On stealing electrons
<rant mode="on">If you own a coffeeshop and you advertise your "FREE WIRELESS" access (with a neon sign, even!), then you need to offer your customers plugs.
Lots of plugs.
Customers shouldn't have skirt the wall of the store, searching for a place to plug in (which, like an oasis in the desert, is typically already being used by everyone else who needs power).
Every table should have a one-to-one mapping of seat-to-outlet.
The only local place I've seen who actually does wireless correctly is Palo Alto's Happy Donuts, which not only has outlets all over the place, but has extension cords and power strips for you to borrow. Unlike most every other place I've seen, they want you to stay there for a few hours and use their wireless, and I for one am happy to pay a quarter or so more per cup of coffee for the pleasure.
This is in direct contrast to most places who do wireless, and just don't care. They don't optimize for offering that service at all, which makes it mostly pointless.
The worst offender is Mountain View's Dana Street Coffee, which has a bunch of signs specifically telling you not to plug in. And I delight in letting everyone I know not to go there, even if they aren't planning on using the wireless.
If they're that rude and incompetant towards their wireless customers, how good can the service/quality of the coffee be?
</rant>
Comments
I knew someone who worked at a place like that.
According to him, when they installed WiFi, they actually closed up the outlets that they could (so many required per wall space by building code).
Reason being... WiFi was a promotion to get you IN to buy stuff.
They didn't want you to stay to long and hog up seats. If your there long enough to need more power... your there to long.
Posted by: Rober Accettura | March 11, 2006 9:53 PM
I assume you mean a plug-in socket for ac?
I actually don't agree with you. If they want you to be there for hours and leaching off their wireless then yes, but by not providing sockets you are limiting our clients to be there for a limited amount of time.
My laptops sucks (p4) and onlys last 50min on battery, while new macbooks last what 4-5 hours? I think by having outlets you are enticing clients to squat all day long in your cafe effectively taking seats away from more clients.
Posted by: Jed | March 12, 2006 9:32 AM
It's not that I don't undersatnd the reasoning, guys... it's that I don't agree with it.
Don't advertise wireless unless your business plan includes people sitting there for hours TO ACTUALLY USE what you're claiming you offer.
It's like the cable companies that sell you a 6 Mbps cable line, but if you actually push 6 Mbps across the wire for any non-trivial amount of time, they'll shut you down for using too much bandwidth.
It's a customer service/values thing: either you're honest with your customers and yourself, or you're basically just engaging in false (or incomplete) advertising.
Posted by: Preed | March 12, 2006 7:46 PM