To not understand the animosity towards key workers

[IsItMeOrThemBeingKnobs]

Just seen a newspaper post a story about Asda giving an extra discount to Blue Light Card holders and there are 1000s of comments on it just full of hatred towards key worker discounts and so much “what about me”

I’ve noticed this more and more recently. There was another company advertising a discount to all key workers (so not just blue light card but school staff, anyone that holds a key working role etc) and the comments on that were the same.

This is definitely a new thing since Covid has eased and it makes me feel quite uncomfortable that we begrudge others a job that entitles them to a discount card. I’m pretty sure there are similar employee perks in other organisations, and I know times are really tough for all, but the division it’s causing is quite extreme.

YANBU - it’s bloody weird, you’re right
YABU - screw key workers, what about me

The blue light card has been around for ages, isn't limited to the NHS, and while discounts are nice they're usually equivalents to the sort of things you can find coupons for (small discounts on chain restaurants, cinema tickets, things you wouldn't buy often like camping gear or hotel chains you've never heard of)

The Asda offer is a bit of a red herring, though it seems to be getting them a lot of free advertising! I have been encouraging people to sign up for it though as a lot of people don't realise that now, people working in care homes/residential homes are eligible - and they are some of the people with the lowest pay and worst working conditions. I know that there will be others who are just as deserving, but the only real solution would be to cut pirices for everyone (won't happen) or not give a discount to anyone for fear of being unfair.

I thought the point was that it's important work and well paid or not its difficult, often life or death? If people want an nhs discount that badly join the nhs there's always staff shortages! Also consider there are no other 'perks', no bonus, no salary negotiation, no Christmas do (only if you organise and pay for it yourselves), literally just some places do a disocunt that is usually obtainable a different way anyway tbh etc.

I find it bizarre and irritating that NHS staff get offered so many discounts but school staff don’t.

I work in an industry where our product is something of a luxury/treat item. Since covid had loads of enquiries of discounts/free products for NHS. I am more inclined to (and do) offer freebies to those who weren’t able to work or get furlough throughout, or have lost jobs/freelance work without the safety net of a public sector pension. There’s quite a lot of cheekyfuckery in the NHS when it comes to this. Loads of them weren’t exactly frontline but still want treated like heroes.

I don't think "what about me" I'm fine. But I do think lots of people are working their balls off in shitty underpaid jobs getting zero appreciation. I can understand why people feel that way

@TheGoogleMum

I think most people would rather not do my job than have the discount

🤣

@NorthFaceofthelaundrypile

Maybe cause working in a school is a doddle?

9 to 3 and 13 weeks off?
What ya wanting a discount for?

😜😜🤣

I’m getting really fed up of this modern trend of catastrophising non-issues - why is it when someone doesn’t like something it’s ‘hatred’. FFS, why do people do this? Is it social media? Absolutely nobody hates key workers. I don’t care that other people get the blue light card but I’m not such a massive whiny child that I think it’s ‘hatred’ when someone thinks differently

Asda (or any other organisation) can give a discount to whoever they want, for whatever reason. There will always be a lot of people who complain because they're not entitled to it.

C'est la vie.

Blue light card is nothing new. Those covered are pretty much jobs that don’t have any other perks such as bonuses or benefits in kind. It boosts the profits of the companies giving discount. Same with student discount which has existed for years.
if you have a job which has very attractive, convenient hours and so don’t want a 24 hour 365day a year job in the emergency services well you’re obviously on to a good thing and probably that’s worth more than the 10% asda discount. Which is why you’ve chosen that employment. I’d quite like a large bankers bonus but I wouldn’t want the job and I probably wouldn’t have the qualifications or aptitude for it. I’m not going to start moaning about it🤷

I am a front line key worker. I worked throughout. I got paid my full salary throughout, some people lost their businesses, didn't get paid full wage I would happily give up my discount to those. But not to Brenda who worked from home but for the NHS on full pay but had no face to face patient contact and was first in the queue and told the world and his wife she's an NHS key worker.

My DH earns in excess of 100k for NHS not a clinical role and still uses cards and discounts. It seems wrong when low paid workers can't get it.

I don’t understand the animosity. I’m a teacher, I’ve a friend who’s a nurse, my experience over the pandemic was a walk in the park compared to hers, in fact her experience before that was still pretty hardcore. We both earn a decent, but not brilliant wage, far, far less than the people we went to university with who went into private sector jobs though.

If you want a job with different benefits nothing is stopping you, NHS has thousands of vacancies. If you want 13 weeks holiday there’s a shortage of teachers. If I wanted more money I could have gone into law or finance but job satisfaction was more important to me. We have choices.

@BungleandGeorge

I'm fairly new to mumsnet but im told lots of posters and their ohs (natch) are very high earners.

You really need to be on at least 100k each.

Maybe we should be asking those people to be doing something about riding food costs and food bank use?

Pay more tax maybe? Not vote tory?

Yes, police, armed forces etc.

My DH is a nurse and doesn't ever want to claim any discount (I ordered the blue light card for him but its not really used) as he doesn't feel he should be entitled to it.

As an agency nurse, I would’ve been getting £45 an hour. So I do understand the anger and frustration of some people. I would never take advantage of this scheme if I were earning that kind of money.

Lots of vacancies in the NHS if people are that bothered……

I really don't get this toxic jealousy. If someone else gets a discount - great, good for them. If I get one - even better. I'm not going to begrudge anyone a few pennies off Asda groceries. It's pointless and a bit nasty.

My DH works in the utilities and worked throughout the pandemic doing his normal shift pattern. The utilities weren’t even considered key workers initially. It would’ve been very interesting to see how long people managed without electricity etc. It’s not just the NHS that work 24 hrs a day 365 days a year.

Well the contributions for the teachers pension scheme are quite a bit less than the nhs one depending on your salary if that makes you feel better! And there’s a teachers/ education discount card as well with very similar discounts

@Happyhibiscus mine worked in water and was considered a key worker. Strange.

But why the fuck should someone earning £100k plus be entitled to a discount on their groceries?? Why are they automatically more worthy?
Society functions because we all play our part
Just reduce the fucking prices for everybody and stop being a cunt.

This. I run a small shop and get sick of the amount of people asking for discounts because they're a student/work for the NHS/ teacher/government employee. I politely explain that we discount all products to all customers as much as we can (pretty much everything we sell is below the RRP)... They usually then go on to ask if we price match Amazon etc 🤔

I think the point being that if Asda can give a discount to a significant chunk of people then why not just lower prices in general.

I personally don't care me. People will always look in their neighbours bowl to make sure they don't have more than them. It's human nature and not about to change. That shit suits the government just fine.

NorthFaceofthelaundrypile · Today 22:03
I find it bizarre and irritating that NHS staff get offered so many discounts but school staff don’t.
🤓I think that's what's known as a heroic position!!!!! School staff did very well during lockdowns, as did those on furlough.The rest of us (carers)were buying our own PPE off Amazon or relying on local companies to hand it out for free whilst we looked after frail, lonely, abandoned and dying people whose families stopped visiting them in many cases.

It doesn't annoy me as such but I do query the blanket approach for NHS workers. I agree that front-line staff should get benefits.

But I know lots of NHS office staff who had easy lives working from home, earning a lot more than front-line staff, who take crazy advantage of all the discounts and queue jumping they can get from having a blue light card or an NHS lanyard around their neck.