Sometimes I’m at the doctor’s office, at the library, or even at the grocery store and see an unused power outlet. My phone is dying. I feel weird plugging in, but I feel even weirder asking for permission.
You could probably just skip the whole anxiety issue by buying a portable battery and using that whenever you’re low. If your phone is fully charged at the start of the day and you burn through the whole battery and a mid range portable battery you’re using your phone quite excessively and may need to figure something more reliable out.
Yeah this is a great tip, you can get some that can fast charge your phone and plug directly into the wall. You can use it as a normal phone charger and then unplug it and bring it with you for 10,000mAh on the go
I bought a 20,000mAh portable battery. My partner hogged it from day 1, so I ordered another straight away.
Honestly a big battery is so liberating.
I like the 10 amp ones because the 20 amp ones are too large for flying carryon (or they used to be, they might have changed that law)
Yeah I started looking at carry on restrictions about a year ago. Everywhere in south East Asia/ Australia seems to be 24,000mAh IIRC.
I agree completely. This is not as big of a deal as some people are making it. Charging a phone takes VASTLY more energy than a charging a car. Whoever complains about the former is being more than a bit ridiculous and really needs to rethink their priorities.
If it’s a public place and you have legitimate business starting there for a while, I don’t see any issue with it. Eg. Doctors waiting room and you have an appointment, restaurant and you’re dining there, etc.
If it’s someone’s private home I’d ask first.
Some places you’re not supposed to plug anything in unless it’s tested and tagged. Unlikely to be an issue in a public area, but if you’re somewhere that the power getting tripped would be a safety issue then best to ask first.
Are you thinking of the ICU too?
A business’s insurance might require all electronic devices to be tested before being plugged in though.
Then those outlets shouldn’t be unlocked
Something small like that, you’re fine. They wouldn’t really care, or even notice the bill.
The problem comes if you either start unplugging devices to plug in your phone, or you plug in such a ridiculously large load that you start tripping breakers, but that comes more with space heater, or car charging territory.
Phones are perfectly fine, and in some places, like the library, that is what they’re meant for, to let people charge their phones or laptops while they work.
Not rude at all. I wouldn’t even ask for a phone charge.
Just don’t plug your giant bitcoin miner in.
rolls huge server rack filled with GPUs into the doctor’s office
“Yo doc, mind if I plug in for a bit?”
Well, seeing as you asked so nicely.
Going to need a little more power, do you have a 50Amp outlet in the back?
There’s a street light outside my house, I swear I’m going to open the hatch and install a gpo if I ever get an electric car.
I wouldn’t bother asking if it’s a 15 min charge for your phone. If you are there for 3 hours, then maybe consider asking.
My preference would be to ask for permission.
Imho, it’s a bit like a water fountain. You wouldn’t ask before filling up your bottle. In both cases you as an individual are costing the business pennys.
The only place you mentioned that I personally wouldn’t do it is a store, but that’s mostly because to charge your phone you kinda have to sit by the outlet and I personally see stores as places of movement where hanging out is discouraged. You are supposed to buy something and leave.
But for doctors offices, you’re probably fine, and libraries you 100% all g.
If you don’t have to reach or lean over someone, sure. Obviously if you do that would require saying ‘excuse me…’ or asking them to plug it in for you. An open outlet, anyway, is always fair game. If someone needs to use it after you start… they can say something.
Will you drink a can of Coke™ lying around a stranger’s house without asking? No? Then, ask for permission as a matter of etiquette unless there are signs specifically saying it is ok to use them.
Yep, super easy to ask. “Hey, is it cool if I charge my phone here while I wait?” I’ve never had anybody tell me “no”. Assuming you’re not also asking for a cable or something, I don’t think most people mind at all.
Well if they had some on tap piped into each wall of their house I would be pretty comfortable with filling up a bottle.
Aka a water fountain lmao.
Would you fill up your bottle at the fountain, then you should be able to juice up your phone.
Big difference to a random coke and a flow of constant power that literally costs less than a cent to charge a phone.
Phones charging use such little power I’d really be surprised if anyone cared. It really depends on the place. A library I would have no issue plugging in anything without asking. I can’t say I’ve ever been at the doctors and considered charging my phone though I may ask out of courtesy if I did simply because I like my doctor. Overall I’d say it wouldn’t be a big deal either way.
They use a few cents (in US dollars) a year.
I don’t think it matters with a phone/laptop or other small device.
If you plugged in a Tessy that might make some people unhappy.
Flashback to when my sister in law had an electric car and felt compelled to plug it in at my place everytime she visited.
Bold.
Naw, it was a Bolt.
~sorry. I’l leave now~
No… Never
From a (US) financial perspective, a phone charger takes about 5 watts of electricity. At $0.010/kWh that’s $0.0005/hr (or ¢0.05/hr) of charging. This is utterly negligible.
For reference, a worker at the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr would be paid that much after 0.25 seconds of working. It’s not even worth paying an employee to tell you to not plug in, which would probably take at least 15 seconds.
Naturally, some businesses may want to discourage people from loitering, but more often than not, they probably want your business (library, grocery store, coffee shop &c) or understand that reality happens.
I’ve literally moved tables in doctors offices to plug my phone in and no one’s ever said anything. The library those outlets are yours. Charge away.
yeah me too, I always just move other people’s furniture around and even shoosh the occasional pet away if my phone is in need, no one ever said anything either. they might look funny but that’s probably bc my farts smell
I don’t think it’s that big of a deal specially if you are just charging your phone.
