DARN RIGHT I WANT THAT SENIOR DISCOUNT
First let’s
review all the benefits of becoming eligible for senior discounts. Close to the top is laughing at your kids
because the curse is coming true. At
some point when your children lived at home you must have said, “When you grow
up and have kids I hope they act just like you.” Well, they are and we just barely hide our
smiles. The next important benefit of
getting older is that it really beats the alternative. Sleeping late; no rush hour traffic; and travel,
pretty much completes my list, though feel free to make your own
additions. Getting a senior discount on
pancakes should not make anyone’s list.
It is true that I once wrote the definitive article on senior discounts (which I unfortunately can’t find on my computer) and assumed that nothing more should or could be said on the subject. However, I was driving down the road in my little RV while listening to satellite radio when a talk show host started complaining about senior citizens getting a discount. With all the possible topics of interest from global warming to oil spills how this subject made it on the air is beyond me.
“Just because you are old doesn’t mean you should get stuff for free or at a discount,” he bellowed in the radio. After a few minutes of this harangue I pushed a button and heard someone discussing whether Nancy Pelosi’s plane really needed an entertainment center. I wonder if Nancy asks for the senior discount at Wendy’s. Oh well, back to the topic at hand.
Let’s get real here; senior discounts are not going to change your life style. A free cup of coffee with your gravy biscuit at Chik-fil-A is nice, but won’t make it possible for you to take an Alaska cruise or pay for a tummy tuck. Seeing a movie for $6 instead of $8.50 is a fine thing but it won’t save enough to get those new golf clubs. In other words, as perks go senior discounts are more like using the executive washroom than having a live-in maid.
Still and all I want those discounts and feel it is my duty to support businesses which have learned the secret of our spending habits. Whether our incomes are $1,000 a month or $10,000 a month it’s now ours to spend. My objective is to spend every cent that comes in every month (not that hard to do all things considered). We seniors have scrimped and saved just about all we are going to scrimp and save. If this were a beer commercial I’d say, “It’s Miller time.”
But let’s get back to discounts for a moment. With a little effort you can get folks to send you e-mail discounts on a regular basis. Right now on my computer there are discounts for Quiznos Subs, Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse, Barnes & Noble, Red Lobster, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and Longhorn SteakHouse. None of these are senior discounts, but we do have the time to take advantage of their offerings.
I remember asking for the senior discount and having cashiers make a joke about me not looking old enough. They don’t do that anymore. Now they are just as likely to give me the discount automatically. Wonder why that is?
The bottom line is that it doesn’t hurt to ask for a senior discount. Many places have them but don’t advertise the fact.
Why isn’t the senior discount for pancakes a great deal? Because while it is true that you pay less; you also get less. Wow! Eat some pancakes for me anyway and enjoy.
