I am not old ... but where's my senior discount?

BY LEE KAPLAN —
Who knows where the first senior discount came from? Maybe Og offered Thorx a deal on a used wheel to clinch a sale and told him it was out of respect for his age.

When my own "senior moment" came (that first AARP mailing at my 50th birthday), I wrote "deceased" on the envelope and dropped it back in the mailbox. But then it came back two days later, and I realized there was no escaping my impending seniorhood, so I might as well embrace it. Finding I could save $75 on my new glasses (my first set of bifocals!) was enough to get me to join AARP. And, since then, I've become a shameless senior-discount hunter. If someone is going to consider me an old fart, I'm going to make them pay.

Despite the fact that AARP does some good work out there, lobbying Congress and educating the public on a variety of issues affecting older adults, I have to think that without their network of discount offers, they'd be just another non-profit outfit with a funny name.

Thousands of companies, mostly national chains, now offer senior discounts on everything from travel to food to mufflers. When it comes to senior discounts, you just can't beat pharmacies. There's a real senior discount war out there, with pharmacy departments at major retailers like Costco, Walmart and Kmart slugging it out with Walgreen's at the national level. And many independently owned drugstores in small towns in Minnesota have discounts for older customers. Clearly, giving discounts to older consumers must be good for business.

Entertainment is another target-rich environment for senior-discount hunters. Many national movie theater chains have discounts for seniors, sometimes restricted to weekday shows or matinees. St. Paul's Ordway Theatre offers senior discounts on many of its shows.

Some marketers think you should be 50+ to qualify for a senior discount, while others start their discounts at 62 or even 67. Some of the larger retailers are more active "players" for the senior dollar. Department store Herberger's/Younkers offers people age 55+ a discount. Competitor Kohl's, on the other hand, doesn't think you deserve a discount until you reach 62. So, if you're too young to qualify for a particular senior discount, you may find one from a competing store you do qualify for.

Senior discounts don't always result in the rock bottom lowest prices, however. If you're willing to hunt around, you might be able to match or beat the deal. For example, you can get the equivalent of the AARP hotel discounts from many chains if you go to their Websites to book your reservation directly. And, you can usually beat the prices of those airline senior coupons if you're willing to work at it. However, it's hard to beat senior discounts for convenience, since they're usually quite openly available to any senior willing to act his age.

Many senior discounts aren't widely advertised. So, don't let "Minnesota Nice" get in your way. If you'd really like to pay less, always ask if there are any senior discounts offered.

You might not think about asking for a discount from your local utility, but maybe you should. Northeastern Minnesota's Cooperative Power & Light, for example, gives a price break to seniors who qualify for off-peak electric water heating. And, if you live in the city of Arden Hills and everyone in your household is 65 or older, you can save on your sewer and water bill. It's worth checking it out senior discounts with your local utility.

Senior discounts are one of the the good aspects of getting older. So, enjoy the opportunity to save some money. But, don't eat dinner at 4:30 ... unless you're really hungry.

(Check out our Marketplace section for Senior Discounts.)

(Posted April 27, 2008)