When Is A Pensioner Not A Pensioner?

"Do you offer a pensioner discount?"
"Do you have a seniors' card?"
"That doesn't answer my question."
"We offer a pensioner discount for seniors who have a seniors' card."
"What if they're not pensioners?"
"They are pensioners. They're seniors."
"Even if they retired with 4 million in the bank and own 5 negatively geared investment properties? They wouldn't be entitled to a pension"
"Do you have a seniors' card?'
"No, I'm not old enough, but I have a pension card."
"We only offer a discount to seniors."
"Why?"
"Because they're pensioners."
"But many of them aren't. Many of them have insanely large investment portfolios."
"But they're seniors."
"So you discriminate against pensioners based on age and offer discounts to old rich people?"
"Would you like to order?"
"No thank you."

I hear a lot of wealthy older people complaining about the poorer members of society getting a leg up. They listen to Laws, Jones and the rest of that insidious mob and have a good old whinge about single mothers, the unemployed and indigenous Australians. I'd like to know just how much revenue is lost per annum in terms of discounted services offered to seniors. 

To be less facetious and blatantly honest, it probably doesn't amount to much. Government services like goods and services offered by private enterprise, work on the basis of a profit margin. Whilst discounts might reduce the profitability of services, they generally result in increased turnover by attracting more custom. Everyone wins.

Probably not a $10 steak!

Discounts on government services are invariably offered to all concession card holders as well as seniors. Now I don't begrudge seniors getting a discount. I don't actually care if self funded retirees with significant investments are entitled to Seniors' cards. If they feel suitably rewarded by five bucks off a caravan site or a ten buck "parmy" down the "R'ie," in return for "working hard all their lives" and "fighting and dying in 4 world wars," It's all good by me. Why would I care if they get around in half a million dollar's worth of motorhome, towing a $150K boat. My mission, unlike many senior Australians, is not to complain about what anyone else gets.

So we've established that discounts are a stimulus for higher turnover. Contrary to how warm and fuzzy anyone feels about businesses offering Senior's discounts, I can assure you that it's not prompted by a sense of altruistic benevolence. Usually it's a case of "lets get in as many as we can, churn it out systematically, cut corners to re-gain profit and make some fast, easy money!" Sorry to demystify the fairy tale, but human kindness is generally reserved for kittens and puppies. Businesses simply want to increase their turnover.

I'm a middle aged man with a small family. We're homeless, we have no investments, we live hand to mouth and the combined value of our caravan and car is under $35K. It's all we own. I'm also a disability pensioner, but few businesses wish to increase their turnover by inviting the like of me to enjoy a discount. 

I see wealthy pensioners, flocking to happy hours and then enjoying the 'salad bar, steak and desert buffet deal' for ten bucks in some establishments. That kind of deal isn't on offer to disability pensioners, single mothers and the unemployed. In fact you might even find investment rich seniors expressing their disdain for welfare recipients, over their ten buck steak. 

Capitalism revolves around the conservative views of the wealthy. By it's very principles its focus is on profit margins. However, instead of extracting as much money as possible from those who espouse such views, they're offered discounts for being old. It's a system so begrudging that despite potentially higher turnover, it doesn't offer discounts to those who could really benefit from them. I'm not for a moment suggesting that there should be cuts to the aged pension; quite the contrary. If you want my honest opinion, those with vast amounts of superannuation should be taxed in order to fund higher aged pensions. 

My argument isn't with old people. The point I'm making is that there's a sense of entitlement based on having made a long term contribution to society. That point isn't lost on me. However, in many cases those who have contributed have also benefited significantly from the system and live very comfortably in retirement. Discounts based merely on age are a blatant marketing device aimed at a notorious zeal for frugality that frequently belies wealth. The same discounts could serve businesses well by attracting custom and therefore increased turnover from disability pensioners and other concession card holders, but sadly class distinction sets them apart. 

Take my friend Glenn. Glenn is as decent a person you could ever meet. He's a young bloke with a delightful partner and three great kids. Glenn is a disability pensioner. He has had a bit of a blue with cancer and despite sitting upright in his corner with no visible bruises, he's gone 30 rounds with Les Darcy!

Glenn's Illness has prevented him from working since his diagnosis and he's going to need some serious recuperation time. He worked hard before his illness. He's an intelligent, gregarious and personable young man, who successfully held a management position with a major company. Despite going from a management salary to a pension, Glenn still has a family of five to support. Selling their home, significantly downscaling and taking to the road between treatment wasn't his only option, but it has been a good one for a young family that's been hit for six by this bastard of a disease. 

Do you think Glenn can bag a pensioner discount at a caravan park? Do you think Glenn is entitled to the ten buck "parmy?" On the rare occasions that the family go for a bite to eat at a pub or club, they put five covers on the kitchen's total for the night. There's no discount for that, but the loaded retired couple parked next to them at the van park for a fiver less per day, can tuck into parmies for ten bucks whenever they want. Glenn has a pension card, but he doesn't have a seniors card.  

There's nothing anyone can to from a legal standpoint, to pressure businesses to stop delineating between "seniors" and general concession card holders. After all, where free enterprise prevails, it's their right to choose who they offer a discount to. I can however, rant as much as I like about the inequity and do my best to influence how the managers of businesses think. Thankfully as far as government services go, all concession card holders are discounted for the most part. There is sadly some irony in that. Governments are smart enough to see the correlation between discounts and turnover, but they're also parsimonious enough to cut welfare, including the aged pension.