Some establishments offer senior discounts to guests 55 and older. exampleMcDonald’s offers discounted or free coffee to “seniors”; IHOP Have Special menus for those over 55 years old, and Arby’s The company offers such customers a 10% discount at participating locations. Typically, customers have to inquire about such discounts to receive them. However, an Arby’s employee took it upon herself to offer the discount to the customer. The only problem is that the customer is not yet 55 years old. Should she be grateful for the good deal or belittled by the assumption?
TikTok user @tvtangentspo shared his thoughts in a video that has been viewed 58,000 times.
“So I ordered a buffalo chicken slider and a small Dr. Pepper, and I was pretty sure she said the total was $6.73, so I gave her $7,” she says. “She gave me like $4.27 back.”
So she checked her receipt to see why she was given so much change.
“Look at this,” she said, showing me the receipt.
“Senior drinks,” she reads.
The customer said she feels bittersweet about the employee’s assumptions. On the one hand, she got a good deal. On the other, the employee aged her by a whopping six years. “I have six more years until I’m a senior at Arby’s,” she said. “I’m grateful.”
However, @tvtangentspo offers a theory: “Maybe she recognized me because I come here a lot. I don’t know,” she says, hoping that maybe the cashier simply noticed her and wanted to woo her. “I’ll be 55 in six years.”
“So I guess I’ll have to ask for a senior discount from now on,” she joked in the caption.
Translator I think I should ask for a senior discount from now on. #WorldFirstProblem #GeneticTocker ♬ Original Sound – TV Tangents
@tvtangentspo told the Daily Dot that this happened at an Arby’s in Nebraska, but she wasn’t offended by the behavior.
“I wasn’t upset about the discount at all, but I did think it was funny. I’m fine with my age and I don’t look 55,” she said in a TikTok direct message. “On TikTok, a lot of Gen Xers find humor in ‘getting older’ because most people don’t feel old.” Born Between 1965 and 1980.
The TikTok user reiterated her belief that the employee was being kind to her.
“If I don’t bring my own lunch, I go there for lunch about twice a month while I’m at work,” she said. “Maybe the staff recognized my car or my voice, or maybe it was a slow time so they gave me a discount. I’ve been going there for years and have never had a problem there, so I’ll continue to go.”
Viewers in the comments section also urged TikTok users to take the behaviour in stride.
“That’s great, you should get a discount. Looks great btw,” one viewer wrote.
“You’ll be mad for a minute but then you’ll only have to pay 50 cents!” a second person commented.
“Don’t worry, she was just helping you. I thought you were going to say you were 27,” a third agreed.
Why do companies offer senior discounts?
Why do companies offer senior discounts? include It helps with marketing, rewards a lifetime of work, and helps save loyal customers’ wallets. Created It helps companies increase brand loyalty and for PR purposes.
The Daily Dot reached out to Arby’s via press email.
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