One the most important feature a coffee shop owner would like to have in their business is a fast wireless connection that they can offer to their customers. It was suppose to attract clients and make them patronize even expensive products, which is what profit-oriented enterprises are aiming for.
The obvious drawbacks are definitely the long turnovers as customers continue to spend more time even if they ordered only one pastry for a 4-hour stay and promotion of anti-social presence in public places as everyone tries to keep others off.
However, one small Vermont bakery and coffee shop is going against the traditional trend and decided to render all laptops and tablets virtually Wi-Fi free. The owners of August First Bakery and Cafe also prepared for possible wavering support of those who rely on online connection most of their lives.
Jodi Whalen and Phil Merrick, the wife and husband who own the bakery, believed that people who hung out with their laptops spent less money and more time in their establishment.
As they told the Guardian: "When we were dreaming of what August First will be – will it be this place with seven people staring at their screens? Or would it be a place where people come to see people they know, chitchat, laugh?"
Whalen said that she was so nervous about the ban that a bald patch appeared on her head. However, after first instituting a three-hour hiatus at lunchtime, she discovered that the 'unconnectedness' of her establishment was making more profits. She reports a year-on-year average 10 percent increase in sales, twice the previous increase.
On their Facebook page, the owners say they believe they succeeded because they went all the way: "Our story is getting attention because we've made our bakery a place where people can't use laptops and tablets, even without accessing the Internet."
Not everyone is delighted by the policy. "People are generally apologetic and respectful of our policy," Whalen told me. "Occasionally, and understandably, there are people who are disappointed and sometimes angry about the policy, mostly because their plans to work in our space have been thwarted. Fortunately, there's a lovely coffee shop just two blocks away that has plenty of space, Wi-Fi, and outlets. And fantastic coffee too."
Still, slip along to Yelp and you'll read reviews such as: "Their laptop free policy was somewhat haughtily announced to me by a staff member who insisted I pack it away. I felt like I was on an airliner."
Oh, but surely this reviewer at least had more legroom.
This view was countered, however, by another Yelper: "Kudos to August First for its policy of being a 'laptop and tablet free' bakery. My visit was part of my vacation and not being surrounded by the laptop army made my time all the more relaxing."
Once upon a time, certain Starbucks – especially in New York – thought they'd try a similar policy of moving the laptop loungers along by covering up power outlets. Those days seem long gone. Perhaps Starbucks couldn't find a commercial justification and decided to make its coffee shops permanent hotspots for hipsters and hirers.
But for August First, putting humanity and profit first appears to work too.
The obvious drawbacks are definitely the long turnovers as customers continue to spend more time even if they ordered only one pastry for a 4-hour stay and promotion of anti-social presence in public places as everyone tries to keep others off.
However, one small Vermont bakery and coffee shop is going against the traditional trend and decided to render all laptops and tablets virtually Wi-Fi free. The owners of August First Bakery and Cafe also prepared for possible wavering support of those who rely on online connection most of their lives.
Jodi Whalen and Phil Merrick, the wife and husband who own the bakery, believed that people who hung out with their laptops spent less money and more time in their establishment.
As they told the Guardian: "When we were dreaming of what August First will be – will it be this place with seven people staring at their screens? Or would it be a place where people come to see people they know, chitchat, laugh?"
Whalen said that she was so nervous about the ban that a bald patch appeared on her head. However, after first instituting a three-hour hiatus at lunchtime, she discovered that the 'unconnectedness' of her establishment was making more profits. She reports a year-on-year average 10 percent increase in sales, twice the previous increase.
On their Facebook page, the owners say they believe they succeeded because they went all the way: "Our story is getting attention because we've made our bakery a place where people can't use laptops and tablets, even without accessing the Internet."
Not everyone is delighted by the policy. "People are generally apologetic and respectful of our policy," Whalen told me. "Occasionally, and understandably, there are people who are disappointed and sometimes angry about the policy, mostly because their plans to work in our space have been thwarted. Fortunately, there's a lovely coffee shop just two blocks away that has plenty of space, Wi-Fi, and outlets. And fantastic coffee too."
Still, slip along to Yelp and you'll read reviews such as: "Their laptop free policy was somewhat haughtily announced to me by a staff member who insisted I pack it away. I felt like I was on an airliner."
Oh, but surely this reviewer at least had more legroom.
This view was countered, however, by another Yelper: "Kudos to August First for its policy of being a 'laptop and tablet free' bakery. My visit was part of my vacation and not being surrounded by the laptop army made my time all the more relaxing."
Once upon a time, certain Starbucks – especially in New York – thought they'd try a similar policy of moving the laptop loungers along by covering up power outlets. Those days seem long gone. Perhaps Starbucks couldn't find a commercial justification and decided to make its coffee shops permanent hotspots for hipsters and hirers.
But for August First, putting humanity and profit first appears to work too.
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