What are the ethics of taking advantage of a 'senior discount'?

NO..

Really, 5% off groceries? I would be doing all my neighbors shopping and pocketing 2.5% and they get a 2.5% discount.

No ethical dilemma.

Nope.

If you qualify, you qualify. I take them all the time and I certainly don’t look or act my age. It’s not a subjective measure; it’s an objective one.

No different than using a coupon.

Take the discounts. It’s your money

No dilemma. If the merchants wanted to go by level of fitness, or how you look, they would specify. Take the discount if you want, don’t if you don’t.

It must be nice to be so rich that saving money is something that doesn’t interest you. I say that jokingly. Take the discount. You qualify! :)

Think of it as a cashback reward for putting up with over 60 years of bullshit.

They don’t offer these discounts because they want to give a break to the feeble and needy. It’s their way of pulling in business to fill in the gaps left by their main demographic. Movie theaters and restaurants, for instance, pack in working adults mostly on weekends because they work and take care of the kids at other times. Senior discounts add an incentive for a demographic with fewer schedule restrictions to come in at less busy times.

It’s unethical for a younger person to lie and get a senior citizen discount, or for someone to use a long-expired student ID to claim a student discount, or for a strong, healthy person to fake the paperwork for handicapped parking privileges.

How could you possibly believe that it’s unethical for you, someone who’s fully and legitimately eligible, to get senior citizen benefits because you don’t look or feel your age?!?! If you don’t want to acknowledge to the world, or to yourself, that you’ve reached age 60, that’s fine, but that’s a matter of personal comfort, not of ethics.

I take the discount except in small places that I want to stay in business.
Movie theaters – no problem
But I just can’t bring myself to get the free coffee at the Dennys in my area. Breakfast is already so cheap and the server comes so many times to fill my cup I just can’t do it.

I get the senior coffee at McDonalds; saves me forty cents a cup.

I can see an ethical problem of asking for senior discounts if you are financially well off.

The unstated reason for the senior discount it to help seniors on a pension that need all the help that they can get in order to get by.

Private companies and government run companies likely lose a lot of money offering this discount aimed at poor seniors but taken advantage of by greedy old rich folks. If only seniors that truly need this discount used it then more money would be freed up to for government and private companies to use. With more money private companies might be able to pay their employees more money and or grow the company and hire more workers. Government companies could have more money to serve the public better.

That said I’m 65, very well off financially and a total hypocrite as I take advantage of this every chance I get. But it’s not all my fault. My wife would scold me if I didn’t take advantage. Nevertheless I still feel guilty because I know that I’m taking unfair advantage.

Just because I forget that I’m old, is no reason to struggle with my conscience when I occasionally remember. Your question might as well read “What are the ethics of growing old?” I agree that the gimmick is ethically suspicious because it isn’t based on actual need. But then again, our system is designed in more ways than one to benefit those of us fortunate to win the lottery of time. I don’t want to dwell on the number of millionaires receiving those social security checks and medicare benefits.

@gondwanalon

Don’t kid yourself, these companies lose no money by any qualifying person taking advantage. If they did then they would not offer them.These discounts aren’t compassionate acts of charity aimed at helping the less advantaged, they’re shrewd, calculated marketing ploys designed to bring in business.

No. There is no ethical issue.

It’s just another way of competing for your disposable income.
If they offer you a discount – any discount – take it.
It’s not offered because they’re losing money on the deal.

@Darth_Algar True. Private companies are in business for one reason: make money. Perhaps they can get a tax write off for loss of revenue or they simply jack up prices so that they actually make more money in this deal. But who knows for sure?

Also I can’t see how government run companies can benefit.

@stanleybmanly You do pay much more for Medicare Part B if you have a higher income. It’s not the same amount for everyone.

True Birdie. But there’s no question that the healthcare premiums under medicare for qualified seniors are mild compared to the brutal rates foisted on those not yet eligible. Our situation as a nation would improve considerably if medicare were extended to everyone.

Agree, although I’m paying as much for my Medicare and Medicare supplement policy as I was paying for COBRA after the divorce. It was kind of a shock to me.

However, I agree with your main point; Single Payer should be for everyone.

Enjoy your discount. You earned it simply for staying around long enough to be eligible for it.

@gondwanalon

It’s not a tax write-off, nor is it that prices are any more inflated than usual. It’s just a simply ploy to bring people through the doors. It’s an effective one too. Restaurant A and Restaurant B are direct competitors in the same town. Both have roughly the same kid of food offerings and service for roughly the same price. Restaurant B offers a 5% senior discount while Restaurant A offers none. As a result Restaurant B gets a lot of business that might have otherwise gone to Restaurant A.

I’m not really sure what government-owned business you’re referring too. The only government-owned businesses that I can really think of are the U.S. Postal Service, Amtrak and the Smithsonian Institute/Folkways Records. None of which are in business for profit.

Many senior discounts merely boost retail traffic during off hours.
A restaurant might offer a senior discount before 6 p.m. – start of the traditional dinner hour.
Tuesday is a popular day for senior discount because it’s traditionally a slow retail sale day.

It’s the economics of scale; boosting sales volumes during anticipated lulls in traffic.

It’s no different that ½ price appetizers at Applebee’s, 3–6 and 9-close. Some sales are better than no sales, and the beverages are high profit.

Again, if they offer you a senior discount, take the discount.
Enjoy!

@Darth_Algar You make good cents. HA!

I was thinking of government owned busses and commute trains. I took a 40 mile buss ride once to Seattle. As I was struggling to get the $3.50 fare from my pocket the bus driver told me, “You’re a senior so you pay $1.50”. That’s a 57% reduction in the cost and a large loss of revenue over time. But that’s no problem for the government as it can just get the tax payers to make up the difference. Looks like I’m paying full price after all. HA!

@gondwanalon

I see. I’ve never really thought of public transit as a business. I’ve always viewed it along the same lines as public roads. And yeah, that discount might be a loss of revenue, but presumable that can be made up in other areas. More people taking public transit = less cars on the road. Less cars on the road = less wear and tear on the roads = less road maintenance required = less tax dollars spent fixing potholes and repaving roads. Hypothetically at least.

I suppose one could call Amtrak public transit, but I view it as a different beast from local commuter trains and buses. Amtrak has a much more business-like operation such as utilizing assigned seating and offering differing amenities and accommodations at differing price points (like an airline), as well as selling food (anywhere from snack items and microwave sandwiches to full meals, depending on the particular train) to toiletries to comfort items such as blankets and small pillows.

Only in your imagination.