By Majd Othman

KUWAIT: After the pandemic, many things have changed in our lifestyles and our way of seeing the world. One of the things that has changed after the COVID pandemic is people's spending at cafes and buying coffee every day, as many are allocating a budget every month on this habit despite it costing them a lot, even as others have cut back.

Ahmad Jassem said he visits coffeeshops three to four times a week, because he is looking for a change in his daily routine, due to the lack of entertainment activities in the country, adding his average spending on coffee is KD 60 to 70 per month. Regarding his daily habit of buying coffee, he noted: "For me, buying coffee every day and visiting cafes is a thing I cannot stop. We have all got used to caffeine in our lives to give us the power to finish daily tasks. After going to the gym and training, I need a daily dose of caffeine."

Jassem said his lifestyle changed after coffeeshops mushroomed all over the country and it became easier to grab a quick cup through a drive-thru while going to work or the gym, which has encouraged people to buy.

Heba Ahmad said she has been frequenting cafes for years, also spending between KD 60 to KD 70 monthly on shisha and coffee. "As more cafes opened in the country, more people were attracted to visit them. But after the pandemic, my visits become fewer, as we got used to making the items we order in cafes at home. I was spending more than KD 90 at cafes before the pandemic," she said.

"Overspending on such things is a result of feeling bored most of the time. This is what encourages people's spending behavior usually. Also, for many people when the day is not busy, and the coffeeshop is on your way or has a drive-thru or they are offering a great deal, then the probability of spending is higher," Ahmad said. "From the point you leave your house till your destination, there are lots of cafes and coffeeshops, so they are increasing their sales by forcing us to buy subconsciously."

Jumana Al-Sabbah said due to her busy schedule, she doesn't go to cafes a lot, so her expenditure is not much. She pointed out that after the pandemic, the demand to visit cafes became less as most people have got used to making at home the items they usually ordered in cafes. Rawan Nael pointed out that visiting cafes and spending money there has changed after the pandemic. "The time people spent at home during the pandemic made them get used to staying at home rather than going outside and sitting in cafes," she said.

Regarding people who spend large amounts of money on coffee monthly, she said such behavior is overexaggerated. "People should have priorities in their lives and not spend on things that are not essential, especially since life has changed a lot after the pandemic, not only on the social level, but financially as well," Nael said.