To not give NHS discounts?

[LottieLot]

I own a small business making and selling a product.

As you can imagine it's been quite tough during Covid but we've stayed afloat and things are picking up a little thanks to Christmas. It's been hard going though and a bit worrying at times.

I seem to have a lot of people messaging me asking for discounts for NHS staff and I've felt under pressure to agree most of the time.

AIBU to stop though now? I am of course appreciative of everything NHS workers do, but I have struggled to get my business through this pandemic and I could do without offering discounts frankly.

Is it rude to ask a small business this in your opinion? I personally cant imagine ever doing so. I'm not a huge franchise, I am a genuine small business which is obvious from my page!

Stop the discounts.

While I appreciate all that the NHS are doing, they arent the only key workers. Health and social care staff, police, fire, postal, supermarket, teachers, etc etc. Dont they deserve a discount?

Where does it end?

I work frontline NHS and it would never occur to me to ask for discounts. I would say something PP suggested about already priced as competitively as possible - I think it’s rude to ask in this situation

Years ago when I had a shop, I was asked if I’d offer nhs discount. I had to pay a fee for the privilege of offering this discount. I declined.
Yanbu.

Yanbu at all. It is individual workers who are asking? That's so grubby.

Dedinitely not unreasonable. We all appreciate the nhs, but it's getting ridiculous. Mechanics keep ambulances on the road and don't get a discount. Etc. etc. It's beyond grabby to ask for it. If they were asking if you do one, that's slightly different , but to ask you to do one specifically? No. It's rude.

You are not obliged to give anyone or sector a discount, but news does get around if your product or service is popular, the nhs is the biggest uk employer therefore a small discount could be very lucrative, same with student discount.

YANBU.

I’m aware there are discounts for NHS staff but I’ve never used them. I was under the impression you had to sign up to a particular card to access them.

Discounts are really about thanks their about getting people to spend their money with you over a competitor. NHS discounts have been around for donkeys years because it’s a large organisation where there’s a profit in offering a discount. There’s bugger all altruistic about it.

Tell them to jog on (in a nice customer service way!). If there’s no profit to be made (increased sales) then you’re under no obligation to offer anything and they’re just trying it on. You need to turn a profit to be viable so if you can’t offer a discount that’s that.

aren’t really about thanks

I work in the NHS. I wouldn't ask a small business that was struggling for a discount, and I wouldn't expect it.

I was supportive of you til I read hero worshipping of key workers etc
It’s an obnoxious sentiment.Key workers don’t want for or need hero worship.
Nor do we need to be described as over feted and hero worshipped

@SentientAndCognisant

I was supportive of you til I read hero worshipping of key workers etc It’s an obnoxious sentiment.Key workers don’t want for or need hero worship. Nor do we need to be described as over feted and hero worshipped

I'm not suggesting keyworkers themselves want or need to be hero worshipped. I'm saying there seems to be a lot of it happening is all.

People must be aware of it, as I say, I was never once asked prior to this pandemic.

The blue light card is a discount card that nhs, police, ambulance, forces, other public sector etc pay for, the businesses involved sign up and get the marketing power. It’s a benefit for all, any business can offer discount at any time to whom ever, many restaurants give free food to children to lure the parents in (pre Covid) the nhs employee’s are not out there begging for discounts, this trend stems from businesses giving away free bees to promote there businesses in the early days of Covid when the country was in love with our health service. Times have definitely changed.

i am aware people clap like fuck on a Thursday and then actually forget they lose interest.Their support isn’t evident long term or in an election
And folk like you think it’s all gone too far, leading to hero worship

I run a small business too and yes, frequently get asked for loyalty discounts. My answer is that to offer a discount, I would have had to artificially up the price beforehand, but we don't do that. Just offer good honest prices but reserve the best customer service for our loyal customers.

Ok a quick ‘tip’ if you haven’t thought of this.

Set up an auto reply polite message saying ‘thanks for your enquiry we will be with you shortly as we’re approaching Xmas things have got busy’ or something to that effect.

This will give the customer a ‘response’ even if auto generated and you a bit of space to reply which may help with you being able to say no to the discounts or point out there are discount periods though the year and to follow Facebook or whatever you use to find out when they occur if you do that.

As to the specific group discounts I do find them a bit off putting. I see shops offering military and NHS discounts. Great but so often it feels like it’s more virtue signalling than actual support for a specific group iyswim.

I’m an unpaid carer and locally I get discounts on things like MOTs (fantastic!) but also for the very pricey local spa, something well out of my budget of £65ish of carers allowance a week. I’d never be able to visit unless it was a gift and then the discount would unlikely apply.

YANBU to not offer a discount. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. But lots of businesses do. So they are in no way unreasonable to ask you if you do. Really not a big deal.

You're not obliged to give a discount to anyone. If you don't mind me saying, though, it sounds like you need to put your foot down a bit more, and stop letting yourself be guilt-tripped into it.

I don’t expect a discount nor do I seek one,if you advertise a discount sure I’ll claim it

Juts have a set message ready to go. As a small business which has struggled- like most small businesses, this is not something we can provide as our business would not survive. I appreciate all the effort of people who have and continue to work during these difficult times, and hope you are still able to support our small business to survive during these unprecedented times.

No-one should be getting discounts, least of all NHS workers who have had a regular income throughout the pandemic with no interruption. I can afford to buy my own toiletries, I don't need to queue jump for groceries, and I don't want money off a takeaway because I'm caring for Covid patients, it's what I do, it's my job.

I think it's a lovely thing to do to give discounts, IF you can, but it's ridiculous to feel you have to or should!
So YANBU

I wouldn't dream of asking. It's especially poor to do that to a small independent business - big companies can manage it, they can get tax breaks on it, but it's different if you're a small business. I'm NHS - if you have what I want, I'll buy it from you (in preference over the big boys) and that's that. No discount required. Though if you have a special offer on your site on the day, I'll smile.

Just say you are unable to offer. Or were you posting this thread as a chance to be negative about nhs staff?

YANBU. It's a perk not an obligation