- Starbucks has a problem with the South Korean “Cagonjok”
- People install desktop computers, screens and even printers in public spaces
- The number of cafes in South Korea has doubled in a decade
Starbucks stores across South Korea would have put panels to ask customers not to install mobile offices in their stores in a repression against mobile workers.
THE Korean Herald Shared photos of panels displayed in the country’s stores warning customers to be attentive to how they use spaces in stores: “Office computers, printers, electric strips and screens cannot be used in the store.”
It is not uncommon to see individuals working in Starbucks stores (and all other cafes) in the world, but it clearly becomes a particular problem in South Korea, where a tribe of coffee workers seems to have been formed.
Starbucks asks customers not to bring their work to the store
With the signs, Starbucks targets a small but president known as “Cagonjok” – a portman of Korean words for “coffee” and “study tribe”.
“At the tables that can be used by several people, please be considerable so that other customers can also use them,” said the panel (translated into Korean).
Cagonjok was seen with complete office configurations in stores, including office computers, separate devices and even partitions and office pods.
“If you leave your seat for a long time, be sure to take your belongings with you to ensure smooth use of the seats,” adds the sign.
Laptops and ordinary studies remain authorized, but the company attacks a more permanent use of its spaces to work.
THE Korean Herald Note that the number of cafes in the country has almost doubled since 2015, widely motivated by a remote work trend, but estimates from the Korean Food Service Institute Research suggests that the price of a coffee covers an hour and 31 minutes of siege before it becomes not profitable.
