Look, I'll hold my hands up—as a writer often on the move, I've holed myself up in coffee shops with my laptop to write articles before, eeking out my drink for far longer than necessary to make the most of a wall socket. I've never been brave enough to bring in a more substantial piece of gear, though, but it appears the phenomenon is particularly widespread in South Korea, as local Starbucks stores have been placing notices discouraging customers from bringing in desktop PCs, bulky items—and even printers.
The Korea Herald reports that Starbucks premises across the country have been placing polite notices on the tables discouraging "cagongjok", a term for those who work or study for hours in coffee shops, from bringing in substantial pieces of equipment (via The Register). According to the Herald, Starbucks Korea says some customers have been setting up large monitors, printers, and cubicle-style dividers to create working spaces in the establishments, which is taking things a little too far towards the anti-social, if you ask me.
