Starbucks in South Korea Takes Action Against Cafe Workers Taking Up Residency
Starbucks Imposes Stricter Policies Against Individuals Setting Up Long-Term Work Spaces in Retail Outlets
In a move aimed at improving the overall experience for customers, Starbucks Korea has implemented new rules to curb the culture of individuals working or studying for extended periods in their stores, often referred to as the "cagongjok" group.
The "cagongjok," a portmanteau of the Korean words for café, study, and tribe, has become a common sight in South Korean coffee shops due to several factors. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift to remote work, making coffee shops an attractive alternative to costly office spaces. Following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, temporary-contract jobs rose, and finding affordable office space became challenging, leading to increased reliance on coffee shops as workspaces.
Starbucks Korea's new policy is designed to discourage the cagongjok culture by banning desktop computers, printers, and multi-outlet power supplies. This move is intended to maintain a welcoming and accessible environment for all customers, addressing concerns about space and profitability. Long-term occupation of tables by cagongjok can limit seating and impact store profitability. By restricting bulky equipment, Starbucks aims to ensure a more fluid customer experience.
The policy also reflects a shift in attitudes toward customers who may be taking advantage of the "third space" environment by occupying it for extended periods with minimal purchases. This change in approach is not exclusive to Starbucks; small coffee shops often struggle with customers who stay for hours with minimal purchases, affecting their financial sustainability.
Despite the crackdown, the cagongjok culture remains a significant issue for many coffee shops. The speaker, who uses Starbucks as an alternative workspace when there are power or internet issues at home, appreciates South Korea for implementing rules to prevent excessive use of Starbucks as a workspace. However, the speaker finds the environment at Starbucks distracting due to people talking, and prefers working at home over working at Starbucks.
The speaker questions the logic of using Starbucks as a workspace, given its distractions, and compares the situation at Starbucks to setting up an Office Depot within the store. The speaker does not prefer working at Starbucks by choice. The speaker also finds the experience of working at Starbucks worse compared to working at home.
The speaker has never moved a printer, and does not carry a printer around. The speaker does not prefer working at Starbucks by choice. The speaker uses Starbucks as an alternative workspace when there are power or internet issues at home. The speaker finds the environment at Starbucks distracting due to people talking.
The "cagongjok" group has been known to set up full offices in South Korean Starbucks stores, spending hours in the stores with their equipment. Customers in South Korean Starbucks stores are not allowed to set up partitions inside the store, and are no longer allowed to leave their belongings unattended.
The speaker suggests that similar rules in the US might face legal challenges from civil rights attorneys, as they could be seen as discriminatory against remote workers. However, the speaker supports the changes in Starbucks stores in South Korea, which were reported by UPI, as they aim to improve the overall experience for other customers.
- The speaker advocates for a shift in home-and-garden setup, preferring to work at home due to distractions instead of opting for Starbucks, as setting up an Office Depot within a Starbucks is not an ideal lifestyle choice.
- The science behind workplace-wellness advocates for a distraction-free environment to improve productivity, which the speaker finds lacking at Starbucks, making home a better option for health-and-wellness purposes.
- In terms of science and health-and-wellness, the speaker questions the logic of using a coffee shop like Starbucks as a full-blown office setup, considering it a poor choice for a productive headquarters, given the distracting lifestyle and lack of personal equipment such as printers.
