Complaining about prices at cafés and bars in Milan

Tales of an Expat Living in Italy....

Once upon a time, in the city of Milan, one could buy a soft drink at a café for about 4.00 euros. That was one year ago. And, I used to think that was expensive. Already a year earlier, in the small town where I live in the Brianza, just north of Milan city, a popular soft drink served in a glass cost 4.00 euros—however, in Milan it cost only 3.50 euros for the same soft drink served in a glass. We cannot just blame those sophisticated big city people for charging us high prices now can we? Everyone appears guilty. However, since that time it has all changed—prices are higher.

This week I went to Milan to go bargain hunting for clothes, as the winter sale season has just started. In the middle of my running around from store to store, I became thirsty and wanted to drink my favorite soft drink. I had to pay 8.00 euros, that is an equivalent of 10.35 U.S. dollars, for that can of soft drink (a popular brand)! Not only that, I also had to beg for some potato chips. And, rightfully so, as it was, afterall, the “aperitivo” hour. How could these café-bar managers be so stingy? Then there is the dishonest side to all of this: I never received a receipt. I was given a bill which read 16.00 euros; there were two of us and we ordered two cans of soft drink. The waitress took away the bill after we both paid and she never gave us the receipt that we were entitled to. In fact we waited; I wanted a receipt as proof of the purchase. Here in Italy the law is that they must provide you with a receipt. Of course, this particular café is not the only establishment where prices are high.

The community as a whole siffers from price hikes on drinks. For example, I belong to an expat social group in Milan and we pay anywhere from 6.00 to 7.00 euros per drink, whether it’s a soft drink or a glass of wine. And, that is considered cheap now in this very moment that I speak. That could all change again in six months. Potential crisis? It is getting to the point where I have to think twice about going to Milan, to that cosmopolitan place, in order to socialize with fellow expats. The other choice I have is to just stay and sit here in this small, boring, and clannish, Brianza town, where I live; I suppose that because the horizon is blessed with the presence of the magestic Alps, I should be content. Well, I am not. The beauty is nice, the grass and trees are nice too, but I also need to talk with human beings once in a while, at least those I have something in common with. Years ago, going out was something I used to take for granted. Now going out is something that has to be planned and I have to ration the times I go out during the month. Are there others like me out there who share this same existence?

It just should not be this way now should it? And, it is not just the pricy drinks I am complaining about, but coffee, too. I remember back in the U.S.A. where I lived most of my life, as well as when I lived in Denmark—a cup of coffee was inexpensive. One might have paid 1.00 or 1.50 dollars for a cup of coffee. When I was hit over the head with a bill of 6.00 euros in Florence for a coffee—enough was enough. When I told friends about it , they did not believe me. “Yes”, I said.

If you are an American traveling overseas to Italy, your dollar won’t stretch very far. The dollar is very weak right now, almost thirty percent. Ouch. So, if I have to pay 8.00 euros for a soft drink or wine in Milan, it will cost the American more, given the currency exchange rate. It will be like 10.35 dollars. Ouch. Now, an American tourist may not be so upset about all of this and might say: “I am here only once in Italy and I will pay what it costs to drink in Florence, Rome, etc .” If tourists are willing to pay these exorbitant prices, the prices will continue to be pushed up. This is not necessarily good for the local person—like me—who lives here in Italy. I do not like the fact that the tourist market influences the market here to the point where the local person is squeezed out. Italy is not just for the tourists, it is more than anything else a home for the local people who live and work here. Now, I want to make another point. Women here in Italy have generally less money than men. If things get more and more expensive how can a woman pay these prices? Most of the bars in Italy (that are not in the tourist-heavy areas) are generally frequented more by men then they are by women. Why this is I am not really sure, it could be a cultural reason, or be an economic one, or both. But if the cost of coffee and drinks continues to rise, I am certain less women will patronize cafés and bars.

I am just fed up with paying high prices for a simple drink, not to mention what it costs for higher quality wine or “aperitivo” drinks. It gets very boring only being able to order water—which is cheaper—because a person cannot afford more. It is also depressing if one has to carry their own bottle of water or soda around with them for the day’s duration just because they want to be sure they won’t go thirsty. It takes the fun out of the day when a person has to think in this way.

Worse yet would be if someone could not meetup with friends because it is just too expensive to go out? And, this is all because the proprietors of cafés and bars are raising their drink prices. I suspect they are doing black money as well; I can only vouch for what happened to me when I paid 8.00 euros that evening in Milan for the can of soft drink. Where is the good will of these proprietors? Will they ever think about a frequent-patron discount? That would be nice, wouldn’t it? But don’t hold your breath.

And, next year I will be saying “once upon a time I paid only 8.00 euros for a soft drink…..”

Karin Fester – Scala

Milan, Italy

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email: karinfstr@yahoo.com