Fed up with drinking coffee in other people’s offices.

[canyouseemyhousefromhere]

That’s what it feels like lately. I popped in for a coffee in a local coffee shop and was surrounded by four separate people working with laptops, headphones and piles of paperwork talking loudly to ‘clients’ . No food or drink in sight. I have just heard one of them invite 2 people to a meeting in this cafe, he’s busy arranging chairs (carrying them across the cafe) as I type.
I have no particular problem to people working in coffee shops but some are really taking the p now.
They often take the best tables and are now frequently causing a nuisance. I have seen two groups of shoppers change their minds whilst in the queue not sure if it’s because of the office people or just coincidence.
Is there also a confidentiality issue here perhaps? A list with personal information was clearly in view on the table.
Does anyone else feel fed up with this or am I just being a misery? 🤷‍♀️

As someone who could work from coffee shops myself if I wanted, I have to say that it kills the vibe for me. Like selfishly maybe, I just don’t want to be reminded of work when I’m going for a coffee. Some of them get in early and bag the best tables with views for hours upon end also even though they’re not even taking advantage of them. And it’s just depressing looking up and seeing a sea of hunched over silhouettes!

Never mind gaining weight WFH, if I worked sitting in the local coffee shop I'd soon not be able to get through the door with all the coffees and snacks I'd be buying to justify sitting there. Would probably go broke from it too.

I think I'd rather sit next to that than a table of noisy kids, but surely we should all just be able to mix in together and be tolerant of others

I’ve only ever worked in a coffee shop once and it was because the air conditioning was broken in our office and we were having building work done at home that day. It was awful, so uncomfortable sat there for hours in those sorts of chairs, can’t imagine doing it regularly. I did avoid doing almost any calls whilst there as I genuinely felt embarrassed about doing it so publicly. I also made sure to buy a few drinks whilst there so I wasn’t just taking up space

Thats just it though! A lot of them like working from coffee shops! Also remember that some are students also for some reason hogging coffee shop space rather than being on their libraries!

I avoid laptop cafes. I've found one where people don't do this. Much better.

There is a cafe near my work which has recently put up a sign in the window to say that from noon all customers must order food. I wonder if this is a consequence of people hogging tables for hours on end nursing a single coffee.

This is always my thought! We once sat in a coffee shop listening to a man with a booming voice deliver a presentation in corporate strategy and their plans to beat the competition. I was sorely tempted to tell him that I worked for the competition as we left. So unprofessional.

I've occasionally worked in a coffee shop when I've had appointments out in the community and an hour or so to kill between them. I don't make any calls beyond maybe calling someone to book an appointment though, and use the time to quietly write up client contact sessions, catch up on emails etc. And I make sure I'm where my screen isn't visible to other customers.

I believe you did this in your head.

Would it be ok to do my ironing there? I would buy a coffee.

I think an iron might burn someone, no?

Our high street is now coffee shops, vape shops, nail bars, bubble tea. If people didn't work in the coffee shops there are no other people in the city to frequent them as most shoppers are either in out of town shopping centres (thanks to high parking prices and lack of choice of shops on the high street) or shopping online.

Are people allowed to do work on their phones? Or a wee ipad?

YABU.

I regularly work from my local coffee shop on my WFH days. I will buy coffees etc., tip the staff well and they don't mind it. If you don't like it, you are free to go to another coffee shop.

Agree. All I'll say is don't sit there for hours with one coffee. I always buy lunch or several drinks.

Same here. Valid point.

Use this chance to quit the expensive habit of regularly buying overpriced coffee in coffee shops. I get what you mean, but if I'm paying £6+ for a coffee, I want to be able to enjoy it in the shop without disturbing working people around me. You can't change other people's ways, but you can choose to not spend your hard-earned money in businesses that don't make an effort to make their space comfortable for everyone.

As someone who has managed a cafe, it’s really difficult. Sometimes they’re problematic - taking up a lot of room but buying little, other times they’re a steady source of reliable income and you don’t want to blanket ban them as a result. It also just takes the wrong person to then post on social media about how unfriendly you are, and suddenly you’ve lost a huge amount of week day custom.
Equally, we lost a lot of regular solo worker custom from accommodating the school drop off crowd, with younger children. They took up a huuuuge amount of space with buggies, made an absolute racket and usually spent very little in comparison to the tables they took up. They also always left an enormous mess. We always had our quiet regulars in when we opened and they’d make a hasty exit once school drop off had occurred. I was regularly asked if I could ban them or move them on as the young toddlers were so ill-behaved/left to run riot as if it was a crèche (I have a 20month old so I’m not unsympathetic). Again a stern word to the wrong person and we’d have become a no go zone for families, which wasn’t what we wanted.
Essentially, it’s a huge balancing act. If it’s a chain, the staff probably aren’t paid enough to care. If it’s an independent, the staff are probably too worried about losing income to change it. You can’t win.

I do agree
But I hate dogs in cafes much more ,and I've two dogs myself
One time a dog had poo really runny poo right next to the counter
Staff didn't care ,just cleaned it up and said nothing.
Near food as well yuk

I understand your frustration Op. Unfortunately I am an occasional laptop wanker when I want to meet people away from the office but tbh it's usually a catch up meeting with copious amounts of food in a brilliant place that has locally grown meat and vegetables, it's superb and I'm only going there to fill my face on someone else's time.

Not the point, but where on earth are you paying £6+ for a coffee I'm in London Zone 2 (and travel to/go to cafes in Zone 1 too) and pay £3.20–£4 depending.

People who WFH/remotely are often blamed for coffee shops going out of business? And now those same workers are being criticised for frequenting them?

My issue would be them all taking up a table for 2 so if we go in there are no tables left.

There's often a particular quality to 'work' voices and conversations that's quite intrusive and annoying; it's often loud, booming, falsely convivial et cetera. And all the potential breaches of privacy that people have mentioned here.
Admittedly, lots of people talking with their mates and howling with laughter, and kids screeching etc, can be annoying too!
The barista in one of my local cafés told me that there was somebody in there conducting a loud work phone call who actually tried to shush the other customers