Cell phones have transformed the way we do business. They’ve enabled millions of businesses to reach customers and sell goods instantaneously around the world. But these devices we carry with us every moment of the day also create a host of problems for business owners, especially when it comes to people using their phones inside stores.
Ask any small business owner, they’ll tell you a cell-phone horror story. Phone users slow down lines at the register as they stare at their screens; delay ordering in restaurants by checking their email for ten minutes before picking up a menu; and complain when buying a product they found for $.50 cheaper on a price-comparing app.
It’s gotten so bad that many establishments are finding new ways of saying, “please get off your phone and pay attention,” as this photogallery of restaurants demonstrates. Meanwhile, psychological studies have proven that overhearing cell phone conversations is incredibly annoying. And the Internet has even lauded stunt pranksters for calling out loud cell-talkers in public.
Plenty of OnDeck customers have experienced cell phone pain. So we’ve decided to compile stories of nightmare cell-phone users disrupting small businesses. We’ll share the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) tales on the blog over the coming weeks.
Got your own smartphone horror story? Share it with us today!