Do You Lie To Get A Senior Discount?
Lying about your age isn't anything new. When you were a teenager, it was the fake ID that got you the served at the bar. ANd when you were perhaps in your 40s, you probably looked youthful enough to still pass for your late 30s.
But CBC's The Sunday Edition reports on a startling new trend around lying about your age. Indeed, Zoomers are 16 year olds all over again, in that they are reportedly lying about being older.
Related: [GROUPS] 50Plus Members Community: Senior Discounts in Canada: The List
In his documentary "Don't Act Your Age", CBC producer Frank Faulk discovers 50somethings pretending they're 65 to get a seniors discount: 10% off on the second Monday of the month at the department store, $4 instead of $8 on the commuter train, $9 instead of $15 for a movie.
Faulk is a "youthful" 58, and talks to various people who partake in this "deception". (Much of the documentary explores the "moral" issues around this sort of lying.)
"L.A. Mike", a 61 year old screenwriter who splits time between LA & Toronto, admits to regularly fibbing about his age to get that 65+ movie ticket discount. His method of deception? He buys his movie tickets from the computerized booth, and puts on reading glasses to "look old and frail".
But Susan Dimock, a professor in York University's Philosophy program, considers it a represenhensible act: "I think it is immoral, and for two reasons: it's a lie [...] and it's stealing."
L.A. Mike justifies his decision because it's a "dog-eat-dog world", and lays blame on how much more money corporations are making from citizens and ultimately, calls his act a "screw vanity" decision.
Agree/Disagree? Have you ever lied about your age to get 65+ benefits?
You can listen to the rest of the documentary in full here. (It starts around the 30 minute mark in the third hour of the episode.)
Tags: 65+ benefits, lying about your age, seniors benefits, seniors discount
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Terri Wyatt on -
No, in fact I don't accept some, lie about my age the other way..(*~*)
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Permalink Reply by alexander Mollison on
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I ask for seniors Discount as often as I can, but I do like not too get it because they think I am not old enough.
Guess we are all guilty of being vain at times. i am 70years young.
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Permalink Reply by Terri Wyatt on
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(*~*)
alexander Mollison said:I ask for seniors Discount as often as I can, but I do like not too get it because they think I am not old enough.
Guess we are all guilty of being vain at times. i am 70years young.
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Permalink Reply by NormaZ on -
Yes, I do. It began when I was 63 and my income was reduced drastically to a disability pension; that's way below the poverty line, if there is such a thing anymore. My reasoning is practical; the discounts are there to assist seniors on a pension, and that is definately me! If I am paying $9.00 to get into a movie instead of $15.00, then this being my only form of entertainment, I can perhaps go twice in a month instead of once. Stealing? I think the movie theatres are stealing from us by charging $15.00 when just a short time ago it was half that price! What changed? Did they make better movies? Then there is this other thing..if ticket takers actually looked at me and asked to see some ID, perhaps I would change my thinking, but that isn't likely to happen since most young adults (working in theatres) really don't know or care if I am 50 or 65...we all look old to them! Then there is the group of retailers who gladly give a discount to the 55+ age group because they want their business! Private enterprise can do what they like; it is only the government that has picked the age of 65 as the beginning of Seniorism. Wouldn't it be nice to get a discount on your taxes when you turn 65; or better still, have the government declare seniors as tax-free since they have paid all of their lives. Ok, ok...got off on a bit of fantacy there, but ...wouldn't it be nice?
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Permalink Reply by David Barr on -
If I lie about my age what else do I lie about? Lie about my income, Lie to get cheaper insurance, etc.
No I will not lie to get seniors discounts. I will avail myself of discounts when I am old enough to qualify. However the whole idea of discounts for seniors has always bothered me.
A young family with high mortgage and high expenses get to pay full price and senior's, many with good pensions and investments get a discount. A better system might be to show a seniors card and pay full price but the expense is registered through your card number and you get a break on your taxes if you are a person with a low income.
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Write again when you retire on OAS only, we need the discounts.
David Barr said:If I lie about my age what else do I lie about? Lie about my income, Lie to get cheaper insurance, etc.
No I will not lie to get seniors discounts. I will avail myself of discounts when I am old enough to qualify. However the whole idea of discounts for seniors has always bothered me.
A young family with high mortgage and high expenses get to pay full price and senior's, many with good pensions and investments get a discount. A better system might be to show a seniors card and pay full price but the expense is registered through your card number and you get a break on your taxes if you are a person with a low income.
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Permalink Reply by NormaZ on
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Oh please...only the comfortable and wealthy can afford such high moral standards!! No offense, but what world are you living in?
