffeine consumption and $5 bagels.