To think coffee shops should bring back the newspapers

[dottypotter]

Dont go to coffee shops much but always remember they had papers to read while you were in there.

Been going in a few times lately and realised no papers. I asked and they said they dont do them anymore!

Why does everything have to be cut out? Not everyone wants to be playing on their phone? Surely part of a coffee shop is to have a paper?

No i dont want to buy a paper before anyone says? It should be provided? Everything is always taken away. Coffee shops and a newspaper go together!!!

I can imagine there is a few reasons, covid, paper costs, and the extra recycling. Anywhere I go everyone reads their phone with newspaper etc, so not an issue.

I'm pretty sure the Costa near my work has (or at least used to - I haven't been in ages) a rack with copies of the FT. I never picked up because I'm a podcast listener. I have no idea if anyone used to read them.

With Covid still lurking around they would have to put the newspapers on a boil wash after each customer had read them.

It's often the tiny 'extras' that make the difference...

I would reguarly meet some pals for brunch... After that finished.. I'd hang out with an extra coffee til it was time for work.

Now they don't provide the freebie... I don't stay... And tbh I now go to an independent 100m away that does do newspapers.... I really can't be the only one.

It saves me buying one... And with proce increases everywhere I need to ensure it goes as far as poss

Personally I'd much rather sit and read the news on my phone than try and wrestle with a newspaper. Apart from anything else it's updated dynamically through the day, whereas a newspaper is basically yesterday's news. And I can hold it in one hand and drink coffee with the other. I don't miss printed newspapers at all!

My hairdresser has never resumed providing magazines since Covid. It isn’t really a problem, I take a book or download a few magazines on to my iPad.

Yes. I used to love reading the Times in Neros. Really miss it.

Don't you have a Kindle?

As far as I know they were only stopped for covid reasons.

We stopped it when covid hit.
we carried on not buying because we needed to recoup the money lost during lockdown. Same reason we don’t pay window cleaners anymore.

better than none at all

Two papers (not sure which ones these would be) for the whole coffee shop wouldn't be better than 'none at all' when if you arrive they are both being read by other customers. As you wouldn't have a paper to read.

£20 a day saved by not having newspapers (if it is that) is £140 a week or £7000 a year. Given that most people sit looking at phones I don't blame the shop one bit.

I work in a coffee shop..we have daily newspapers and a book swap bookshelf.

You do know that that daft theory was discounted years ago? It's not spread by touch and if you're worried just wash your hands , easy.

Agree I miss the papers, used to provide them at the gym but no longer.

You do know that that daft theory was discounted years ago? It's not spread by touch and if you're worried just wash your hands , easy.

Covid aside I wouldn't want to be touching newspapers or magazines people I don't know have been reading while eating and drinking, but that's just me.

It was a joke! 😂

If you boil wash newspapers they take ages to dry, then you have to iron them only to find all the print has come off, and you have to transcribe all the stories from a pristine copy. It is just too time consuming for cafés etc. to do this, what with staff shortages and everything.

It doesn't mean that they have to provide reading material at cost to them.

They might choose to though? And if that's what your customers want, it's might be good business to.

They don't have to provide tables chairs, wifi, music, central heating, cushions, blankets if outside etc.

As someone who works in retail posts like this make me laugh. I love how important some people think they are because “They are the customers!”

It doesn't cost a lot to buy one yourself or read the news on your phone.

Businesses are struggling at the moment and anything that can be cut will be.

I own a coffee shop and used to provide papers. Stopped during Covid and when I considered re-starting it was the annual cost that stopped me. I didn’t spend £20 a day but it was still hit almost £2k over a year.

Plus, there’s a balance between keeping customers happy and turning over enough business to stay afloat. Encouraging someone to stay for longer (with a free paper) without being able to enforce the purchase of another drink means you run out of space and have to turn customers away.

Odd Post.

If you don't give the customers what they want they will go elsewhere won't they.
Customers are King to a business.

Wouldn't your crown slip off when you bent to read the newspaper?!

Almost everyone has a phone/tablet or laptop then can take to read on. Paper media is dying out.

I imagine coffee shops have worked out the additional income they are likely to get from providing newspapers vs the additional cost from buying them (and cleaning up the resulting paper scraps, fingerprints etc) , plus the revenue lost from people taking up seats by sitting reading the papers for hours over one coffee, and decided it’s not worth it.

99% of customers don’t feel the need to tell us how important they are.
They night make a comment when something changes but rarely do they have to tell us that they are the customers and are very important.
The ones that do are a special breed and strategically avoided. @dottypotter