Discovering the Joy of “Seniors Days”

On a recent shopping trip to my rural pharmacy, when I brought my bottle of vitamin supplements to the cash register, the cashier rang it up and said “With your discount, your total is…”

In true Canadian fashion, my immediate reflex was to reply, “Thank you” as I reached for my credit card. Then the unexpected word “discount” finally sunk in and processed through my subconscious.

“What discount was that?” I asked.

“The seniors’ discount” replied the cashier.

At that moment, I could see a momentary pause came over her face. I wondered if she thought she might have insulted me especially since I believed that my hydrating cream and anti-dark-circle eye stick seemed to be working in perfect unison on the day in question.

I jumped in and inquired “Oh, and at what age does that start?”

She said “55.”

I didn’t want to have her thinking she had made a social faux-pas. I let her off the hook by quickly exclaiming, “Oh that’s wonderful, I’m 56!”

I then asked when Seniors Day occurred for them as this was the first time I had heard about this discount, offered so close to home. I wanted to plan my return visits given that I am now among the ranks of those living on a fixed income.

“The last Tuesday of each month is Seniors Day” she answered.

“Well thank you for letting me know”, I said, gushing with Canadian gratitude again. As soon as I got home, I gushed (yes, I gush a lot) to my partner about this most enjoyable experience and how we should try to save our non-urgent pharmacy purchases for the last Tuesday of the month.

The epiphany of discovering seniors’ discounts is a little like winning a small prize on a scratch and win ticket. It’s not life changing, but it certainly generates a moment of joy and excitement especially when you aren’t expecting it.

Unfortunately, my first senior discount came under less than ideal circumstances. It was about ten years ago, while I was living in the city. I was exhausted from work, not feeling at my best and probably not looking my best either. My mind was bubbling over with work related issues. I must have been wearing all that on my face and in my posture.

On my way home I had made a quick trip to the pharmacy for a few essentials. It was only when I got home and checked my receipt that I realized I had been granted a seniors’ discount… long before I should have.

While I appreciated the gift of savings, I wondered if I looked sufficiently weathered from my fatigue and worry to warrant an estimated age worthy of a seniors’ discount. There are days that I am still troubled by that day and how I must have looked to a complete stranger.

But now, the tables seem to have turned. I appreciate being (what I hope is) a youthful looking senior, having been asked my age a couple of times to verify my eligibility.

But it is those moments when I don’t even know the discount exists and it is offered by the cashier. It’s like a scratch and win ticket all over again. It never gets old.

To me, I see it as a gift from the heavens for having survived life’s occasionally unpleasant moments, when life gave me lemons, that sort of thing… and 10, 15 or 20% off all eligible pre-tax purchases is my reward. Hey, I’ll take it… it’ll pay for the hydrating creams, anti-dark-circle eye sticks and vitamin supplements.

The best part is that this is just the beginning. While I have enjoyed offers from retailers offering discounts at age 50 or 55, others are offered at age 60 or 65.

That being the case, there is still much to look forward to in this regard, and hopefully, the same element of surprise when I least expect it.

Thankfully, the internet is a treasure trove of information in this regard, like this handy link: https://www.canadianseniorsdirectory.ca/canadian-seniors-deals-and-discounts/

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Have a great day,
André