I tend to prefer cafes over co-working spaces, because I get about the same value (maybe even better coffee!), but at a much lower price.
Or to put it another way: you're saving yourself money but (potentially) at the expense of the cafe owner who loses walk-in customers b/c his place is filled with barely-paying squatters.
what do you buy? 8 lattes or 8 pastries a day, every day, doesn't sound healthy...
If the place has such a problem, they can mitigate it ofc. For example, you can limit the chargers for example (or arrange tables in a fashion that would limit it). Then the amount of squatters would be limited.
Also, as another commenter said, you can just turn the wifi down (or limit the time). You can even charge for the wifi.
Charging for the Wi-Fi would probably have a greater effect, plus additional revenue stream, but then would this negatively impact the experience of other more casually sitting customers.
I would be curious to see the coffee purchase numbers for a working squatter vs other customers. If someone sits in a coffee shop for 6 to 10 hours a day, I can't imagine them buying only one coffee. People can get thirsty throughout the day. And if they get hungry too, well, that's additional revenue if the working squatter doesn't want to lose their spot just because they went for lunch. Or maybe they're on a roll, and can't afford to risk breaking their zone by going to a restaurant.
To determine whether the working squatter has a higher or lower sales per hour number would probably also depend on the cafe's sitting customer turnover per hour.
Some cafés are usually busy, and there is social pressure to not be taking up space for other paying customers.
Some cafés are not very busy, and having some remote workers inside will at least make it look like a functioning business, attracting other paying customers.
It’s up to the remote worker to use some discretion in assessing the situation of the café they’re frequenting.
Free, silent, no pressure for buying a coffee or having to leave your spot for other people.
Cafe owners are free to allow laptop users or ask people to stay for a short time.
A minus from coworking spaces is that your subject to its own environment, sometimes you have to much noise and so on... for instance, the place were I use to stay is excellent but they have the radio on all day, what sometimes annoys me!
Summing up, I like to have a desk on a cowork which I use most of the days but also being able to work sometimes alone at home or on a coffee and even on a client's office, together with the client/team.