Family ticket discount v's lone parents paying full price

[CaramelAndBiscuit]

Locally I see it most of the time. If you are a two parent family, you can get a family ticket, with 10% to 20% knocked off the price. As a lone parent, you get to pay full price.

Or with camping, they charge as a basic price - 1 tent, 1 car, 2 occupants (adults). I then have to pay an adult price for one child as the 2nd occupant, then a child price for my other child. Its not like we are a single occupant where you are charged extra, its a case of 1 adult, 2 children, 2 dogs.

It often feels discriminatory but I'm guessing there are sound business reason's why we often have to pay more? Please say their is because it gets my goat! Let alone when you do get a 1 adult offer, its for 1 adult and 3 children...like all single parents have 3 children?!

“Why not a percentage off per extra person in a group? If I go out as a single parent with my child, elderly grandmother, and adult cousin (student), then we can't get a discount even though there are 4 of us because we are 3+1.”

Because they aren’t interested in being ‘fair’, discounts are ‘lost leaders’ for increasing their business. Those are all low spending customers. You talk as if business pricing is akin to setting up the tax, NI or benefits system.

Why have an incentive for a second adult to go but not a third?

These places are trying to stop families twigging that while all the kids will want to go it may be better for one adult to take them, whereby they lose a massive gate fee.

When it comes to those places, I can't imagine any family, anywhere has ever had the conversation:

"Why don't you stay at home DH? I'll take them on my own."
"Do they do a single parent discount?"
"What?"
"Look, if they do a single parent discount so the cost per head is the same for single parent families, then me staying at home will save us £37. But if they don't have a single parent discount, it will only save us £29, so I may as well come anyway."

Just make it the same per head for single parents.

On average single parents have a lower disposable income, so in the same way that student and pensioner discounts increase revenue by bringing in lower spenders, offering single parent families a 'fair' price will probably do the same.

If you go out with your elderly grandmother and student cousin then they will both get a discount in most places. And if you decide to put your elderly relatuve in a wheelchair then a lot of places let a carer in for free.

YABU. Most do have a 1 parent blah blah kids option. BUT I am paying more because there's more of us, incl 2 adults and most of the single parents I know are getting all sorts of discounts on school trips, or tax credits or other stuff that we're not eligible for. Swings and roundabouts I reckon.

They wouldnt reduce the cost of an individual adult and child though. What they would be more likely to do is scrap the 2 adult 2 kids discount so you wouldnt get it any cheaper anyway.

I’ve never really come across this problem. I was a single parent of three for a while and most family tickets are 1 adult three children or two adults two children which worked fine for me.

These places are trying to stop families twigging that while all the kids will want to go it may be better for one adult to take them, whereby they lose a massive gate fee.

unless you only have 1 child, you would just split the kids and enter separately.

No one is trying to spend anymore than they should. If there's a way to pay less, most of us will take it, that's what the discounts are for.

Life is more expensive proportionately as a single adult household than a duel adult household.

No. Shit. Sherlock.

Companies like Merlin have tons and tons of data that they analyse to work out how to get the biggest income for themselves from ticket pricing and deals.

They know how often you book, what deals you go for and they analyse mountains of data from your postcode, working out the average likely family income, the 'type' of families and what their spend priorities are likely to be.

It is ALL about how to get the most income from ticket sales and further spends, and nothing to do with making it fair for any particular family unit.

most of the single parents I know are getting all sorts of discounts on school trips, or tax credits or other stuff that we're not eligible for. Swings and roundabouts I reckon.

I get naff all, do I get a discount?!

This grew long! I've been a bit poorly so back again!

So in general (I wish we had the button's on this thread) IABU. Fair enough.

I can accept the business model and oodles of data. Businesses need to make a profit to keep going. However having said that...why do some businesses offer 1a and 2c and not other's? How come that works for them, but not other businesses? I'm guessing it might depend on what business it is? For example National Trust and English Heritage offer 1 adult and between 2 to 6 free children tickets. They tend to have a tea room and a little shop. I'm guessing a theme park where its 2a 2 c there are more things to buy?

@ShatnersWig
I think paying per car is quite common at country parks and places like that. It means they can charge all day and dont have to pay someone to man a desk taking payments. Also with country parks there is often no specific "entrance" on foot so it would be easy for people to get in without paying. Paying per car is the easiest way, although I agree not the fairest.

£148 split between two adults is a lot easier to manage than one forking out £119 though.
I am disabled and unable to bring in an income yet no 25% council tax discount that single parents get. Yes a slight family discount on days out.
Paying for two adults day to day life on one income, costs more than single parents paying for one adult.
Am not complaining at all, just stating a fact that single parents are not always the most financially disadvantaged.

tabby my response was to thr person who said that there were no discounts for two adults and 1 child.
Even tnough dh earned less when we had one child we probably had more disposable income.

@BeanBag7 The specific one I was thinking of is staffed, so totally unnecessary. And they make plenty of money from the coffee shop and all the other activities so they don't need to charge so excessively. A couple of quid to park your car is fine, £11 per car "entrance" to park your car and then other things on top is becoming a rip off. It's like the National Trust these days. £17 to visit X place PLUS £4 to park the car. I saw one the other day was £7 car park before you then paid £20 admittance to the gardens and house. It's getting silly, especially in areas with no public transport alternatives.

Single people pay 50% more council tax than each person in a couple. And only have one lot income tax allowance. Married couples, even those on

... on one wage, have a double tax allowance ie the wage earner gets to keep £22230 before paying any tax. That's quite a big subsidy.

Actually I think companies are getting much better at this - we are a family of 6, there are lots of 2 adults, 2 children deals but I've noticed there are also now lots of places offering single adults and kids deals and bigger family deals too.

on one wage, have a double tax allowance ie the wage earner gets to keep £22230 before paying any tax. That's quite a big subsidy.
No they don’t you get approx £240 a year from the non earner!

You have misunderstood the marriage tax allowance. It works out as nearly £20 a month at the most.

However having said that...why do some businesses offer 1a and 2c and not other's? How come that works for them, but not other businesses? I'm guessing it might depend on what business it is?

Different product
Different target market
Different data collected by their market research
Different conclusions reached from their market research
Different opinions in their respective marketing departments

Of course it’s fair lol. The reason that there are group discounts is because groups will be paying more and a slight discount is enticing. You paying for yourself and two children will already be much cheaper than two adults and two children. Why do you need a discount? Sometimes we get a carers discount, would that upset you too? These are businesses, they aren’t there to cater for life choices etc. I understand being a single parent may not necessarily be a choice but you know what I mean.

You paying for yourself and two children will already be much cheaper than two adults and two children. Why do you need a discount? The two adults could each pay for themselves and one child each. That would be cheaper than a single parent paying for themselves and two children.