Three years freelancing from coffee shops until one got robbed in front of me

I was working out of a Starbucks in downtown Seattle last Tuesday when a guy walked in, grabbed a laptop off the table next to mine, and ran out. The owner chased him half a block before giving up. That laptop had someone's whole business on it, no backups, no insurance. I packed up my bag right then and rented a coworking space with a lockable door the same afternoon. Has anyone else had a close call like that change where you work?

2 comments

2 Comments

colesanchez1d ago

I used to think people were being paranoid about working in coffee shops. I would see those posts about laptop theft and just shrug it off. But getting to watch a laptop get snatched three feet away from me changed my whole view on it. The dude didn't even break a sweat, just walked in, grabbed it, and was gone before anyone could react. That lady lost years of client files and project notes with zero way to get them back. Now I do cloud backups every single night and keep my head on a swivel even in the coworking space. Did you end up finding a place with good security or just a cheap room?

riley_coleman1d ago

@colesanchez you're braver than me, I just froze and watched the whole thing happen. Ended up at a place with a code on the door and security cameras, still catch myself checking under tables for loose laptops like I'm a paranoid raccoon.