Okay I debating consumerism is waaaay deeper than anything I'm going to say here. But just bear with me. Let me babble about it in one of my more bimbotic moments.
Recently my friends and I have been going to this coffee place, run by a sort of charitable foundation. They sell their merchandise there, where the profits, I assume, go to the running of the foundation and their cause, and they also provide a sort of cafe which is frequented mostly by students who spend the afternoon studying there. It's a nice place, with a nice ambiance, and the only thing lacking is really proper lighting I'd consider suitable for studying. But, you know, to keep the ambiance, I get it. But apparently, they can dictate where you sit, the volunteers who run the place. And apparently the tables nearer the window with lots of natural light is off limits to people who are there to study. It's only for 'guests'. Right. It was a bit of a turnoff for me. Especially when Gina and I had been sitting there for about 2hours - nobody had said anything to us when we came in, and the tables further in were all taken up anyway- and when a group of kids left, one of the volunteers actually asked us to move in there! Like, come on. I had a clear view of the entrance of the place and frankly, there weren't that many people coming in just for a drink, and those who did come definitely didn't have a problem with whatever seats were available.
The other thing that so totally annoyed me was that that same volunteer was pretty much bugging all the people who were just there for a drink. A couple came in shortly after Gina and I settled in to study. And he kept talking and talking and talking to the couple, pretty much selling their cause to them and being the kind of pushy that makes me want to run away from evangelists. It got to the point where he was trying to convince them that they should give him their address so that they needn't come all the way to give their donations - they could just have them collected every few months (Yes, I'm saying that in my head with a very cynical tone). Later after this couple had left, a teenage couple came and sat at that table. And this fella was bugging them, too! Asking how they were doing at school and what game the guy was playing on his cell phone. Urgh. I just wanted to tell the ass to just shut up. But you can't. Because he's some old guy who thinks he's making the world a better place by being a volunteer for a charitable organisation. And for that same reason, you feel bad about saying that it's hypocritical of them to provide a place for people to read and enjoy and yet insist that if you're there to study, you gotta take the crappier seats at the back.
But you see...when you go to a coffee shop... the kind where you pay about RM10 for a cup of coffee...they give you napkins made of recycled paper, unlimited drinking water, and the lovely coffee-scented environment with lots of natural light and comfy tables and chairs. Don't forget power points and WiFi. Don't forget the coffee that's actually really good and in larger quantities. Oh and yes, the staff there can't dictate where you sit. And even if they do, you can complain to management, bitch about it online and basically shut them down - and feel damn good about it. And right, they're more honest and up front about their intentions. I provide you this awesome package of product and experience in exchange for your money and continued patronage.
