Customers at Starbucks Korea are being asked to stop using desktops and printers due to a policy change.
Starbucks Introduces Ban on Desktop Computers and Bulky Electronics in South Korean Stores
Starbucks has announced a nationwide ban on desktop computers, printers, power strips, and other bulky electronics in its stores across South Korea. The policy aims to reclaim seating space, improve turnover, and ensure fairness for all customers by discouraging behavior that limits seating availability and disrupts other patrons.
The move comes in response to customer complaints about individuals using large monitors, power strips, partitions, and other bulky setups in Starbucks stores, sometimes occupying tables intended for groups and leaving belongings unattended for extended times. This issue is particularly notable in South Korea's intensely competitive and saturated franchise coffee market, where space and seating turnover are crucial for business viability.
South Korea is the second-highest coffee consumption nation in the world, trailing only France and just ahead of the United States. The increase in coffee shops in South Korea may be due to the country's high coffee consumption and love for working in public spaces. As of 2022, there are over 100,000 coffee shops in South Korea, a 4.5% increase from the previous year and double the number that existed in 2016. The increase in coffee shops suggests a growing subculture of folks who study and work in cafes and coffee shops.
In South Korea, people who obsessively work in coffee shops are referred to as "cagongjok," a combination of the Korean words for studying (gongbu) and tribe (jok), suggesting a community of people who study and work in coffee shops. While laptops and small personal devices remain allowed, the ban targets equipment that takes up significant space and impacts the shared environment negatively.
The Korea Herald and Korea JoongAng Daily have reported on the high coffee consumption in South Korea, as well as the growing trend of working in coffee shops. Starbucks Korea is leading among major chains to tackle this issue and hopes to maintain a welcoming "third place" for coffee and connection, where community thrives, without allowing quasi-office setups that impede other customers' experience.
[1] Korea Herald. (2022, March 10). Starbucks bans desktops, power strips in South Korea to tackle 'cafe squatters'. Retrieved from https://www.koreaherald.com/business/tech/2022-03-10-starbucks-bans-desktops-power-strips-in-south-korea-to-tackle-cafe-squatters/
[2] Korea JoongAng Daily. (2022, March 10). Starbucks bans desktops, power strips in South Korea to tackle 'cafe squatters'. Retrieved from https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/business/2022/03/10/20220310183200/starbucks-bans-desktops-power-strips-in-south-korea-to-tackle-cafe-squatters
[3] Yonhap News Agency. (2022, March 10). Starbucks bans desktops, power strips in South Korea to tackle 'cafe squatters'. Retrieved from https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20220310001000315
[4] CNN. (2022, March 10). Starbucks in South Korea bans desktops, power strips to tackle 'cafe squatters'. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/10/business/starbucks-south-korea-ban-desktops/index.html
[5] The Korea Times. (2022, March 10). Starbucks bans desktops, power strips in South Korea to tackle 'cafe squatters'. Retrieved from https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2022/03/141_306940.html
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