TIL finding a quiet coworking spot on a Friday took me 4 hours

I usually work from home but needed a change of scenery last week. Figured I'd just pop into a few coworking spaces around downtown Austin around 10am. First place I tried was totally packed, some meetup group had booked the whole floor. Second spot had a waitlist of 15 people for day passes. By the time I got to the third space and actually found a seat, it was already 2pm. I ended up just buying a day pass for $30 and only got 3 hours of work done before I had to leave. Has anyone else dealt with this scramble for workspace on random weekdays?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_schmidt7713d ago

Oh come on, you guys are totally missing the point here. Look, I get that calling ahead is smart, but the whole appeal of coworking spaces is the spontaneity, right? You're supposed to be able to roll in, grab a coffee, and get some real work done without jumping through hoops. If I have to plan a day pass like I'm booking a dentist appointment, what's even the point of leaving my home office? And that $30 for three hours is nuts. That's ten bucks an hour for a desk and wifi. That's more than my home internet costs for a whole month. Places are getting greedy with day pass pricing because they know people get desperate (like me that Friday). The real problem is there's way more demand for flexible workspace than supply, especially on Fridays when everyone wants to escape their cats or roommates or whatever. So yeah, I'm on OP's side here. This whole "just plan ahead" advice ignores how coworking is supposed to actually work.

mitchell.thomas13d ago

I mean, I get the frustration but "4 hours to find a spot" feels a little dramatic. If you showed up at 10am on a Friday without calling ahead, that's kind of on you. I've used coworking spaces maybe a dozen times around here and I always check their website or call first to see if day passes are even available. Last time I went to one near the Domain, I just booked online the night before and walked right in at 9am.

michael80313d ago

Guess I should count myself lucky I don't have to deal with this stuff. I work out of a closet in my apartment most days so my only coworking drama is fighting my cat for the mousepad. But seriously, I've had the same experience as Mitchell. Showing up on a Friday without calling ahead is like walking into a packed bar on game day and getting mad there's no seat. I get the whole spontaneity thing but coworking spaces are just regular businesses, they need some heads up. Last time I needed one I just checked their social media before heading out, took two minutes.