Should senior discounts be available to all?
June 2012
While the age limit varies, seniors are eligible for discounts at some stores, restaurants, hotels and services.
I see children and grandchildren shopping with parents and grandparents in department stores offering discounts on certain days. It could be a great excuse for families to spend more time together, or maybe it is having the senior pay at the cash to obtain savings. I’m not sure I understand these discounts. A wealthy 75-year-old will pay less for the same product as a struggling single parent? Why not have special discount days for mothers, teenagers or pet owners?
I understand early bird specials in restaurants, where savings are offered for early diners. Restaurants are busier later in the evening and want to fill their tables during the slower period. At least this applies to all diners and is not defined by one’s age. The senior discount meals often resemble the children’s-size portions, so are seniors really getting a discount or just paying for a smaller portion? If so, why not just offer two sizes of meals to all diners?
But it’s nice that seniors are offered savings. It could be for such services as moving although ads rarely specify the age that determines who is a senior.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who might be paying more for some services, such as banking and billing, which are increasingly handled over WiFi, not over the counter.
Bankbooks will soon be part of the dinosaur age. If you peek into a bank, you will notice that it looks like a senior’s convention. Many seniors prefer to do their banking through personal interaction with a teller and have the transaction recorded in their bankbook.
There are ways around using soon-to-be-obsolete paper billing. You can pay by automatic debit or credit-card charge and have the bill delivered to the email address a friend or family member who you trust completely.
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Labels: Bonnie
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