I can't say that I'm surprised, based on some of the anecdotal evidence that I've heard from places that offer WiFi services for free in order to attract customers, but Starbucks has now stated that they have benefited from their WiFi partnership with T-Mobile.

An article in the Edinburgh Evening News quotes the company's chairman as saying that WiFi access is keeping people in stores longer. More importantly, people are more likely to visit the store in the middle of the day, instead of just in the morning to get a cup of wake-up coffee.

This is of no surprise to me, as I frequently stop by Starbucks for internet access and always end up paying for coffee when I'm there (the smell is impossible to resist).