Starbucks and Free WiFi—They Finally Get It
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 10:09AM 
Quick note...
In the past, I'd written about how difficult it was to use Starbuck's "free" Wifi. I always placed free in quotation marks in the past because until last year, one had to keep a minimum $5 balance on a Starbucks gift card and use the card within a set period in order to access the internet from a computer or mobile device. For my previous rants from years gone by, see here and here from the This Lamp "Classic" website.
Moreover, even with the Starbucks account, it was often still a pain to log on, especially those times when I couldn't remember my password, had to call the support line for them reset it to something non-rememberable, and then forgot to change it to something I could remember.
Even though I actually like Starbucks coffee quite a bit (and yes, I realize some of you do not), this led to a unintentional boycott on my part. Many times when I wanted to simply grab a cup of coffee while I wrote, graded papers, or prepared a lesson, I'd opt for a different coffee shop—often one where the coffee simply wasn't as good—because using Starbucks WiFi was such a pain to manage.
Believe it or not, except at peak hours, most coffee shops and restaurants like you to hang out because nothing looks worse to a customer peering in from the outside than seeing an empty dining room. I don't know how many folks felt the way I did, but I wonder if the poorly managed WiFi that used to be the norm at Starbucks actually hurt their business and helped the competition. I do know that they closed quite a few stores last year and the year before, but that is correlation, not cause and effect.
Fortunately, way back in 2010 and at a time when I wasn't blogging much (not that I am now), Starbucks changed their ways and made wireless internet access easy. Now, all a customer has to do is select their WiFi signal, launch a web browser, click a checkbox saying you'll behave, and get online. This works hassle-free on computers and mobile devices such as my iPad, which is where I snagged the screenshot above. And I've also noticed that my Amazon Kindle simply connects automatically without even having to agree to anything. Maybe Starbucks assumes that one cannot get into too much mischief with a Kindle.
Regardless, I'm happy to give Starbucks my patronage again. Now, if I could only get them to turn down the air condition. It's freezing in here!
Starbucks in Food & Dining, Technology
Reader Comments (3)
Tangential question here: Did your iPad 2 turn many heads while having your coffee? A few months ago, while waiting to board a plane I produced my IPad 1 to watch some episodes and the attention it drew made me feel uncomfortable... I almost made want to get it back into my satchel should anyone think I was showing off.
Correction: last sentence should've said it almost made me want to get it back…
Last year when the iPad was brand new, I got a lot of that reaction at times, but they're pretty mainstream now, and I don't think too many people even look twice.
I'm not even certain how many people who don't keep up with such things even realize there are two colors now. This morning, I was sitting with some fellows whom I meet with every week for Bible study. I bring my iPad every week and have for almost a year. So, I sat there with my new white iPad 2, and this fellow next to me (who again, is there every week) asked, "So, are you getting the new one?"