Bargain Hunters

It’s been said that seniors are great bargain hunters. Maybe some are but certainly not all. Sure, we love bargains, and at times it is difficult to pass on them. This can raise havoc with the pocketbook, fill our closets, attics and garages with stuff we really didn’t need (one senior’s junk is another senior’s treasure?).

Of course there’s the adage: Never pay retail. This too can be hazardous. It could cause us a lot of grief simply looking for discounts, bargains, clipping coupons and at times settling for less than we should. Seniors are at times awarded discounts unsolicited. I can remember not terribly long ago when salespeople would ask if I wanted the senior discount. You mean you can’t tell if I’m a senior or not? I‘d say to myself. They don’t ask anymore for some strange reason. Then, AARP now solicits 50-year olds as seniors, discounts and all.

I read this quote recently which is worth reading: An old adage states that "you can't get something for nothing." But as regular ScamBusters readers know, "you can always get nothing for something." Now, this is not entirely accurate. You can sometimes get something for nothing. You can steal it. You can weasel it out of someone. You can borrow with no intention to repay (how many seniors are still waiting to be paid for the loan made in good faith years ago to their offspring). You can gamble and a lot of seniors do get hooked. Such a pity because the odds are so negative.

This particular scam that ScamBusters (scambusters.org) exposed involved spurious offers of free travel for signing up for a worthless, nonexistent credit card. There are so many scams out there, and seniors as we have said before, are exceptionally vulnerable. Why? Because so many are decent souls, trusting, generous and usually have a buck or two in the bank. I heard a commercial this morning which was the lament of an attractive (what else?) young lady facing a rather formidable schooling debt. Her argument? I should have gone to our local Community College. She could be vulnerable as well, not because she might have a couple of dollars in her purse but because she had such a foreboding debt.

I suppose we could argue that human nature could be the cause of our desire to get something for nothing. That may be more truth than fiction. We all want fire and police protection but we’re not as eager to pay for it. We all want good schools for our kids and grandkids but soak the rich, not me. We all want beautiful churches, stained glass and all, but we can cringe too easily when the offering plate arrives. We want exciting sport events but played by multi-millionaires seems a little disproportionate.

Maybe it is in our nature to want something for nothing. Or to let someone else pay for it. Or find an alternative. Maybe it is true that you can always get nothing for something. Remember the wag who said he paid fifty grand for his son’s schooling and all he got was a quarter back? We all do some things for nothing. Seniors are great volunteers, baby-sitters, philanthropists, giving but not expecting or wanting anything in return. Many seniors don’t give until it hurts but until it feels good. And many give anonymously yet some do give too much: to wrong recipients and unworthy causes. Tough choices sometimes.

So, do we quit looking for bargains? No. It’s better to surrender a passion for bargains. Might not be a bad idea to remember that it is better to give than receive. Wise words spoken so long ago.