That Discount is Yours – Just Ask for It

I normally don’t do this, but today I am writing about something I focused on in a blog post quite a while ago. Why am I doing this? Simply because I have gotten away from doing what I recommended then.  If I have done that, I thought you might have too.

Our Income is Fixed

Our Bills Keep on Rising

What Do We Do?

Most of us older people are living on fixed incomes. We cannot rely on the government increasing our monthly Social Security benefits. In fact, news articles regularly say the government is looking at cutting Social Security. If they do, we are afraid of how that may impact us.

While our monthly Social Security benefit doesn’t increase or may increase slightly, the same is not true for the bills we get every month. For those of us who rent, the amount we pay goes up. The cost of electricity, gas and water increases. Our grocery bills increase. We also pay more for clothes and to eat out.

We have to cover these costs with the income we have coming in. At some point, that may be a real hardship for us. We may have to cut back on essentials such as food just to have enough to cover the other bills.

We Need to Take Advantage of Anytime We Can Save Money

In that prior post I wrote, I talked about the discounts businesses and restaurants offer older people like us. You may not recall it or you may have started reading my posts after I wrote that one.  If that’s true, you can click here. That will take you back to the post and you can read about some of the special discounts you can get.

The retail, department and drug stores I mentioned in that post still offer the discounts I indicated. When shopping, stop by one of them and get a discount on what you buy.

In that post, I mentioned a discount at Publix. Several months after I wrote it, Publix eliminated that discount.  They followed Kroger which had the same discount but cancelled it earlier.

The executives of Kroger and Publix said they made up for it by offering discounts in other areas. I think they would have had greater loyalty from customers like you and me if they just continued it. It was only 5%. 5 cents on a dollar was not going to hurt them.

Additional Discounts for You to Take Advantage of

First, there is Tanger Outlets in Sevierville.  If you’re a member of AARP or the Tanger Club, you can stop by Tanger’s Shopper Services Office and pick up a free coupon book.  That book has coupons you can use to save a little more money on your purchases at many of the stores there.

Next, many restaurants offer discounts to older people. Here are some:

Applebee’s – Those 60 and older can get a 10% to 15% discount. This varies by location. Some locations may require you to get a Golden Apple card.

Bonefish Grill – If you are an AARP member, you can get a 10% discount. You will have to show your AARP card.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company- If you are an AARP member, you can get a 10% discount. That’s also true for military.

Carrabba’s – Those who are AARP members can get 10% off.

Chili’s – People 55 and older can get a 10% discount.

Golden Corral – This restaurant offers a discount. It varies by location.

Krispy Kreme – People 50 and older can get 10% off. This may vary by location.

Perkins Restaurant and Bakery – This chain is different. It has a special Fifty-Five plus menu for people 55 and older.  It looks like the closest Perkins to Knoxville is in Dandridge. I know many of you travel. When you see a Perkins as you travel, stop in and take advantage of some of the items on this menu.

Subway – People 60 and older can get 10% off. (This can vary by location.)

Many other restaurants offer discounts. When you eat at any restaurant, it doesn’t hurt to ask if they have anything special for older people. You may save some money.

Several years ago, some friends gave me a baseball cap. On the front it says:

Don’t Forget My Senior Discount

I don’t often wear it.  However, that is going to change.  That may prompt cashiers in stores and servers in restaurants to tell me about the discounts they have.

What about You?

Why pay more when I am getting it for less?

Isn’t it time you took advantage of every discount available to you any time you are shopping or eating out and save some money?

You can make better use of that money than a store or restaurant can.

________________________________

If you have any comments on what you have read in this post, please email them to me. Also – if you have any ideas about subjects you would like to see discussed in future posts, please send me an email and let me know. My email address is bob.ooablog@gmail.com.