Coffee and gas prices up, no free wi fi at Starbucks: when will it end?
First let me admit — I made a mistake. In an earlier post about places with free wi fi, I flippantly mentioned Starbucks as a free provider. My misinfo came from the fact that when I go to the Starbucks in Lakewood, I hook right up.
Then, a Starbucks employee visiting Back Talk commented that no, Starbucks does not have free Internet access. My first question was, what, really?
Apparently there was a recent offer of free access to AT&T (iPhone) users. Then it seems something went awry and they don't, or won't, or do in some spots, or might sometime down the road. Right now, except for certain AT&T-friendly stores, you have to buy and register a Starbucks loyalty card to access Starbucks' wi fi.
My next question was why not?
After which I thought to myself, we're talking about a place that sells a cup o coffee for five times its value (and then has the gall to put a tip jar on the counter, which I always put a dollar in because after years of waiting tables, I swore I'd never fail to tip) so ... yeah, I'm not surprised. Well, I'll tell you one thing — I WILL NEVER EVER PAY to use the Internet at Starbucks — we have too many other great options around here and great coffee. Try Cafe Brazil (someone who heard my whining just told me), they have FREE WI FI, no strings attached and good coffee to boot. With gas prices doing what they are doing everyday, my Starbucks consumption has shrunk to practically nil. I sometimes buy it by the bag, and the only time I sit and sip in the store, is when I'm working on my laptop. But the last thing I want to do is get settled in with my triple espresso skinny frappaccino and a mind set to write, only to discover I have to pay to log on. I'll just go somewhere else from now on. I'm not cheap - especially when it comes to coffee and food - but I sure don't like being treated like a schmuck.
And what's with the Starbucks card? The last thing I need in my wallet is another card. I switched from Kroger to Albertsons because Albertsons got rid of the card. I go to Walgreens over CVS because they don't make me sign up for a card. The card is of no benefit to consumers, only the businesses. Starbucks had me hooked at one time. I've tapered off over the last several months. After this, I might be through with them for good. (At least until they come around and start giving us free internet access.) Take that Starbucks.
I don't want to disrupt your rant too much, but I'm pretty sure that if you have AT&T wireless/home/dsl and/or some combination thereof, you can get free WiFi at Starbucks. I have used my computer at a number of Starbucks locations in Texas and elsewhere and been able to connect (I'm an AT&T user), although the connection is sometimes different and more difficult from one place to the next. What I've found is that if you enter a Starbucks with an AT&T account, if you don't connect immediately or instead wind up on the T-Mobile page, you can enter att.net in the browser window and the browser will bring up an AT&T sign-in page. By using my AT&T internet address and password, I've been able to connect. It works for me, anyway...
Posted by: Rick Wamre | May 15, 2008 at 06:07 PM
Don't forget about White Rock Coffee. Yes, for you hard-core Lakewood types, you have to cross Mockingbird AND Northwest Highway to get there, but it's locally-owned by honest-to-goodness Seattle natives, they roast their own beans, and they offer free Wi-Fi.
Posted by: Q | May 16, 2008 at 02:37 PM
Umm, yeah, try White Rock Coffee! Not only are we locally owned we LOVE Lakewood! In addition we roast our own coffee fresh daily and when it comes to cards.... load up a White Rock Coffee card with $20 or more and you get TEN PERCENT MORE. Not just a dollar for dollar trade, FREE COFFEE!! As always, free WiFi.
Posted by: ME | Jun 01, 2008 at 07:45 PM