Today the Wall Street Journal offers an interesting observation on the changing and precarious situation in the world of the neighborhood coffee shop. Specifically: Are cafes souring on the long-lived practice of letting laptop users park themselves at tables for hours, where they enjoy (usually) free wireless internet access in exchange for a the price of a cup of coffee -- or sometimes with no purchase at all.

In New York, according to the piece, this is a trend that's been on the rise since at least last year, as coffee shop owners have increasingly set restrictions on when laptops are allowed on tables and have put locking plates over power outlets to prevent laptoppers from plugging in. According to the story, so far the moves seem limited to independent coffee shops, mainly in New York, as the big players like Starbucks have made no changes to how they offer Wi-Fi to customers.

Still, here in San Francisco, I've seen the beginnings of this trend as well. It's not gotten to the point where explicit policies have been enacted -- such as the case of Naidre's in Brooklyn, where laptops are largely banned during the lunch rush -- but more and more I see signs encouraging you to either limit your laptop use inside cafes (especially if it's busy) or buy more food and drink if you're going to be lingering. I also know of at least one cafe where they now charge a nominal fee for plugging into a power outlet. I suppose that beats covering up the outlets with metal shields.

Perhaps a lot of this has to do with economic worries, as more unemployed people means more time wasted in the local coffee joint and, at the same time, less money to be spent there. It might be too early to call this a trend -- but it is something to keep in mind. Don't want your local coffee shop to shut off its Wi-Fi connection altogether? Try getting a large mocha next time. Maybe a croissant, too.