I don't think there is anything wrong with players wanting to immerse themselves into the economic part of the world in addition to doing all the bad guy smashing they find time for. In an old group of mine a Necromancer with deep pockets was influencing an election in a metropolis to get...
This past week I used mage hand to douse a then visible Imp with beer in an effort to try and determine its whereabouts once it went invisible. the DM gave me a perception bonus which turned out to work well in my favor. We were attacked by Imps and others while drinking and eating at a tavern...