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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that campers in cafes are really, really annoying?

203 replies

LinnettdeBelleforte · 15/01/2025 19:26

By 'campers' I mean people who sit for ages and ages after they have finished their drinks, either talking on the phone or on zoom on their laptops, or just chatting, while other people are wanting to sit down?
I was in a coffee shop today which is quite small and very popular. It's a bit cramped, but beautifully furnished, spotlessly clean, the coffee is great and the staff are lovely, so it's always heaving. I dropped in for a quick one this afternoon to find it heaving, so I said I'd wait for a table. There were four tables of people who were just sitting with empty cups. I waited for ten minutes and was about to give up when finally one couple got up and left. I then grabbed the table, which I shared with two gentlemen who had also been waiting. The woman next to us who had also been camping took the hint after about five minutes and left. I ordered my coffee and drank it over the course of about fifteen minutes. Over that time, one man was sitting on his laptop with an empty mug the whole time, one girl on her phone was the same. People kept coming in and then giving up, I drank up and left. The staff kept looking meaningfully at the campers who just blanked them. If I had been running the place, I would have a notice saying that at busy periods, people are required to vacate the table if they are not ordering.

OP posts:
PoorUncleBarry · 15/01/2025 19:31

That's very poor form from The Campers. I've known some cafes who have had to put signs up stating the allowed duration of a table without a reorder. Some people do take the piss.

LinnettdeBelleforte · 15/01/2025 19:29

Ellmau · 15/01/2025 19:27

The staff need to move non consumers on.

I agree, but I also felt for them because they are really friendly people and the place has a nice vibe. I think management is to blame, they should probably have a sign up. But I also think people are just so bloody rude and inconsiderate. I don't know why they think they are entitled to treat the place as their living room.

OP posts:
Ellmau · 15/01/2025 19:27

The staff need to move non consumers on.