They think it's their private office

This is funny, if you haven't witnessed it, you should stop in and watch.

There's an interesting phenomena that I see at The Bookstore and it may happen at Starbucks and other areas that have cafes where people can hang out. There's a select few who think they own the place. You've seen them, they set up shop and spend the day.

They use the free wifi, enjoy the air conditioning, electricity, bathroom, tables, chairs and atmosphere, they usually don't spend a dime and if they do, they get a cup of coffee, usually one cup of coffee in all those hours. And as I said, they think they own the place and that it is their own personal office or living room.

They give dirty looks and huff and puff at those of us who are talking nearby. Those of us who actually buy food and drinks and are visiting with friends are looked down upon as if we are intruders on the personal space of these leaches. Only it is not their personal space. It's a public space. It's not a library and The Bookstore and Starbucks encourage people to hang out and interact.

I have seen one delicate little guy at The Bookstore every time I am there. I have watched him storm out and back more than once in an hour. He literally has pulled his computer plug from the wall very forcefully and loudly, as to make a statement and he has huffed and puffed to another chair or table to get away from people talking. He has done this three times in an hour, I have witnessed this.

A Bookstore employee told me this: There was a guy there, who sat and worked on his computer for hours, maybe four hours. He left. He left his coffee cup behind. Starbucks -- in The Bookstore. So one of the employees cleaned the table off and threw the Starbucks cup out. A half hour later, the customer came back looking for his Starbucks cup. He was told that they cleaned the table up and threw the cup out. He demanded a refill on the house. He was promptly thrown out.

There are a handful of people that do this. They make those of us who are paying customers feel very uncomfortable. They give us dirty looks, make tsk sounds and just make it very unpleasant for many paying customers. It's funny in a way, but really not when you think about it.