Would You Like a Tchotchke With Your Internet?

A souvenir store on Unter den Linden in Berlin offers 15 minutes of “free” internet usage. To log in, you go to the counter, get an entry code, and are free to use a PC. Moreover, you can use the code to get 10% off the purchase price of any souvenir in the shop. But unlike some “free” deals that come with tie-in purchases, this is a voluntary tie-in: you don’t have to purchase anything. Since nearby internet shops charge for usage, this seems like a very good deal if you just want to do a quick email check. Although I felt a bit guilty about not buying any of the shop’s tchotchkes, I was happy to use the internet for free and walk out. Why don’t more people go here to use the web? Do they have even greater guilt feelings than I and don’t want to pay the price of the cheesy souvenirs? Are they ignorant of the good deal?