Wi Fi and Capitalism

This city is Wi-Fi-licious. Everywhere we go there seems to be free Wi Fi. It’s not like London where there’s Wi Fi but you have to pay BT or The Cloud or T-mobile. Here, free hotspots are the norm and they are everywhere.

At the same time, the restaurants and cafés are very relaxed places. You can almost always get a table and there’s no rushing you out the door to make way for the next customer. You are expected to linger and enjoy, even if you have only ordered one Submarino. Unlike central London where even getting a table can be a challenge and then you’re made to feel guilty that other people are waiting. It’s the same in bars and clubs, waiter service and access to the bar that isn’t already 5 people deep.

I guess wages and rents are cheaper here so establishments are able to provide bigger (emptier) environments and added extras (like the dignified no rushing). In London I imagine rent, wages etc are so high that profit margins are tighter forcing owners to optimise every square metre for the most money they can squeeze out of it, providing the minimum tolerable service for the maximum return.... gotta love the highly evolved and effective Capitalism where economic efficiency is more important than quality.