A DOWNTURN in retail trade is being blamed for a 50 per cent fall in the number of businesses listing themselves as offering discounts to Canberra seniors.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The latest directory for seniors card holders has 167 businesses listed, compared with 329 in the previous booklet.
There are 45,000 seniors card holders in the ACT who can use the piece of plastic to save thousands of dollars a year, depending on their buying habits, with most shops involved offering 5 to 10 per cent cost reductions.
The ACT government booklet is put together by the Council on the Ageing and its executive director Paul Flint said most of the reasons for a reduction in businesses taking part relate to a downturn in trade.
He said there several businesses listed as offering discounts for seniors previously who had delayed making a decision until they settled in.
''The challenge is getting enterprises to see it as a business opportunity,'' Mr Flint said.
''We want businesses supporting older people in the community.''
The booklet lists a wide range of businesses from mechanics to cafes and real estate agents to locksmiths.
While there are 162 fewer businesses listed as giving seniors discounts for Canberrans aged 60 or older, Mr Flint said the latest figure was about the same as it was several years ago.
National Seniors Australia spokesman for the ACT, Fred Fawke, said many outlets were offering discounts for older generations, but did not promote it, perhaps because of the awkwardness created by asking someone whether they were a senior.
''A lot of people behind the counter make a value judgment and give you a discount without asking or advertising it,'' Mr Fawke said.
Retail in Canberra has been doing it tough since the federal election was called in January, according to industry observers.
The ACT is the nation's capital for business failure, with Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showing only 59 per cent of enterprises started in 2008 had survived until 2012.