Would your business benefit from a phone charging station?

[CraigsClub]

I recently got approached by a company selling cell phone charging stations with lockers. (The ones where customers lock their phone up to charge). I was wondering if any business owners on here have had experience with offering such amenities to their guests/customers. I am ready to pull the trigger on the purchase I just want to get insight from other business owners about this. For context, my business is bar/pub and we constantly get customers asking us to charge their phones.

For those curious this is the charging station we are considering buying veloxity.us

[Wozcreative]

I saw these guys today on Shark Tank.. what a TERRIBLE idea... the 5 dragons told these 2 dudes that their pitch was the worst they've seen.

I went to the website, looks like it may be a competitor (or the same company.. can't remember the company name as it was not memorable)... These look like hideous eye sores for pubs/restaurants though.. don't you think? Looks like somewhere you'd pay for your parking outside. The sample they had on sharktank was a lot nicer and it was very compact that could be attached to a wall or sit on a table.

[shrinkme]

For some businesses, this may make sense... I guess... but for the life of me I can't think of one. An outlet would be fine in restaurants. Come to think of it, an outlet is all you need as long as the person will be close.

I can't think of anyone that would want to be away from their phone for any amount of time. I think we're too addicted.

[Harold Mansfield]

I recently got approached by a company selling cell phone charging stations with lockers. (The ones where customers lock their phone up to charge). I was wondering if any business owners on here have had experience with offering such amenities to their guests/customers. I am ready to pull the trigger on the purchase I just want to get insight from other business owners about this. For context, my business is bar/pub and we constantly get customers asking us to charge their phones.


I worked as a bartender, limo driver and worked with hosts, and concierges all of the time for years. I personally think it's a dumb idea for that industry because we never had a problem letting someone charge their phone. Hotel guests can just ask the concierge and they usually have every charger known to man for your convenience. Same with most decent restaurants, and even local bars around here have at least the main 2 kinds of chargers behind the bar. When I was a driver I carried charging cables with me for the most popular phones. I never saw it as an inconvenience.

You call it an "Amenity" but it's really not. An amenity would be a free charging station. This is an obvious way to make money off of your "guests" on something petty. To me it kind of comes off like condom machines in the bathroom. Trashy. But I guess it depends on the place. I'm in Vegas where most of the bars and all of the hotels have free wifi and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't fly, but who knows what's acceptable elsewhere these days.

But more importantly, almost every phone and tablet either takes a mini USB charger or whatever Apple is using now. Laptops take the 9v plug. That's pretty much it. Is it worth even doing when you could just spend $40 and buy two cords and just go the extra mile with your service? I mean how many people are asking every night? I'd have to be out for 2 days for my phone to go dead and even still, a lot of people have a $10 back up charger that's a small as a lighter that gives you a full charge away from home.

Seems like this would have been a good idea 5 years ago, and by now would be dead. I just don't see it being that big of a deal anymore and especially not in bars.

Train stations, airports? Hotels NOT in Vegas? Hospital waiting rooms? Convention centers? Malls? Public Parks and Beaches? Maybe. That makes a lot more sense to me. Anywhere where you may have to be, or wait for long periods of time and can't leave easily and get back.

But not a bar.

[billbenson]

I was at a seminar last weekend. For the charger problem I brought a power strip. Nobody complained that I moved their phone or camera to the power strip...

[Harold Mansfield]

I have about 3 or 4 of these. (http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Compact-Portable-Lipstick-Sized-Technology-Smartphones/dp/B00EETOTWS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1414079415&sr=8-3&keywords=backup+phone+charger) Even my Mom carries one and this technology is only going to get better and cheaper.
You run low, you just plug in your phone and you have power. Doesn't take long to fully charge your phone at all. I also use it to recharge my tablet on Sunday when I'm out watching football. It's too easy.

That's why I think this idea has limited appeal. Everyone with a car has a car charger. These portable power supplies are everywhere and cheap. And phone and tablet batteries are lasting longer and longer.