Coffee House Blues….

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I’ve written that it’s probably the end of an era at St. Elmo’s.   Not that the new owners have made lots of changes (except to the charge card system- but that may be just a minor glitch) and a vendor switch (you knew they would want to use their own restaurants to provide the sandwiches).

But, there’s more to St. Elmo’s than just the coffee, bagels, muffins, sandwiches, and cookies.  It’s the ambience and comraderie (generally) that obtains.

There’s the remnant of my group, that’s been a fixture at the round (or large rectangular) table for a decade and a half.  Sure, we come in early and leave late (that’s before 8 and after 9:30 or so), but we buy multiple coffees (and some buy multiple muffins).

St Elmo's
The view from my perch at St. E

And, there’s the Socrates Group.  Retired folks (we no longer are allowed to say old folks- besides, I meet the age requirement) that meet for a few hours.  They, too, buy coffees, teas, and snacks- and more.

The La Leche league.  Now, in my humble opinion, they may not be paying their fair share, in that there are about 2 dozen of them- and only ½ to 2/3  buy their wares from St. E’s.

And, then there are others.   Who come and go, buying a coffee, a muffin, a sandwich, some less than that.   And stay for a few hours to use the free WiFi.  (By the way, in Alexandria, everyone has free WiFi- all over town- if you have a Comcast account.)

That’s the problem.  Not just for St. Elmo’s but almost every coffee shop- from Peet’s to Panera’s to local one stop shops.  Because folks feel entitled to come into the shop, use the electricity for their computers and phones, the WiFi for their apps, and not pay their fair share.

Of course, at St. Elmo’s, there are customers such as I that nudge them to buy- and notify the manager that we have some free-loaders.   Because I want St. Elmo’s to be profitable- so I can keep frequenting the joint.

These shops are private enterprise.  They are not public libraries- where folks’ tax dollars pay for their services.  These firms need revenue to keep their doors open, pay for the electricity they use, the WiFi they supply.

It’s why I advocated (they stopped the practice a while ago) disallowing a WiFi connection for more than 60 minutes.  That way a customer (you DO buy something, right?) needed to purchase something to obtain the next code.  (It was only a rotating code- but only the regulars, who do buy items from St.E’s- knew the system.)

Lots of “customers” complained that it was a pain.  But, I understand (and advocate) the need for every shopowner to make a profit.   It’s why I never used a bathroom at a gas station (when I commuted from New York to Boston, or from Charlottesville to DC) without buying something from the shop.  It’s only fair.

Now, there’s a new concept.  (OK.  Not so new.)    A “club” that pays a reasonable fee ($ 50 to $200 a month), that offers special seating, a small conference room, printers, shredders, etc- and tracks the club member purchases so they don’t have to whip out their credit cards for a $ 1 coffee.  (St. E’s has been proffering that last service for a decade or more.)

This concept appeals to a whole census of folks who don’t like Cove (a prototypical work-share concept), since they love a coffee shop feel, where some folks are working, some are talking, and the conversation covers the range from politics to books to business.   Way more “social” than even those work-share spaces can hope to provide.

It all comes down to a simple formula.  You want services that let you work away from home?  Make it possible for the shop to provide them for you.

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6 thoughts on “Coffee House Blues….”

  1. I love coffee shops as a place to meet friends and always but lots of goodies. I could never work in one as I cannot bear too much noise.

    The idea that people would come in and use facilities without buying thins is anathema to me.

    Give ’em hell!
    Jacqui recently posted..Meet Joan Fallon and The Shining City

    1. Well, Jacqui- stay clear of my office, then. I have NPR on the radio, the news on the TV, and sometimes music on the CD….
      So, I can fully concentrate on the task at hand…
      But, we can still meet for coffee 🙂

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