Age for senior discounts keeps on falling

Hartford Courant

At Fuzziwig’s Candy Factory in Clinton, Conn., the “senior discount” kicks in at the half-century mark. Every Tuesday, the confectioner gives a 10 percent discount to customers who are age 50 or older.

“It’s called the 50-plus shopper perks,” a store owner said.

If you’re 50 and hoping for a discount on something more substantial, such as breakfast at Denny’s, bring the large-print version of “War and Peace” while you wait: You must be at least 55 to order from the restaurant chain’s senior menu.

Confused?

We may be living longer — Al Roker of “The Today Show” seems to take forever to name everyone turning 100 or older on any given day. But when it comes to senior discounts, the age limit keeps dropping. These days, senior discounts, like adult acne or bursitis, can kick in unexpectedly at any age past 50.

So who’s a senior, and who’s tottering on the edge? It all depends, so to speak.

AARP, for one, sets the mark at 50, “the golden age ... the second half of life,” said Jennifer Millea, spokeswoman for AARP Connecticut.

But it wasn’t always that way. In 1984, George Orwell’s favorite year, the senior advocacy group lowered the age of majority from 55 to 50. Nationwide, AARP boasts 40 million members.

At Denny’s, which was founded in 1953, customers receive the senior discount and the opportunity to order from the senior menu once they reach 55; while the prices are lower, the portions are smaller.

The policy has been in place for so long that Denny’s officials can’t recall why the chain settled on that particular age.

“This has been in place for quite some time, so we wouldn’t be able to speak to a ‘rationale,’ ” said Lainey Johnson, a Denny’s spokeswoman.

Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets rolls out the “50 Plus Shopper Perks” on Tuesdays and offers 10 percent off the entire purchase at select stores, including Fuzziwig’s.

“We use 50 because that’s what AARP uses. It’s an industry standard. It seems to be a good baseline,” said Robyn Rifkin, general manager at Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets, a division of Simon Property Group.

Fast-forward 50 years: Turning 100 might usher in a whole new level of freebies. In 2008, a Wisconsin tailor gave a longtime customer a free houndstooth suit on his 100th birthday, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. One wonders if he needed the suit for work.

Last year, 7.3 percent of men and women over 75 were still working, compared with 4.2 percent in 1988, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As for workers ages 50 to 54, more than 80 percent held jobs last year, compared with 76 percent in 1988. In the 65- to 69-year-old age group, nearly 31 were working last year versus just 20 percent in 1988.

The increase has led a few pundits to suggest AARP change its name to WARP, for “Working American Retired Persons.”

“If you have joined the ranks of the retired, you better get out there and work. You can’t afford to be retired. You need the money to live,” wrote a blogger on the Right Perspective.

And, you might add, apparently all the discounts one can muster.

If you’re trying to settle the debate about how you define a “senior citizen,” don’t look to state or federal governments for an answer. They’re all over the continuum.

If it involves money, go back to your job and settle in for the long haul: Social Security benefits don’t kick in until age 62. And if you want anything more than a pittance, you’re better off waiting until you’re at least 65 to collect.

If it involves canyons or trees or the wind in your Winnebago, the National Parks System offers a $10 Senior Pass once you turn 62. The pass is good for half-off most park-usage fees and free lifetime admission to national parks, monuments and other recreational areas.

Once you turn 65, you have 10 good driving years ahead of you; after that, you may have to park the Winnebago. Several states are considering legislation that would shorten driver’s-license renewal periods for residents 75 and older and require them to pass more frequent driving tests to prove they can safely operate a vehicle.

Still, the question remains: Why do some discounts kick in at 50 rather than 55, 60 or 65?

“It’s a lot about how different organizations define the word ‘senior,’ ” said Teri Albert, marketing professor at the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business. “Sixty-two and 65 are the Social Security Administration categories.”

On the other hand, “AARP has moved it around,” Albert said.

When the organization lowered its age requirement from 55 to 50, it added millions of potential new members. That has proved a boon for The Hartford, which offers insurance products to AARP members.

“Drivers over 50 are a desirable group; these are lower-risk drivers,” Albert said.

Retailers have found it profitable to give senior discounts on low-volume sales days, like Tuesdays, Albert said. For older adults with ambulatory issues, it is easier to move around. “You entice them to shop on days when the stores are less crowded.”

And senior menus that offers smaller portions aren’t a bad idea, either, said Albert, 55. “It gets much harder to work it off when you get to be my age.”