Senior Discounts

I am a waitress at a restaurant that gives senior citizens a 10% discount on their meals. I’ve noticed that seniors get off cheaper for a variety of services. Everything from restaurants to haircuts, to bus rides. And why? Simply because they’re old!

These seniors will pay their bill with a $50 or $100 bill. Then they’ll get in their Cadillacs and go back to their own homes. Meanwhile, I’m wearing pantyhose I’ve repaired with clear nail polish and an old pair of shoes.

I’ll collect my $1.50 tip off the table intended to cover the gratuity for two couples. That $1.50 will just cover the cost of washing and drying a load of my children’s thrift store clothes. When I’m finished with my shift, I get in my ’67 Toyota Corona and drive home to the modest apartment my husband and I rent.

Why should anyone be entitled to a discount simply because that person is old? In a society that is already plagued with discrimination, how can we allow this to continue? If we have senior discounts, why not an African-American discount, or a Hispanic discount, or a homosexual discount?

I once uttered to an older couple that I wondered when a “couple with young children discount” would ever take effect. The wife stopped playing with her diamond rings long enough to dryly stare at me and defend that, “Well, honey, we’re on a fixed income.”

Who isn’t?

MARIANN M. COULSON, Escondido