Tim Hortons is a Canadian coffee shop chain that's bigger
than McDonald’s in Canada.
Following Starbucks' example they recently introduced free
WiFi.
Was it a good idea? I do not think so.
A typical Starbucks shop has just a few customers sitting
around and sipping coffee. A few extra people with laptops and tablets just
make this place more inviting. Apparently having free WiFi is good for
Starbucks' business.
On the other hand, a typical Tim Hortons is overcrowded
during peak hours. Almost all tables are often occupied by customers.
When free WiFi brought additional people who just occupy tables
and do not buy coffee, many Tim Hortons shops completely ran out of free tables
during peak hours (from about 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM). This led to a significant
decrease in customer satisfaction (according to an unscientific survey of my
friends). Quite a few regular patrons stopped coming to Tim Hortons and
switched to competing chains because they were no longer able to find tables. I
have not completely given up on Tim Hortons myself but I am thinking about it.
Do you still believe that free WiFi was good for Tim Hortons'
business?
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