A coffee shop has divided opinion after imposing a ban on a very common and expected habit – using laptops and tablets.
There is no shortage of coffee shops on high streets up and down the country, be it quirky independent haunts or famous chains. Regardless of your favourite, there are certain types of customers we all expect to see upon stepping inside.
There are friends meeting for a catch up, workers craving some downtime in the midst of a busy day, shoppers on the hunt for a pick-me-up, and, usually, an eclectic mix of people working away on their laptops or tablets.
Be it students wading through assignments, aspiring authors hoping to pen the next Sunday Times bestseller, business people dissecting data, and more, it seems most coffee shops offer a temporary “office” for many. One coffee shop, though, is putting a stop to this.
Black Sheep Coffee, a British coffee chain with venues across the UK and beyond, is living up to its name by deviating from the norm with its approach. A sign displayed in the window of one of its sites contained an illustration of a laptop in a red circle with a line through it, denoting a ban.
Below the image, a statement reads: “No laptop/no tablet/no study from Friday 12pm to Sunday 7pm.
“Owing to majority of customers complaining about unavailability of tables and chairs during weekends, we have introduced a no laptop/no tablet/no study policy from Friday 12pm to Sunday 7pm. Our trial last weekend was a big success, and we thank you in advance for your continued support.”
When an image of the sign was shared on the popular social media platform Threads, people were keen to share their thoughts. One person said: “I think people need to rediscover libraries for work/study”.
Another said: “This place sells alcohol and is very busy at weekends. Problem is, people can’t come in for a drink and a sit down because someone who bought one coffee has set up an office in a booth designed for 6”.
A third shared: “Our favorite coffee shop does it by a code. When you buy something, you get a code for two hours of free WiFi. If you stay longer than two hours, you have to make another purchase. I think it is a fair system because students can study but the coffee shop can still make money on drinks. I do not believe someone should just be able to go into a coffee shop, use free wifi all day and not support the business.”
Agreeing, another commented: “Coffee shop is a business. Not a coworking space, not a library.”
But someone else said: “Where do you want your students to study? There’s no other space for us in a city, especially in the winter. Libraries are packed. And home is not always an option or helpful.”
And another added: “How about if you open your book and read? You’re still keeping a table busy… How about families or old folks sitting there for hours with just one coffee? If you want to make it fair on everyone, put timeslots that apply to everyone, not just people using their laptops.”
Black Sheep Coffee has been approached for comment.
