The Payoff

It was inevitable and so it finally happened. I went into a store this morning and got my first seniors’ discount. The discount chain, Zellers’ gives 10% off to people 55 years of age and older on the first Monday of every month (I am 56 so am in fact a year late cashing in on this). I bought sunglasses, some chocolate, and replenished my underwear inventory, something that was much needed. To double-check, I asked the cashier, a 20-something woman, about the seniors’ discount and she said they call it the “55 advantage now” and leave out the “senior” part. Nice try, I thought, but I still know what it really means. Then I asked if she wanted to see my driver’s license, and she casually said no, which she almost certainly did not intend as an insult.

Sometime last week, I did a web search for seniors’ discounts and I was surprised how many clothing, hardware, and drug store chains offer them. It’s a little confusing because their discount days are all on different days of the week and at different times of the month. But sure enough, there are web sites that track all that for you, making it easier to plan purchases. Ten percent is not life-changing, but the money is better in my pocket than theirs.

On the way out of the store, I discreetly took a look round and saw lots of grey and white hair, but maybe that’s unfair, maybe that’s who shops at 11:00 a.m. on Mondays. I need reading glasses now, don’t play touch football anymore, and eat less fried food than I used to, but the payoff is that I can now get a deal on white cotton Stanfields.