Thread: Discounts based on income......

Imagine standing on line with another customer to purchase something. Both you and this person are purchasing identical items. You pay with cash and get charged $30 and the person next to you shows a card which denotes them as a "lower income" household and pays $10 for the identical item.

How would you feel about that?



*trying to put this into perspective, opinions would be great.

Are you talking about the low income families getting internet for $10?

I see no difference in that, than any other discounts around.

People get discounts because of where they live, work, corporations they belong to, clubs, etc....

It doesn't really bother me. Besides, we all know the only reason these companies are doing this, is to create MORE business for themselves. Now those that couldn't afford it at $30, can afford it at $10. They're still making money. Ten bucks is more than nothing.

Yes, I caught something about that on TV News and it got me thinking.

I agree that people do get discounts for many reasons but I don't necessarily think there there is "no difference".

While it may increase business/traffic for the provider, the cost of that discounted service may be supplemented by the person paying the $30, where perhaps the regular retail might be $25 if there were no discounts offered.

I'm going back and forth with this.

Should a millionaire pay more for the same cup of coffee than the lower income? Or even a person being barely middle class paying a higher amount? If you earn just one dollar more than the "discount" cut off....should you have to pay $20 more for that exact same item/service?

Discounts are usually related to a "membership" of some sort. It may be a paid membership, a perk of one's employer or regional pricing.....or even for having served in the armed forces/military. People have fair acccess to join those "groups" and have the perk of the discount.

It just seems to be somewhat discriminating based on income. You earn more, so you can pay more for the exact same things.

As I said, I go back and forth. Why bother to struggle and try to better oneself when it's becoming more and more lucrative everyday to stay at the "bottom"?

It just seems to be "socialistic" to have "discounts" based on income.

I don't know....

If the logic behind offering internet access is to check for jobs, do homework, etc. We already have wifi available in many restaurants (McDonalds, starbucks), schools, parks and there is also the library (which has a computer to use as well).

Will the next step be to provide computers? or sliding scale purchase price?

This really isn't something that would bother me. Perhaps high speed internet is needed for online classes or in a job search. To put things in a better perspective, suppose you were told at the end of work today that your job was eliminated. How long would you be able to afford alot of things you currently take for granted?
What annoys me more is people using multiple Access cards.

No free WIFI here. Small town library is only open a few hours at a time.

The one that annoyes me is the FREE Cell phone deal--If you are on medicaide or state assistance you get a free cell phone..Okay it maybe limited to a few hundred minutes a month...but still...come on...There is no liimit to how many of these free phones each household can have...

It makes me angry..As I have a neighbor lady who is trying to live on 547.00 a month in SS ...She has a car---1995 Jeep cherokee--that my DH keeps alive for her...and she owns her own home..1990 mobile home and that is like it..She some-how can't get any help because she owns her home..Well where in the heck is she going to go and live on 547 dollars a month and eat???We help he as much as we can..I give my extra B1G1 items and such...