To be fed up with all the NHS discount codes?

[YouDoYouHun]

Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of respect for NHS workers on the front line dealing with the pandemic, that's not what this thread is about, but AIBU to have had enough of shops and businesses offering NHS discount only? Generally, this isn't a new thing and has been around since last March, but this past week or so I have received quite a few emails from various shops/businesses (I won't name) including national and local, offering discount codes for NHS staff only. Great, they deserve it....but what about everyone else too? What about supermarket workers? Council workers? Labourers? Delivery drivers? The postal service? What about the people who have lost their jobs too? Granted, disposable income will be low to non existent so frivolous online shopping purchases will likely not be high on the priority list, but wouldn't that be more reason to offer a discount? for people struggling? How about a pandemic discount code so everyone can enjoy a treat rather than just singling out the NHS and sending the message that unless you work for the NHS you are undeserving?

The NHS also covers a huge variation of roles and I don't particularly find it fair that Mary who works behind the scenes gets the discount just because she is an NHS employee but Barry who works in a supermarket doesn't receive any discount because he doesn't work for the NHS? Not the greatest example, but you hopefully get my point.

This isn't meant to sound grabby. It's not about the discount. Shops/businesses are struggling too and don't have to offer any discount at all. My point is, if there is going to be a discount offered, why effectively invalidate other professions by sending the message that they haven't worked hard enough/suffererd enough to receive the 'prize' that is a discount code?

YABU - what are you talking about? Only NHS employees should receive discounts.

YANBU - This pandemic has affected us all in different ways and we shouldn't be made to feel any less important because we don't work for the NHS.

Yanbu this is also why i dont shop at Iceland. Even pre pandemic they do nhs discount and police discounts and fire service discounts but refuse military discount as they dont like the military. Nhs staff are no more worthy than anyone else.

Imagine being frontline staff & reading this. I'm sure they'd rather swap jobs with you.
Feel free to get a job in the NHS is you want a 10% discount in morrisons...

They are also free to leave and get another job if they want.

By offering NHS workers and other a discount, companies are effectively requiring other customers to pay higher prices. And I’m not sure companies are best places to do that reallocation of resources and make decisions about who is deserving and not, I’d much prefer that front line key workers were properly rewarded in the forms of their salaries in the first place.

And I say this with the utmost gratitude for the NHS staff who are caring for my DF as he dies with such professionalism and compassion, and those who are fighting to save my DMs life now. They are heroes and they deserve to be paid much more.

@aprilanne my husband is a teacher, he gets 10% off in Morrison's and he's been face to face teaching in an SEN provision all the way through. You're angry at the wrong people. Write to your mp if you feel so aggrieved.

I do think there is a difference between ‘working through the pandemic’ and ‘working in healthcare during the pandemic’. Many HCPs are on the frontline, dealing with the stress and trauma and anxiety of providing care to people dying from this illness. A shop worker is essential, but the emotional toll simply isn’t the same as a nurse working on a Covid ward. And yes ok, some of the recipients of the discounts aren’t working in these environments but it would be too difficult to administer it any other way.

Also - some places are offering discounts to all frontline workers. My sister is a teacher and gets discounts at Morrison’s and a couple of other places.

@Terracottasaur 👏 exactly this!!
Op you are petty and childish. Grow up 🙄

Oh we haven’t had one of these threads for a few months now

Are you upset about the free coffee too

It’s a marketing ploy hunt around and you can find plenty of websites that offer discounts

Great, they deserve it....but what about everyone else too?

What about them? You can’t give a discount to everyone otherwise it wouldn’t be a discount, and shops have a right to decide who they wish to give it to.

One group shouldn’t have their discount removed just because other groups don’t get it as well. That’s absolutely ridiculous thinking.

I mean really how petty do you have to be to care about this

Just that really.

plus - what are all these great discounts? I'm a frontline NHS worker and hadn't been aware of saving masses of money recently

They are also free to leave and get another job if they want.

So are the military and anyone else.

