Starbucks lovers will no longer be able to have free wifi along with a cup of cappuccino: the American restaurant chain has decided to cut free connection, starting from some stores in New York.
Saying Starbucks is equivalent to thinking of some comfortable moments of relaxation on the sofas of the well-known chain of venues all devoted to cappuccinos, coffee, and pastries. Although there are no stores open in Italy, the name is still well known in our country because – during holidays and trips abroad – a stop at Starbucks is often a way to rest but also to check emails and social networks via smartphone, notebook, or tablet.
The free wi-fi, much appreciated by customers, might be disappearing: some of the most famous stores in New York have decided to no longer allow free connection at the tables.
The reason is clear: too many people order and occupy tables for hours and hours to surf the web, without this positively impacting sales. Not only that: many customers have complained in recent months that it is increasingly difficult to find a place to consume something, precisely because of the heavy presence of those at the tables with the obvious purpose of using the free wi-fi.
The decision to no longer offer wifi was not entirely sudden: in some corners of the chain, a sign had already appeared inviting customers to socialize and avoid bringing devices for connection.
Alan Hilowitz, spokesperson for Starbucks, explained that this measure was taken following requests from the customers themselves who “never find seats to sit down.”
The end of the habit of turning the Starbucks sofa into a personal office, the end of heads bowed over tablet and smartphone screens, the end of the connection available for free in exchange for the purchase of a coffee. How much will this decision affect the chain’s revenue? How many other venues in New York and worldwide will start to emulate the restriction?
In Italy, the situation has not yet presented itself in these terms, if only because public places offering free wi-fi connection are still few: a phenomenon, in short, that has not yet had time to take root here, and is already potentially being uprooted from overseas.
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