Why Do Seniors Get Discounts?

Q Is it right for restaurants, movie theaters and hotels to offer discounts to all senior citizens, regardless of their means? I'm a 30-something woman with family responsibilities on a modest income, and no one gives me a discount for anything.

ADiscounts for seniors go back to an era when most elderly Americans were less well off than their fellow citizens. That's no longer the case, but the discounts linger. Many seniors expect them, so it's hard for businesses to abandon them.

Discounts are offered to a variety of other people, too, such as clergy and military personnel, out of respect for their service. There are discounts for children, to encourage parents to bring them along to a restaurant or hotel, rather than make the family stay home. And discounts are offered to large associations -- such as AAA -- to attract the patronage of their members. Yes, it would be more fair for every customer to pay the same price for the same goods and services. But that's not going to happen.