Why would you want to have a big and involved date with someone you’re not even sure you like yet?
This.
It's never been about cheapness, it's about what's the point in doing a big ornate event when you're unsure if you even can stand this person's presence?
You don't click, easy detachment.
You do click, easy segue to a later event.
This fixation on why they're bad is so silly especially considering that it's literally a boon to a woman's personal safety and benefit that it's so easily walked away from.