The travesty that is student discounts being exclusively for students

[SweetMimura]

Am I the only person in the world that defines a student discount as "a discount for students"? Why is it that people tut and sigh when I tell them that it has to be the STUDENT paying for the products in order to qualify for the STUDENT discount?

Quite a few times now, I've had students handing me their uni ID while their parent stands in the background brandishing a credit card. One recent occurance irked me:

Me: That'll be £[blah blah] please.
Student: Oh, I have a student card. [shows me valid card]
Me: [noticing that the student's mother has her debit card ready] Okay, and will you be paying for it?
Student's mother: No, I am.
Me: I'm afraid it has to be the student paying to get the discount.
SM: But they're for her.
Me: Yes, but they have to be paid for by her.
SM: Well, can I just say that's a very stupid policy?

Why is it so difficult to understand that students get discounts because they have a limited budget, and giving the discount to non-students (who could get a full-time job) kind of cancels that out? Grr.

[KnitShoni]

Now, see, my mother would NOT be standing there with me with her credit card if I were in college and wanted to buy something. I would be told that I have a job (or to get one if I didn't), and to pay for it myself.

[Amina516]

I can kinda understand why there'd be confusion. Id think as long as theres a valid ID being presented, the discount would stand....?

[bainsidhe]

Yeah, I guess I'm a little confused, too. If I were said parent, I would definitely be upset. Unless the program is being abused by non-students using the discount for their own benefit, I fail to see why a student who is present with card in-hand would be denied a discount.

I'm hoping you have this policy posted, otherwise a lot of people will be asking for a manager. Do you check the card and signature? What about when used as a debit card? What's to stop this student from coming back through with Mommy's credit card and pay for the stuff themselves? Just my thoughts.

[simplyanother]

Yeah, I guess I'm a little confused, too. If I were said parent, I would definitely be upset. Unless the program is being abused by non-students using the discount for their own benefit, I fail to see why a student who is present with card in-hand would be denied a discount.

I'm hoping you have this policy posted, otherwise a lot of people will be asking for a manager. Do you check the card and signature? What about when used as a debit card? What's to stop this student from coming back through with Mommy's credit card and pay for the stuff themselves? Just my thoughts.

Oh, you're awesome, because I read the OP, and thought something like that, only it was mostly gibberish (long day in glitterhell), so I knew it wouldn't come out nearly as coherent as I was actually thinking... And there you go, posting exactly what I was thinking.

Makes my life easier when folks do that.

[Crazeyal]

To be honest, the policy sounds a bit off to me, but understandable. Not every parent is a walking moneybag. Giving a discount to student items is something most families NEED. This sounds like the policy was abused by greedy, selfish people and the management tightened restrictions accordingly.

[cawaker]

i havent run into the policy being interpreted that way before.

in fact the other day i got tickets to a movie or something and my GF had her student ID and I was the one to pay, no problems.

[Gabrielle Proctor]

Now, see, my mother would NOT be standing there with me with her credit card if I were in college and wanted to buy something. I would be told that I have a job (or to get one if I didn't), and to pay for it myself.

Mine too. The last time she bought stuff for me, she felt bad because I was about to go into surgery.

[SweetMimura]

Maybe it's just me then. I'm a student myself and work stupid hours per week to support myself, so I guess I just find it annoying when people waltz in, living off their parent's riches and still expect to be given a discount, which was put in place so people like me have a (slightly) better chance of affording things.

Where are you all from? It seems pretty standard in the UK for the student to have to pay to get the discount. Mind you, this is the place where most places don't accept anything other than an NUS card as student ID...because yeah, getting a uni card is so easy for non-students.

[powerboy]

I can kinda understand why there'd be confusion. Id think as long as theres a valid ID being presented, the discount would stand....?

That is how I always understood it. As long as the student had the ID and another person was paying, I see no problem.

Maybe it's just me then. I'm a student myself and work stupid hours per week to support myself, so I guess I just find it annoying when people waltz in, living off their parent's riches and still expect to be given a discount, which was put in place so people like me have a (slightly) better chance of affording things.

Just because some body's parents are him/her something, does not mean that the child is living of their riches.

[cinema guy]

Where are you all from? It seems pretty standard in the UK for the student to have to pay to get the discount.

Not at the cinema. The student gets the reduced rate whether it is them, mum, dad or boy/girlfriend paying.

[GingerBiscuit]

I'm UK as well and here it doesn't matter who's money is paying, as long as the student is present.

You can't, for example, get student discount buying food for your student daughter if she's not even with you... but you can if she is the one actually buying the stuff, even if it's your card/cash, if that makes sense.

I imagine it's a hard thing to follow. Does it count if it's a gift from the parents? With my student discount it was often my parents money that paid- not that they had very much, but I had even less- and I would use my student card.

[Dreamstalker]

That's how I've always seen it interpreted; the student doesn't need to be the one paying, just that they are present with their ID at the time of the transaction.

My parents bought me school-related stuff (mini vacuum, dishes, sheets, etc) and as long as I had my college ID at checkout time the discount was given regardless of who actually paid.

[Bagga]

Also, the student's discount has very little to do with helping students with the cost of their education, and MUCH more to do with the fact that people usually stay with the first word processor they ever learned to use, keep the same bank account all their lives, and so on.

It's like giving a potential drug addict a free first hit, only it's legal.

[tamezin]

I guess if it is company policy, then it is what it is. I'll be honest, it doesn't make much sense. The point of a student discount is to encourage students to bring their business. If I were still a student, and someone was helping me buy books or other supplies I needed, then I would look for stores that gave a student discount.

We have a number of businesses that offer student discounts in my area. When I take my kids to shop for school supplies or even haircuts, they only need to present their student id to get the discount, even if I am paying. That's what parents do when they are able. Depending on their class load, not every student is able to work enough hours to pay for all of their expenses while they are in school.