Thursday, March 12, 2009

The Story of an Hour

Katipunan, Quezon City – It costs 100 pesos for an hour of internet at Starbucks, whereas a cup of coffee, which the drinker may extend for as long as she wants, costs about the same.

A few meters away from Starbucks, there are internet shops which offer each hour of internet for only 20 pesos. Or cross the street and there’s McDonald’s, which now also has a coffee shop, and free wifi (if the system is working).

It is unfathomable why still so many individuals buy that exorbitantly-priced internet hour at Starbucks when they could just buy a soy chai tea latte to go then trot off to the internet café with cheapo services, or skip to McDonald’s and get a Happy Meal toy instead. Is it because the cafés are populated with pimply teenagers screaming over DOTA? Is it because McDonald’s has Britney Spears wanting Baby to do it one more time, instead of The Ink Spots who don’t want to set the world on fire?

There must be a reason why people still buy the internet card at Starbucks, but this escapes me.

(My apologies to Kate Chopin for borrowing the title.)

1 comment:

Sheila said...

I'm one who would prefer to buy the internet card at starbucks rather than go to a café. My primary reason for choosing the starbucks wi-fi is that i can't stand the chaos that is the internet café. Sounds of guns rattling, bombs exploding, constant shouting, and intermittent chatting are extremely distracting for me. Although starbucks can be beset by noisy college teens, i still find the ambience more laidback.

Secondly, snotty as it may seem, i prefer to stay put with my green tea latte and not walk the few meters to the nearest internet café.

I go to starbucks, an infrequent indulgence, to treat and/or reward myself. During those times, i prefer not to scrimp - even if it costs me P100 for 1hour of internet connection. I usually just tell myself i'm worth it :-p