Coffee Shop Etiquette

Hello again!

I have something a little different for this post. I was recently contacted to do a fun and quirky little collaboration by the lovely Romana from We Are Discovery on behalf of  Discount Coffee, who are actually the UK's only premium online coffee wholesaler. Being a massive coffee lover myself, I of course jumped at the idea.

The idea behind it all was 'How long is too long to sit in a coffee shop?'

We've probably all done it or at least seen it, People popping into coffee shops, grabbing a cuppa and sitting down to relax or maybe doing some long. Especially now that the majority of coffee shops have free wifi, it can be an ideal location.

The challenge was to order a cup of coffee and a slice of cake, sit down and relax. The twist was that I couldn't order anything else and I had to see how long I could last without feeling awkward. During my time, I wrote down little comments about how it was going and how I was feeling!

So here is how I got on:

 1:30 Got to Lovecrumbs and met the team behind Discount Coffee to discuss my time at the coffee shop. Got inside and ordered a latte and a lovely walnut brownie. 

1:40 I had a good long think about how I can make this last as long as I can. So I decided to cut my brownie up into little pieces, so I didn't eat it all in one. Though I was pretty tempted to do so!

1:44 I have brought with me an iPad, my phone with portable charger and my notebook. I am ready to do this!
 

1:50 The coffee shop is fairly busy and I have myself a good table with plenty of space. My only worry is if it get's any busier, I am going to feel like I am hogging a table that someone else might want.

 

1:55 There is actually a lot of people in here doing work on tablets and laptops. I don't feel too out of place which is a good start.

2:00 I have passed the half hour mark and so far I am just enjoying working on my blog and relaxing. Plenty of brownie left but my coffee is starting to get a little lukewarm

2:10 It's starting to quiet down in the coffee shop. This can be a good and a bad thing. I don't feel like I am taking up a table anymore as a few people have left but I feel like I may be more noticeable now. Doesn't help that I have bright ginger hair. I can never hide away really!

2:15 Is it bad that I am thinking of reasons I am going to be in here so long? Not that I imagine anyone will ask me but you got to plan ahead. Maybe I am waiting on someone but they end up standing me up!

2:20 It's official, my coffee has finally got cold. It's also starting to run very low. In any other circumstance I would order another but the idea is to last as long as I can without buying something else. I can do this.

2:25 iPad is not great when it comes to working on your blog, so I have somehow found myself playing a zombie game. If anyone comes over, it would be pretty obvious that I am not doing any work at all. In other news they have started to play The Smiths in here, this is helping me be distracted from eating up the rest of the brownie.

2:30 So it has been a hour since I first got here. At this point my coffee is almost all gone and I have been fighting the urge finish up the brownie. I am starting to feel a little awkward now. Maybe it's just me but I do worry that it will look like I am just free-loading on their wifi.

2:40 I actually think that many people wouldn't be overthinking this as much as I am. I just know from previous experience working in a coffee shop, you will never be a fan of the people who come in and barely order a thing but spend ages in there. 

2:50 At this point, everyone who was here when I first arrived have all gone. I am starting to feel bad for staying so long now. It would be easier if I could actually get my blog to work on the iPad. It doesn't seem right that I am just sitting here with one little piece of brownie left, an empty cup and playing some daft zombie game. I think my time is possibly coming to an end.

2:55 I must point out that none of the staff have actually made me feel like I am being a nuisance, which is nice. I guess they must get people who come in all the time and sit there for ages. Not that an hour and a half is ages in all fairness.

2:57 A group of people have just walked in and I have the perfect table for them. I think this might seal the deal for me now.

3:00 So I have officially been in here for an hour and half now. I can imagine some people would happily stay in longer but I just feel too awkward, especially when I am not buying anything else. If I had got another coffee, I could have happily spent another hour in here but alas, I feel like I may have overstayed my welcome. I think having a fairly large table has not helped. If I was maybe sat hiding away in a corner, I may have felt more at ease.

In all fairness, I did go into this feeling like I would just feel totally out of place and they would catch on to what I was doing. Now, as much as I did feel a little awkward at times, I would put that all on myself. The staff were incredibly lovely and helpful, and I don't think they ever looked at me as the girl taking up a table whilst playing silly games on her iPad.

I do think that you can easily overstay your welcome. I can see the appeal of coming in and relaxing as it is a lovely environment but you do have to remember that this is a business, and you can't take advantage of the free wifi and comfy chairs!

One thing this has taught me is that I actually prefer going into coffee shops with friends. I can see how this would be an ideal place for someone to just order a coffee, sit down and do some work but possibly not me. I like a good chat with my coffee!

 

 

I had so much fun doing this post. It was nice to do something a little different. I want to thank Discount Coffee for giving me a chance to do this. If you are a coffee lover like myself, make sure you check them out. You can also check out my post on their blog here: The Coffee Shop Lingerer

I have so many posts coming up over the next month, so stay tuned!

Till the next time!

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