Annoyed at people who hog tables at Costa/Starbucks etc? Especially when no longer eating or drinking!

[JellyDiamonds]

This morning I popped into my local branch of Costa, it was very busy and there were hardly any seats. What annoyed me was the number of people who had obviously finished eating and drinking and were still sat there hogging tables. Surely when you've finished you get up and go and let someone else sit down? They could clearly see how busy it was.

Eventually I found a small table in a corner and next to me was a man with a laptop in front of him, he had a table that was obviously meant for four all to himself and there were papers and stuff all spread out everywhere on it. He didn't have a coffee or any food on the table, and was sat there, seemingly oblivious, typing into his laptop.

Now he may have had a coffee or drink, that he'd finished and the staff had cleared up but surely if you've finished you either get another drink or go? It was very busy and there were people wandering up and down looking for somewhere to sit. If you want to go somewhere to use your laptop go to a fucking library not a place when people go to eat and drink?

There was also two other men sat on another massive table, obviously having some kind of business meeting with a laptop and spreadsheets and god knows what else spend out. Although they did at least have coffees.

AIBU to think the people are selfish? And why the hell would you have a business meeting in a Costa anyway?! I drank my drink and went after about 29 minutes and these men were still sat there hogging tables.

YANBU

YABU! How ridiculous. I find it very sad that you want everyone to go at your pace. People are entitled to relax. God, the cost of a Starbucks, I reckon I'm entitled to sit as long as I want.

YABU sometimes I go to the cafe for the express purpose of escaping from the office. I might stay until my next meeting. I reckon that part of the expensive price you pay in those places includes 'rent' for the table.

Lapdog I like the idea of a cafe in the middle of the desert.

I think that's the business model Starbucks and costa work too. I often go to one of them and stay for three or four hours whilst working. But I also order two or three coffees
In that time and a snack and probably lunch as well. So they may not have had any turnover on my table but I will have spent plenty over the time I am there.

MrsSquirel :) with apologies for desert/dessert misspelling. Obviously my phone is far more used to autocorrecting to 'dessert'.

Oh bums, Squirrel had two Rs.

Precise timing.

YANBU. DH is always telling me I should go to Nero to do my work....I work at home. I'd feel SO uncomfortable using it as an office!

YABU. With the extortionate prices at costa and Starbucks I do not want to be thrown out 10 minutes after sitting down when I have finished my lukewarm coffee and overpriced sandwich. I expect to be able to sit and read/have a break without someone harassing me out of my seat the second I put my cup down.

I think YABU, sorry. I love nothing more that getting a coffee and reading for an hour or so. This is usually in either our local Costa or independent book cafe. If I was more than an hour I would probably purchase another drink but I wouldn't take to kindly to being forced into it!

You'd hate it when my friends and I get together - we can be in costa hours chit chatting.

Yabu.

I think YABU. If I'm paying fifty times over the odds for a cup of coffee, then I'll damn well sit there and get my money's worth.

I'm afraid thats the whole point of paying Coata's ridiculous prices, it gives you the right to MN through DDs gymnastics or this week to leave DD1(16) rereading HP because she has broken her toe and couldnt face limping round Tesco.

Lol I was thinking the same as SaucyJack .

I've only been in Costa once. The hot chocolate I had cost a bomb and tasted hideous so I don't really understand Costa's popularity.

I love the "about 29 minutes".

Give or take 30 seconds, presumably.

Precision!

Costa and Starbucks have a business model that encourages people to go there to work or have meetings or baby groups. It works for them. Somebody on a laptop ok me will buy a number of drinks cakes over an hour or two.
This is the only reason I use these chains rather than independents. In independents it seems to be more "drink up and go". I have NEVER gone to a coffee shop cause I desperately need to neck a coffee - I go to read of work or chat with a friend.

I actually think YANBU!

In our area it is really bad, on at least three separate occasions in a chain and an independent coffee place I have chosen to drink/drink and eat elsewhere as there were no spare tables for myself & friend while others were occupying a whole table for at 3-4 people and it was obvious they had finished their drinks ages ago yes obvious it was ages ago too. Must be very painful for those trying to keep a business going these days and yes difficult for those who have no office to work in or are so lonely working from home they have to go to cafe just to get to hear strangers voices.

if going for a coffee causes you so much stress and anger you need to rethink how you want to live your life.

really, this is no way to live! just go somewhere else, or have a coffee to go. simple.

It can be mildly annoying but nevertheless Yabu. If you look in the window and there are no tables its easier and less stress to move on - skip the coffee or find an alternative coffee shop. You'll shorten your life otherwise!

I work in London admittedly, but if there weren't any tables in one coffee shop, I wouldn't have to go more than a minute in any direction to find another. I love coffee, it makes getting through the day work for me except if I have too many and can't sleep

You'd hate me twice then. I sit long after my coffee is finished looking at books I am not going to buy, in the Costa's in Waterstones.

I do it every time I go in there. I hog a table for hours. And I make all the books I look at effectively second hand too!

An older gentleman took me to task for this once. I was really happy when the bookshop manager came over to give me another book (one I had ordered and was buying), she smiled at him, he went away.

Sitting for hours using the facilities is what they invite you to do. YBAU.

Joyous, 'there were no spare tables for myself & friend while others were occupying a whole table for at 3-4 people and it was obvious they had finished their drinks ages ago'.

In this scenario the obvious thing to do is ask politely if you can share a table. People IMO will either willingly 'shove up' so you can sit there, or say 'Yes' through gritted teeth and move/leave shortly thereafter. Works out either way.

museumum, I don't really find that about independents. I feel comfortable loitering in them too (unless it's really busy). Maybe I've just got an elephant's hide but they never seem to mind.

it is different in places where there's table service though. It's harder to loiter in those.

I love it that places here aren't so uptight about moving people on. In New York, it really did my head in that having a table meant constantly eating or drinking and if you'd finished you got the bill and that was it. Felt like everything came down to money. No doubt it still comes down to money here as Costa have calculated it - presumably the repeat business of having people working in your cafe all day beats the one-off coffee popper-inners - but I prefer the general laidback vibe and very rarely find that there's no tables. In London branches where I've had meetings, there's usually 'more seating downstairs' with loads of extra tables.

YABU, what you describe keeps these selfish idiots away from the general populace.