Starbucks Filled with People Who Don't Work? What Do People Working on Computers at Starbucks Actually Do?

Starbucks Filled with People Who Don't Work

Recently, an article titled "Starbucks Filled with People Who Don't Work" climbed the trending lists across several platforms. Some commenters noted that on Mondays Starbucks was all but completely occupied by unemployed middle-aged men and women, and when asked, these people said they came because they could not find work and felt too embarrassed to stay at home.

Many of them bring a laptop and sit there all day without buying so much as a single cup of Starbucks coffee, content to enjoy the free charging and air conditioning in peace. Commenters felt a pang of melancholy about it, because Starbucks was meant to be a lively place offering everyone a business space, and it had now become a refuge for the unemployed. There, they can briefly loosen their nerves, listening to pleasant music in a comfortable setting and forgetting their circumstances for a while.

Netizens' Reactions

Readers weighed in with a lively discussion. On one hand, they lamented that more and more companies keep lowering their age limits, with most hiring only people under 35, so many find it hard to land work again once they are out of a job.

On the other hand, they debated whether it is appropriate for people to sit in Starbucks without buying anything. Public libraries, after all, are also good places to read and study.

Some also doubted whether everyone sitting in Starbucks was truly out of work. Many freelancers pointed out that they often bring a laptop to Starbucks to edit video or write articles, simply because they need a relatively comfortable environment.

Personal Stories and Perspectives

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that some job seekers are relaxing in Starbucks and some non-customers are taking a short rest there. So some argue that the person who wrote the article simply happened to run into people who were temporarily unemployed, while many others were in fact working or holding business discussions. One commenter shared a story about a friend who, after losing his job, sat in Starbucks for three months pretending to go to work. He would "head to the office" in the morning, revise his resume at Starbucks in the afternoon, grab lunch from a convenience store, and when his wife video-called, quickly duck into a nearby office building pretending to be out on business, all because he did not want his family to worry. Despite having the qualifications and a portfolio of projects praised within his industry, many companies ultimately passed on him because of his age.

Final Thoughts

So on the question of "Starbucks being filled with people who don't work," commenters felt this was a loose statement stretched from one particular case, because people who are genuinely unemployed rarely sit in Starbucks; most try to find ways to look for work or head to public places where they will not feel embarrassed about not spending money.

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