Starbucks Korea bans customers from bringing desktops, printers
Starbucks Korea posted the notices at all of its branches in the country, and they also state customers will not be allowed to set up large partitions or leave their belongings unattended at tables for long periods of time.
The policy targets a group of customers known colloquially as "cagongjok," a term combining the Korean words for "cafe," "study" and "tribe." It refers to customers who spend several hours studying or doing office work in the businesses. They are also sometimes referred to as "cafe squatters."
The move comes after numerous complaints from other customers about people taking up too much space with their office equipment. Several photos showing customers with elaborate setups inside cafes have gone viral online.
Starbucks Korea said laptops are still allowed inside the cafes and people are still welcome to work or study inside the businesses provided they do not take up an excessive amount of space.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
10 minutes ago
South Korean president will meet Japanese leader ahead of summit with Trump
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo next week before flying to Washington for a summit with President Donald Trump, underscoring how Trump's push to reset global trade is drawing the often-feuding neighbors closer. Lee's two-day visit to Japan Aug. 23–24 will be an opportunity to deepen personal ties with Ishiba and put bilateral relations on firmer ground. Their talks will center on strengthening trilateral cooperation with Washington, promoting 'regional peace and stability,' and addressing other international issues, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Wednesday. Their meeting will come weeks after South Korea and Japan secured trade deals with Washington that shielded their trade-dependent economies from Trump's highest tariffs. The separate agreements negotiated their rates of reciprocal duties down to 15% from the originally proposed 25%, but only after pledging hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. investments. Lee and Ishiba previously met on the sidelines of the June G7 meetings in Canada, where they called for building a future-oriented relationship and agreed to cooperate closely on various issues including trade and countering North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. Relations between the two U.S. allies often have been strained in recent years over grievances stemming from Japan's brutal colonization of the Korean Peninsula before the end of World War II. South Korea's previous conservative president, Yoon Suk Yeol, made active efforts to repair ties with Tokyo, including a major compromise on compensation issues related to Korean victims of Japanese wartime slavery, aiming to bolster trilateral security cooperation with Washington against North Korean threats. But Yoon's presidency was cut short by his brief imposition of martial law in December, which led to his ouster and imprisonment, leaving uncertainty over Seoul-Tokyo relations under Lee, who has long accused Japan of clinging to its imperialist past and hindering cooperation. Since taking office in June after winning the early presidential election, Lee has avoided thorny remarks about Japan, instead promoting pragmatism in foreign policy and pledging to strengthen Seoul's alliance with Washington and trilateral cooperation with Tokyo. There also have been calls in South Korea to boost collaboration with Japan in responding to Trump, who has unsettled allies and partners with tariff hikes and demands they reduce reliance on the U.S. while paying more for their own defense. Following his meeting with Ishiba, Lee will travel to Washington for an Aug. 25 summit with Trump, which his office said will focus on trade and defense cooperation. His meeting with Trump comes with concerns in Seoul that the Trump administration could shake up the decades-old alliance by demanding higher payments for the U.S. troop presence in South Korea and possibly move to reduce it as Washington shifts more focus on China.
The Hill
33 minutes ago
- The Hill
South Korean president will meet Japanese leader ahead of summit with Trump
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo next week before flying to Washington for a summit with President Donald Trump, underscoring how Trump's push to reset global trade is drawing the often-feuding neighbors closer. Lee's two-day visit to Japan Aug. 23–24 will be an opportunity to deepen personal ties with Ishiba and put bilateral relations on firmer ground. Their talks will center on strengthening trilateral cooperation with Washington, promoting 'regional peace and stability,' and addressing other international issues, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Wednesday. Their meeting will come weeks after South Korea and Japan secured trade deals with Washington that shielded their trade-dependent economies from Trump's highest tariffs. The separate agreements negotiated their rates of reciprocal duties down to 15% from the originally proposed 25%, but only after pledging hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. investments. Lee and Ishiba previously met on the sidelines of the June G7 meetings in Canada, where they called for building a future-oriented relationship and agreed to cooperate closely on various issues including trade and countering North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. Relations between the two U.S. allies often have been strained in recent years over grievances stemming from Japan's brutal colonization of the Korean Peninsula before the end of World War II. South Korea's previous conservative president, Yoon Suk Yeol, made active efforts to repair ties with Tokyo, including a major compromise on compensation issues related to Korean victims of Japanese wartime slavery, aiming to bolster trilateral security cooperation with Washington against North Korean threats. But Yoon's presidency was cut short by his brief imposition of martial law in December, which led to his ouster and imprisonment, leaving uncertainty over Seoul-Tokyo relations under Lee, who has long accused Japan of clinging to its imperialist past and hindering cooperation. Since taking office in June after winning the early presidential election, Lee has avoided thorny remarks about Japan, instead promoting pragmatism in foreign policy and pledging to strengthen Seoul's alliance with Washington and trilateral cooperation with Tokyo. There also have been calls in South Korea to boost collaboration with Japan in responding to Trump, who has unsettled allies and partners with tariff hikes and demands they reduce reliance on the U.S. while paying more for their own defense. Following his meeting with Ishiba, Lee will travel to Washington for an Aug. 25 summit with Trump, which his office said will focus on trade and defense cooperation. His meeting with Trump comes with concerns in Seoul that the Trump administration could shake up the decades-old alliance by demanding higher payments for the U.S. troop presence in South Korea and possibly move to reduce it as Washington shifts more focus on China.
Business Insider
2 hours ago
- Business Insider
Starbucks Stock (SBUX) Jumps After Top Analyst Upgrades Rating to Buy
Starbucks (SBUX) stock rose about 2% on Tuesday after Robert W. Baird analyst David Tarantino upgraded the coffee giant's rating to Buy from Hold. Also, he raised the price target to $115 (23.3% upside) from $100. The Top analyst is optimistic that the company's new leadership and turnaround strategy will be effective and that tangible signs of improvement will become visible over the next few quarters. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Tarantino believes that this progress will boost investor sentiment, which, combined with a projected rebound in earnings, should support a higher valuation for the shares. Following the stock's recent underperformance, down 18.8% over the past six months versus a 4.2% gain in the S&P 500 (SPX), the analyst now views SBUX stock's risk-reward profile as more attractive. Previously, Tarantino held a Hold rating on the stock due to concerns over weak comparable sales, which impacted earnings projections for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. SBUX's Rebound Efforts Under CEO Brian Niccol, who joined Starbucks after a successful tenure at Chipotle (CMG), the company is making efforts to increase seating capacity, improve service speed, and roll out innovations like the Green Apron Service model, which focuses on human connection and personalized customer experiences. Starbucks is also expanding its menu with items like protein cold foam beverages and upgrading its bakery offerings. Further, the company is investing $500 million into improving store staffing, while also looking for ways to cut costs in its supply chain and other general expenses. Is Starbucks a Buy or Sell? Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on SBUX stock based on 14 Buys, nine Holds, and two Sells assigned in the past three months. The average Starbucks stock price target of $100.61 per share implies a 7.87% upside potential.
