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Hiding Cache Inside A Business


tossedsalad

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There is a coffee shop around here that is open 24/7 that I thought would be a good place for a cache. I might even find a way to make it a multi. At least one of the locations would actually be inside the building. I asked the owner and it is ok with him. Is this enough out of the norm so that I shouldn't do it? There are several good locations inside where a small cache could be hidden, or even more where a micro could be.

 

How do others here feel about this?

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There is nothing wrong with a cache, or a leg of a cache indoors. If its inside a business however, it will be toeing the "commercial" cache line and you may have a hard time getting it by your approver. I'm not saying you can't but, what you should do is run it by him before hand to make sure.

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I agree with Mr. Snat. If the cache can be logged without the finder feeling obligated to make a purchase it may be ok, but it is pretty borderline.

 

Isn't there a spot outside the business? In a planter out front perhaps?

 

erik - geocaching.com adminion

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Here is one that is quite appropriate. As a matter of fact, the owner has become involved with geocaching after the fact. Be sure to look at some of the pictures.

Note that there is no "cache" in there but he has travelbugs to trade.

Edited by zoltig
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I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable wandering around inside a coffee shop without buying a cup of coffee.  If it's inside a building how do you and the seeker get good GPSr readings?

I did not think that people would feel obligated to buy anything. I never feel that way when I go there. There are two rooms. The entrance leads through one where there are not even any employees. The other one is in the back and has a counter where you order. People play games or read books or lounge on the couch. Since the place is open 24/7, there are homeless people who come at night and don't buy anything. Hmmm... I guess that is not a good comparison. B)

 

Yes, I certainly could hide something outside, but there are lots of good hiding spots inside and a clue would tell you where to look. The owner even suggested a good hiding spot in a piece of furniture where a clever clue would provide guidance. No, the GPS would not work inside, but I have tried to find a cache inside a cracker barrel once when the GPS was telling me it was there. Just like when a cache is under heavy tree cover, I used triangulation to select a center spot to search from. Of course it wasn't inside, but my GPSr didn't know that for some reason. I spent a good 15 minutes searching under tables and chairs.

 

In Frederick, MD there is a small section of rehabilitated slums and industry that are now antique shops and various types of restaurants. I was thinking of making a multi cache that would lead you around some of the spots that are just plain nice to hang out.

 

So have I convinced anyone this is a good idea?

 

Would it be a good idea to start working with an approver first?

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Would it be a good idea to start working with an approver first?

I haven't even placed a cache, and was just considering places.. I emailed my approver to give him a heads up of my intentions. Even though I figured the cache would be perfectly legit. I still haven't placed it due to weather.. point is, I would always try and get with the approver first hand. Just to give each other a heads up. Right?

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I've seen it done tastefully too.

 

This cache was inside a business; the cache page doesn't mention that, so we felt stupid after searching outside the place for 20 minutes before it dawned on us to go inside. B)

 

Despite the ammo can being behind the counter, I didn't feel obligated to purchase anything any moreso than if the cache had been hidden out in the parking lot.

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I've found a cache like this before, too. This one is in a coffee shop. The cache is a photo album that's kept in a magazine rack, which people have filled with all kinds of photos. We didn't buy anything, and the staff knew what we were doing when we walked in with a GPS. In fact, this was one of my favorite caches to date. I see nothing at all wrong with them, as long as you have the business owners permission.

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This cache is inside a very interesting business. People often come in just to look around, so there's really no pressure to buy food -- in fact, one time we visited, they were too busy to serve us any food if we'd wanted any! The cache also fits in great with the spy theme of the establishment. But it's not hidden, it's behind the counter, so you need to ask the staff to get it out. It was a very fun cache. But it was also placed quite some time back, and I'm not sure if these days it would be seen as too commercial. Edited by Kite and Hawkeye
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In my area, two TB Hotels are in businesses. One is in a pizzeria where a local cacher has meetings. The other is in a coffee shop. The employees know about them. If it is fine with the owners, I see nothing wrong. There is no obligation to buy anything.

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I have found four caches that are inside businesses, non of the require a purchase and all of them were in resturants on some sort. I just planned on doing them when I might be hungry, just in case they had something on the menu that I might want to eat, two times they did, so I bought lunch.

 

go ahead, place your cache.

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I emailed my approver to give him a heads up of my intentions.

First, how do you get the email of your local approver?

 

Second, I wouldn't feel comfortable at all snooping around a business hunting for a cache. If it was to be asked for I would be ok with that.

 

Interesting idea for a cache though, I wouldn't hunt for it, but it's nice to see people pushing the bounds of geocaching.

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I guess I didn't understand some of the subtleties of contacting your approver. I thought that placing a listing was the best way to contact them and did that asking for tentative approval before I went further with it. But the reviewer has since responded indicating that it is not likely to be approved. Seems he expected me to contact them via the "contact address" first.

 

So now I expect I won't be able to place this cache. Just the fact that I am pursuing it and not dropping the cache has the reviewer thinking I am in it for commercial purposes. Dammed if you do, dammed if you don't. :anitongue:

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Lets see, I have gone after a local puzzle cache that was inside a business. A puzzle cache that took me right outside a business. And a TB race that had its container inside the State Welcome Center. So, I know our local reviewer has been good about things.

 

Shoot, I have contacted my local reviewer about a few ideas only to have them shot down for too much work involved in the maintainence. I have had to contact the reviewer to explain more about what it is the cache is doing. I have even sent him a list of what all caches I have checked on and found that they were indeed destroyed. Of course, I always spend a month or so trying to find the owner first, but that is a different matter.

 

So, break out your email and write that reviewer a note. You will be surprised to find that they are just people trying to work inside the rules like the rest of us are.

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