David Barr said:If I lie about my age what else do I lie about? Lie about my income, Lie to get cheaper insurance, etc.
No I will not lie to get seniors discounts. I will avail myself of discounts when I am old enough to qualify. However the whole idea of discounts for seniors has always bothered me.
A young family with high mortgage and high expenses get to pay full price and senior's, many with good pensions and investments get a discount. A better system might be to show a seniors card and pay full price but the expense is registered through your card number and you get a break on your taxes if you are a person with a low income.
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Permalink Reply by David Barr on
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NormaZ said:Oh please...only the comfortable and wealthy can afford such high moral standards!! No offense, but what world are you living in?
If you are a senior and in your case a senior with disability you are entitled to and in real need of receiving senior discount. It would be nicer if our government gave you sufficient for you needs. However the question was would I lie to get a discount and the answer is no. I do not view this as some strange high moral standard. Just honesty. I also feel that many people get discounts that don't need them. It would be nicer to direct more help to people that really need help.
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Permalink Reply by margeret kirlis on
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I try my damnest not to lie....out of pride, I don't know. If anything I would be guilty of would
be the old favourite sin of omission. I would take pride in scrimping: walk miles with my bundle buggy to save bus fare; in the mid-1970's my husband and I lived on a groceries that
cost no more than $13.00 a week including cat food for our cat, Gabriel. Even now when things
are a little better--not much mind you--I love discounts especially the grocery stores that have
a 5% seniors discount on groceries. the most useless thing now a days is Air Miles as they
raise the cost of products.
NormaZ said:Oh please...only the comfortable and wealthy can afford such high moral standards!! No offense, but what world are you living in?
If you are a senior and in your case a senior with disability you are entitled to and in real need of receiving senior discount. It would be nicer if our government gave you sufficient for you needs. However the question was would I lie to get a discount and the answer is no. I do not view this as some strange high moral standard. Just honesty. I also feel that many people get discounts that don't need them. It would be nicer to direct more help to people that really need help.
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Permalink Reply by margeret kirlis on
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margeret kirlis said:I try my damnest not to lie....out of pride, I don't know. If anything I would be guilty of would
be the old favourite sin of omission. I would take pride in scrimping: walk miles with my bundle buggy to save bus fare; in the mid-1970's my husband and I lived on a groceries that
cost no more than $13.00 a week including cat food for our cat, Gabriel. Even now when things
are a little better--not much mind you--I love discounts especially the grocery stores that have
a 5% seniors discount on groceries. the most useless thing now a days is Air Miles as they
raise the cost of products.
Both my husband and myself are seniors with disabilities....my husband is almost a
double zoomer and I am getting there. Today is no worse than when we had WWII
rationing. Or in my husband's case the Great Depression. Believe me there are always someone worse off than you....so pull up your socks if you are able to.
NormaZ said:Oh please...only the comfortable and wealthy can afford such high moral standards!! No offense, but what world are you living in?
If you are a senior and in your case a senior with disability you are entitled to and in real need of receiving senior discount. It would be nicer if our government gave you sufficient for you needs. However the question was would I lie to get a discount and the answer is no. I do not view this as some strange high moral standard. Just honesty. I also feel that many people get discounts that don't need them. It would be nicer to direct more help to people that really need help.
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Permalink Reply by maurice smook on
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It is funny. I have turn 65. No one has asked me if I am a senior. I am not about to ask for that discount. It was two years ago my wife and I had gone to a thrift store. I had purchased 6 books. I paid 17 dollars. The young lady asked us if we are seniors. My wife and I replied that we are over 60. We were shocked that the young lady had given me a discount. Okay she had given us that discount but I was somewhat dismayed. Thrift store asking us if we were seniors. That is sad. Those employees at these thrift stores are barely earning enough to put food on their table and yet they still ask if we are seniors. That is sad.
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I really do not ask either, but I do always ask for a better price on any major items I buy as everyone should, those that have computers can go on line and check the average prices of things, then you can bargain a little bit..
maurice smook said:It is funny. I have turn 65. No one has asked me if I am a senior. I am not about to ask for that discount. It was two years ago my wife and I had gone to a thrift store. I had purchased 6 books. I paid 17 dollars. The young lady asked us if we are seniors. My wife and I replied that we are over 60. We were shocked that the young lady had given me a discount. Okay she had given us that discount but I was somewhat dismayed. Thrift store asking us if we were seniors. That is sad. Those employees at these thrift stores are barely earning enough to put food on their table and yet they still ask if we are seniors. That is sad.
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