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OAP discounts

This may be controversial. I hope nobody sees it as demeaning! Following on from the conversation re our disabled supporters and how their needs can most fairly be met, perhaps it is time to objectively reconsider another group.

There has been a long history of various businesses primarily but not exclusively in the leisure business offering discounts to senior citizens. When this practise started the logic was clear - most senior citizens existed solely on state pension had small disposable incomes compared to those in work and businesses recognised that to secure their custom, prices had to be reduced.

That situation has now largely reversed. Doesn't apply to all of course, it never did, but it is generally accepted that the average over 60, free of mortgage and kids, often beneficiary of house price inflation and often enjoying generous final salary pension now have higher disposable wealth than many in work and significantly higher than the average relatively young - 25-35s.

Given that there is a limited pot of money available to the club for discounting tickets, is it now time to think the unthinkable and adjust pricing to reflect todays financial realities rather than those of 30 years ago. It is impractical to means test prices so instead concentrate ticket price reductions on those ON AVERAGE with the lowest disposable wealth - the 25-35s and remove it from those ON AVERAGE with these days the highest - the over 60s. To avoid significant price increases, perhaps you would do it gradually, this year senior reductions apply from 60, next year 61, next year 62 etc.

Incidentally to disclose an interest, it wont be too long before I qualify for being a "senior".

Would it be possible to have a sensible discussion without abuse?

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Comments

  • I think we've reached Peak DevC.

  • Dev's right again...I can see from the grin on their faces that some of them cocky little b**tards get more pocket money than they are letting on as well! They are laughing at us with our 'reduced' prices. It's the PC brigade again (probably European) stopping us from charging the £100 person a game that we need to survive.

  • https://gasroom.org/discussion/1822/season-ticket-prices-out-early-this-year/p1

    I think you will find that our 'discounts' for senior citizens are amongst the least generous offered by all league clubs. In fact based on a match day ticket price seniors pay for two more games on their season ticket than the same adult ticket. A Woodlands season ticket gives a £13 discount whereas a match day ticket give £3 per match. Other clubs in our league offer 50% discounts to seniors and almost all offer better deals than Wycombe Wanderers.

    On a separate point you probably need to read some recent economic data on the wealth of the elderly. I'm not sure it's as positive a picture as you paint.

    The clubs pricing policy for seniors is a disgrace and the only mitigating factor for them is that most don't even seem to be aware of change in policy from recent times

  • He's what Katie Hopkins would be like if she was a bit thicker

  • Predictably failed on the serious discussion ignoring abuse suggestion. Que sera.

    Simple questions.

    1) Nobody will retire onto a state pension at 60 this year. Why does a 60 year old pay less than the 59 year old standing next to him.

    2) Why does a 30 year old struggling under a mortgage with his wife on maternity leave earning no money pay more than a 60 year old - statistically likely to be earning more money, have no mortgage and no longer be funding his children.

    I'll be there myself soon. Very happy to take the money if someone is daft enough to give it to me, but I don't understand quite why they would,.

  • edited May 2016

  • Why is it a slim as a whippet 58 year old with a million pound mortage, a wife and two mistresses can be only two years away from getting reduced prices..while a 26 year old woman in poor health with an obese husband, three dogs, eight kids and only her wages as a nurse to support them cannot get a disabled parking space or reduced ticket prices?
    (And it's not just because I made them up!)

  • I think disable people should have free parking at or near the ground. I think OAP's should have a discount on there tickets.

  • @johnthehair it really is that simple

  • Is it? Only if you blindly accept the status quo and reject any form of change and don't think.

    I note nobody has given a single reason why a 60 year old should pay less than a 59 year old.

    Its historical nonsense. The money used to subsidise the now relatively well off could be better used to subsidise the now relatively poor off - as Chris's figures show.

  • Yes it is.

    ps Chris is the only person on here who even approaches being as dull as you and his graphs are well out of date

  • Standard Eric answer sadly, no answer, no thought, just abuse.

    Would you like to show some thought and suggest an answer?

    Naah didn't think so.

  • I have no interest in engaging you whatsoever. You are nothing but a troll and will be treated accordingly

  • There's no senior discount at the cricket (at least at Surrey or Kent which I've just checked). It's an interesting question of why there should be at football.

    My initial thoughts were that there should be a senior discount, but I can't think of a reasonable argument why other than there always has been.

  • Which would appear to be another way of saying "shit I cant think of anything"

    Appears you are not alone.

  • Eric...serious question here. Why do you abuse Dev C so much. I can only assume that you know him and this is personal....?

  • And there's always a big delay between data being collected, analysed and published. If you've got any more recent info @eric_plant I'd be happy to see it.

  • Incidentally by 4:43 post was to Eric not Chris.

  • Hmmm tricky. My views on disabled parking etc are as previously published but today's OAPs are a tricky subject.

    There's no doubt in my mind that many current pensioners are enjoying a finer existence than the next generation will ever be able to afford. And the generation after that are completely fucked as far as I can see.

    But ultimately, who cares? Perhaps we should just let folk who have worked for a good 40 years or so have a few quid off. Just in case they aren't in that fortunate group.

    Some students are also very well off. Again, who cares? Give 'em a discount anyway. It's a nice thing to do.

  • Well said yet again

  • For those of us born in the 1960s who possibly won't be seeing our pensions until we are 67 if we are lucky...getting a few quid off at 60 will be nice.

  • You speak as though our OAP discounts offer any form of decent/attractive match day price compared to other clubs. I really don't think they do.

  • I was responding to the suggestion that we don't bother with a discount at all for over 60s which seems to be doing the rounds.

  • Wasn't referring to you specifically @Wendoverman . Just the thread in general.

  • @DevC for me there are two reasons - generally a recognition of long serving supporters - by the time you reach 60 a lot of fans have put in years of loyal support and a lower ticket price is a way of saying cheers and thanks for the effort you've put in watching (generally) dire football. Appreciate some of our old fans are Jonny Come Latelys who have spent their lives drinking and womanising and not watching Wycombe, but those fans make up the difference in the bar.

    Secondly, traditionally the elderly at football aren't all ex bankers with paid up mortgages and a jet setting lifestyle. In my experience final salary pensions are being phased out, even in the public sector. So there can be people who live off the state pension alone and have been bled dry by their sickening kids. Knocking a few quid off the price of a ticket seems like a good thing to do.

    Half the OAPs at Adams Park are volunteering doing back-breaking manual labour to keep the ground maintained, so I'm not sure I begrudge them a discount to be honest. They also make up a decent percentage of the core support, so not the time to start Granny-bashing in my opinion.

  • Agree totally Peter. Just one comment to add. A lot 60 plus are volenteering to help the club back from the brink in fact the majority of them are over 60. It would be really nice to see some under 60's turn out and please don't say we haven't got the time.

  • I did not see where that post was going when I read the heading!
    Classic Dev taking the "devil's advocate" viewpoint!

    I looked the other day, and they're asking OAPs to pay about £15 more than I do in the Frank Adams!
    Like RITM says, that has got to be one of the poorest OAP discounts in the league, and I'm amazed really.
    Some Prem clubs do half price for OAPS, we take about 5% off.

  • I think this is a very good point. While I would be happy to subsidise Blue Badge holders' parking and even Junior/Family ticket price reductions I am less inclined to extend discounts to our OAPs.

  • How long is the summer?

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