Is Starbucks Covering Up Electrical Oulets To Ban Laptop Hobos?

There Are Reports That Starbucks Is Covering up Electric Outlets To Clamp Down on Laptop Hobos Who Hang Out In Coffee Shops All Day?

Those of us who like to hang out at coffee shops and pretend to look busy are under siege. There are reports that Starbucks is looking for ways to clamp down on so-called "laptop hobos," people who sit in a coffee shop all day using the free wireless while nursing a small latte for 12 hours.

A recent post on a Starbucks-themed blog noted that some Starbucks stores in New York were covering up electrical outlets, perhaps in a move to prevent people from parking themselves all day in one spot glued to their laptop.

Starbucks has yet to comment on their alleged laptop hobo tactics. It's possible that the blocked power outlets in New York could be isolated incidents.

If Starbucks is indeed clamping down on loiterers, they wouldn't be the first to do so. The Wall Street Journal noted that the cafes have been keeping an eye on laptop hobos for a while.

As for Starbucks, we don't know if the laptop hobo crackdown is real or not.

Until we do, we're going to lounge in every Starbucks as long as we possibly can.

Right now, we're writing this story in a Starbucks using their free wireless and plugged into an outlet. We even plugged in our iPhone to sap the company of even more precious electricity. Take that, Howard Schultz! That's what you get for letting the Supersonics leave Seattle.

Even if you cover up every outlet in every coffee shop, our MacBook Pro has five hours of battery life and we can get free refills thanks to our Starbucks card. We're here typing away and listening to some lovely samba music and there's nothing you can do to stop us. You'll have to pry our reusable coffee mugs out of our cold dead hands.

And please, don't call us 'laptop hobos.' We prefer the term "WiFi transients."