Officeworks doesn’t strike me as the kind of place people will head down to with the laptop in order to check out Facebook or send some emails, but that hasn’t stopped the stationary store from offering free Wi-Fi at its stores around the country.
The service blocks illegal content, and has a time limit for all logins to enable multiple customers to get connected without overclogging the network. You also need to agree to the terms of service in your device’s browser every time you connect, similar to hotel wireless options around the world.
It probably won’t attract shoppers in itself, but you can’t complain about free stuff…
[Officeworks via Lifehacker]
JIM
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 10:51 AMStationery, not stationary.
Sam
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 10:57 AMUnless they’re selling their goods out of the back of a cart – then really, it’s both.
Max
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 10:13 PMWell, it’s not moving is it?
Esophagus
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 11:01 AMLemme know when they start selling cheeseburgers and I’ll get right on it.
Kathy
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 11:19 AMYou beat me to it Jim. Spelling errors online are one of my pet peeves.
James
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 11:39 AMHungry Jacks launched their Free Wifi last month too.
bazuden
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 11:42 AMFree wifi would be handy for checking product information and reviews, and also comparing prices while you’re in the store.
Benji
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 12:46 PMMy thoughts exactly. My local store has dismal mobile coverage and even scarcer staff. It’s nice to see Officeworks recognising it’s better for their customers to check online for correct information rather than risk misinformation from their staff.
Evo
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 12:23 PMIt is a good speed as well, better then your run of the mill maccas wifi.
Dave
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 12:48 PMIn case anyone doesn’t know Internode, in association with a a few organisations, [Such as City Lan an Adelaide council initiative], have heaps of free WiFi hotspots all over Australia.
Checkout the list here:
https://hotspot.internode.on.net/
Kent
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 1:43 PMThis would have cost them a lot, I’m certain allowing the public to use this system is only a secondary.
redartifice
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 2:01 PMIf you’re able to d’load documents before printing, instantly super useful.
Byzza
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 3:14 PMThis will actually be very helpful.
I usually go in, do some research, get prices, go home a finish the research on the net and go back to do price matching, now I can do it all in store :)
Adam
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 5:09 PMMy local officeworks has had free computers with Internet access since it started, although the Internet is pretty slow. It also has free courses, free phone charging as well as I think free tea and coffee. Makes for a decent store.
Simon
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 8:16 PMGood move. Another plus for Officeworks in my opinion, Officeworks are the best compared to other major electronics chains. They always have good prices, they have good customer service and a good range (more than just Stationary!). Free Wifi would be useful to help test products before purchase, it’s a good business move to encourage people to go into the store (even if they not there to buy, most times you don’t leave Officeworks empty handed because you always find something you need), and above all it is a token of good faith to people who would use it to price match (People would still do it using 3G anyway).
I admit that I have been to an Officeworks and looked up prices on my phone using 3G. In actual fact the prices are not far off the mark from other stores and the extra $1.25 is worth it knowing that I can have the product right now, from a reputable seller than has a good returns policy. They would even price match it if you asked (No… I didn’t go that far to save $1.25, this isn’t OzBargain).
Raymond
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 8:41 PMTo be exact, the time limit is 70 minutes lease time for each device connected :)
Jack
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 1:14 AMAnd with a MAC spoofer it could be longer.
-maybe- only guessing.
70 minutes is a real generous time though, that’s nice of officeworks.
Bloody ages.
smurfydog
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 10:38 PMI only visit Officeworks for their pricematching guarantee so I don’t have to drive further. Of course, they do win in the end, because I’ll sometimes buy other stuff while I’m there.
My local Officeworks will sometimes match online-only prices too. Depends who you get.
It’s definitely worth a try, as they don’t factor in the shipping fee.
I got half-price headphones this way without the bother of driving another 20Ks or ordering online and paying postage.
carmykal
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 1:03 AMThey should allow the display Note/Ultrabooks, PC and tablets to utilise the WI FI
Customer exposure of the product, whilst offering free internet, that’s relatively cheap to provide in the first place.
Rod
Friday, January 6, 2012 at 8:48 PMall display laptops etc are connected to the Internet
Max
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 7:23 AMAs long as they don’t block staticice.com I’m all for it. Although (as stated above) these days their pricing is really competitive even with online stores. I just wish my local still stocked components ie: internal hdd and disk drives. Last time I needed an emergency internal hdd I had to break open an enclosure