Because if they gave everyone a discount they'd be bankrupt

I’m NHS, why do I never notice any of these discounts? Where are they? Maybe because I’m too busy on the wards and too tired to shop after work.

I don’t think I’ve ever claimed NHS discount, the only time I’ve showed my NHS ID was commuting in lockdown as proof I had a reason to travel!

But I think NHS discount has been around years hasn’t it? Like student discount etc?

I can see why they can’t offer a discount to all keyworkers as there are so many categories. And private healthcare tends to pay better etc. How would you prove if you’re a keyworker in say food manufacturing?

Guess NHS was chosen as we were initially the ones exposed to covid without adequate PPE (and are still getting exposed?) I caught covid from work and 2 months later I’m still not fully recovered. A lot of NHS staff will be exposed to aerosol procedures and bodily fluids from covid positive patients, it’s a daily hazard.

@Shaniac Who would you like the doctors to work for?

Plenty of front line jobs going if you want one op, questionable PPE and no ability to social distance is another perk of the job. I can see why you're jealous!

Meanwhile I'm going to continue with my sleepless night waiting to find out if another colleague has survived the night. At least the Morrison's 10% can keep me company.

There are many schemes that employers do that can give the same discounts as the NHS get

I hated the clapping, hated the Tiptok videos, hated the grabby posts on social media but they don’t represent the millions of other staff working for the NHS. 99% of them didn’t ask for discounts, make naff videos or ask to be clapped.

No one signed up to a pandemic.

Most know they are lucky to still have a wage when many don’t but it doesn’t stop it being hard going into work, facing understaffed shifts, tsunamis of patients and large numbers of deaths.

It’s shit for frontline staff. Really shit. I’m terrified my DD (nurse on A&E) is going to catch Covid and die as she’s very high risk. She directly nurses Covid patients. At the beginning of the pandemic she was moved to safer roles. It’s so busy now that she is just in the thick of it with everyone else. To constantly read how resented they are because either people don’t believe they are busy/are sick of seeing videos of how busy they are and companies choose to give discounts is really hard.

The blue light card gives firemen the same discount as my DD. They turned up at a care home the other day stood in the porch and advised the low pay carer how to check for a fire (fire alarm continuous and home full of vulnerable disabled adults) because it was too unsafe to enter in case of Covid. So a fireman in full haz suit watched a woman in a plastic apron, gloves and mask run around a three storey house searching for the cause of the fire alarm...he gets discount and she doesn’t. Fair? no.

But we resent the NHS.

How sad, to begrudge NHS staff a 10% discount throughout this shit storm they have had to work through. Sad sad sad.

Oh god. This again?
NHS discounts have existed for years, not just because of Covid.
The NHS are a huge employer and it's quick and easy to identify staff so the 10% discounts are covered by the overall revenue gained. Other customers do not pay more to provide the discounts, there was already enough profit for this.
Stop being so bitter OP.

@frencheee agree. I’m disgusted actually.

Discounts for workers have been around long before the pandemic.

I’m in NEU, being part of this Union means I get discounts with certain businesses. I’m also a gold AA member, again that provides discounts.

If you want a discount then take part in a scheme that offers them.

(But I can tell you in the 20 years I’ve been in NEU I haven’t used mine, 10% off at Harvester doesn’t really appeal to me)

Sounds a bit petty and bitter complaining about it tbh.

The world is going mad at this stage of the pandemic is this an issue ?

Can't see what the fuss is about. It's common knowledge any discounts are added before stuff it's the shelf's . I understand times are tuff but that's just how it is

This post makes me feel sick it's nice to know the general public begrudes us getting 10% off our shopping which we didn't ask for but seen as a nice gestute.

I find it so interesting when people begin a post with ‘of course I support the NHS but.....’.

It’s an interesting thing to do isn’t it? To support, but post only negatively? There’s so many of these ‘I support the NHS but...someone wore scrubs outside of work/ an admin staff member asked for a discount/they’re just doing their job/at least they’ve still got a job/at least they still get to go out to work’ etc.

What was the response of retailers when you asked them to expand the discounts offered?