Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 23, 1992 TAG: 9202230182
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DAVID NICHOLSON DAILY PRESS
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS (AP) LENGTH: Medium
WEDNESDAYS SAVINGS DAYS FOR SENIORS
On Wednesdays, the parking lot at Newmarket Plaza gets a little more hectic. Empty parking spaces fill up quickly, and shoppers scurry back and forth from their cars to the sidewalk.Most of the shoppers are senior citizens, and their destination is Rose's or Revco, two stores that offer Wednesday discounts to senior citizens.
Inside Rose's, James Ingram of Newport News is checking out fishing poles. Mary Joyner of Newport News has ducked in on her lunch hour, something she does most Wednesdays, to pick up household items.
Vivian Branton of Portsmouth sits on a stool at the counter, sipping a soft drink and resting her arm on a shopping cart full of purchases.
For several years, Rose's has offered a 10 percent discount on Wednesdays to seniors age 62 and older on everything in the store, says manager Ken Bly.
"The discount includes sale items, so seniors can really save," Bly says. "Ten percent may not sound like a lot, but it can add up. If they buy a TV for $400, they save $40."
Seniors register for Rose's Golden Day Club and receive a card they present at the register for their discount. "Our sales have been terrific," Bly says. "I came from a competitor that doesn't offer a discount, and I thought it was terrific."
"We buy washing powders, everything for the home, on Wednesdays," Ingram says. "Ever since I came to Virginia in 1979, I've found this is a better place to shop for the pocketbook."
"I think it's terrific that they offer discounts for seniors," Branton says.
The senior citizen market is one of the fastest growing segments of the population. And many seniors, who grew up during the Depression and the lean war years, saved money their whole lives and have more to spend in their retirement.
Though senior discounts seem to increase sales, the idea has been slow to catch on among all stores. Many large department stores like Leggett and Wal-Mart don't offer discounts to seniors. Thalhimers used to have senior discounts on Tuesdays, but the chain went out of business and the stores were merged with Hecht's, which doesn't offer a discount.
But others have joined the parade. The Williamsburg Crossing Movies offer $2 shows at 10 a.m. Wednesdays that are popular with seniors. Rite Aid Discount Pharmacies give seniors 10 percent off on prescriptions every day.
At Revco Drug Stores, senior citizens age 60 and older get a 10 percent discount every day on prescriptions and Revco brand products. On Wednesdays, the discount applies to everything in the store.
"We run an ad each week," says Mario Santos, manager of the Revco store in Newmarket Plaza. "Prescriptions are a big item, as well as home health care items."
"I get all my prescriptions at Revco, for myself and for my wife," says Walter Price of Newport News, who retired in 1980. "Quite a few stores are offering discounts. It helps out, you save a few dollars."
"It's a good thing, especially for seniors," says James Barnes of Newport News, a Revco customer. "I didn't realize there were so many discounted items until I became a senior citizen."