Controversy has erupted after a case was made public of a customer at a Starbucks store occupying four seats alone and inconveniencing other patrons.
On the 30th, an online community carried a post and photo titled "A customer at Starbucks taking up four seats alone." The photo shows a customer, presumed to be a middle-aged man, using a laptop and two expandable monitors set up on a store table.
The tipster said, "Even though it is extremely crowded at lunchtime, every day the person takes up four seats alone," and noted, "There was no intervention from the staff."
At the time, in addition to electronic devices, the table was filled with a notebook and a pencil case, and an outer garment and a bag were placed on the adjacent chair, allowing the person to occupy a substantial portion of the surrounding space alone.
Viewers online poured out criticism, saying, "Shouldn't the person be using a shared office?" and "There is too little consideration in a public place."
This is not the first time excessive seat occupation inside Starbucks has stirred controversy. On June 6, a case became known of a customer who set up a personal partition on a table, installed various equipment, and left for more than three hours, sparking public anger. At the time, the customer was said to have reserved the spot for an extended period after purchasing only a cheap banana instead of coffee.
As complaints over so-called "café villains" mounted, Starbucks Korea strengthened in-store guidelines starting in Aug. Currently, Starbucks stores prohibit using a power strip to connect multiple devices, setting up partitions to create a personal space, and using a printer.
Also restricted are leaving personal belongings to reserve a seat for a long time or occupying a table for many people alone. Starbucks posts related notices in stores and has employees directly inform customers when a violation is found.