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

Been noticing this lately.
Definitely become an 'us and them' between those that worked and those that didn't.
Problem is a lot of people don't know who is who...
So lots of people being judged and also lots getting offended.
Gone is the kindness and community spirit that sprung up at the beginning if lockdown.

I hate the NHS/blue light discount.

My cousin-a speech therapist- who has worked from home since the start of the lockdown, posted weekly thanking people for all the claps, and got the vaccine way back when, is thrilled with it. Why does she need a discount, when eg a teacher who worked in schools throughout covid and wasn’t eligible for the vaccine despite working at close range with lots of other unmasked people, doesn’t?

And plenty NHS staff don’t!!

I work minimum wage in a supermarket & we were appalled by some of the behaviour of nhs/care staff during covid. Demanding to queue jump etc, demanding freebies & discounts, flashing their lanyards on their days off.
We had to join the queue to shop where we work, had to work during lockdown, had no protection, can't afford to live local or run a car so commute on packed tube etc.
We had one night shift worker who died as the local a&e & GP wouldnt see her during the first wave.

Does the NHS offer priority to ASDA shop floor staff in return ?

Personally I avoid businesses that advertise freebies & discounts to nhs

Yes and the same ones that have half the parking permits whilst frontline staff have to be at the hospital for 6.45am and don’t leave til 8pm and have to pay up to £16 a day for car parking fees.

I meant those immediate first few days of lockdown(when we were trying to secure a place in school for DC), it was queried by his company as to whether his role was- didn’t take them too long to agree fortunately.

Maybe people got a bit fed up in the early covid days, when there started to be some keyworkers abusing the generosity of some of these offers, by using the priority queuing on their days off, and asking for discounts at places which didn’t offer them.

Blue light card discounts have nothing to do with covid. Asda do this for a limited time so that people will shop with them in preference to shopping elsewhere. They hope they’ll like them and stay loyal afterwards. It’s the same as shops with loyalty cards. Or suppliers who give discount to trades. There are so many of these schemes. None are about ‘worthiness’ they’re all about trying to increase customer base and loyalty to boost profit.

UANBU but it’s not a key worker thing. We have increasingly become a ‘what about me’ society. Same whenever someone gets a pay rise. ‘Profession X shouldn’t get a pay rise because I don’t get a pay rise’

The opposite is true: collective bargaining works.

It’s the same with public services. I once had a discussion with someone who didn’t see why as a society we need to keep libraries open as they could afford to buy their own books.

Its a shame 😞

I can't believe Iceland are giving 10% off shopping to over 60's. Many over 60's are still working and earning good salaries and many older people have more disposable income than many young ones. if on a low state pension it is topped up wheras many younger people on the lowest benefits are trying to live off £77 a week and relying on food banks.

Discounts should be scraped and just reduce the prices for everyone, even if they reduced price by 1% that would help massively

Boycott ASDA if the BlueLight Card is so unsavoury 🙄

Asda do this for a limited time so that people will shop with them in preference to shopping elsewhere.
If I had an Asda nearby then this would make me avoid them. They are offering it on clothes, toys, gifts, homewares... not just food. If they can afford to do that then they could afford to lock in lower prices on staple foods instead, which would also attract customers.

Sell your food to everyone a it cheaper instead of virtue signalling trying to gain favour and get customers in the door

How about we vote in a government that actually pays everyone a living wage, provides an adequate benefits system and controls inflation - so nobody needs a friggin discount? No? Ok, as you were.

I don’t think the ‘blue light’ workers are any more important than the people who keep our electricity on, the binmen, delivery drivers, farmers, supermarket workers, water supply workers etc. etc.

Maybe Asda should be more concerned about the poor and just reduce the prices for everyone instead of giving discounts to people in a secure job at above minimum wage with nice pension.

@Livelovebehappy i agree that if somewhere doesn’t offer a discount you should not be rude etc but they are hardly going to be using the priority shopping on a working day if they are working 12+ hours etc so should have some sympathy and leniency on that one. The Covid thing is also harsh because the majority of people I know who had Covid were key workers who caught it through their work and were literally putting their lives on the line everyday by staying in those ‘customer facing’ jobs whatever they be.

Many key workers lost their lives keeping wards staffed, schools open for vulnerable children on so on. I know most people are ‘over’ Covid as a societal responsibility now but it is worth remembering the sacrifice of some of those who are no longer with us from time to time.

I am surprised so many people don't realise the Blue Light card isn't new. Its just bugging people now because so many have turned resentful of NHS workers for whatever reason. Thinking about my family and friends, pretty much everyone who works for the private sector gets either workplace bonuses, tips from customers, staff discounts in their own place of work, paid 'corporate days' or trips away, paid Christmas do etc. The NHS doesn't even let us have social events never mind pay for them 😂 A bonus? As if haha! In fact, I had to buy a new bag for work recently for my equipment and some new work trousers as my trust won't fund them anymore 🙄

If people begrudge it so badly, why don't they come and work for the NHS? Oh wait, maybe because it is such a crap employer?

As for all the school staff on this thread - my DC attend 3 different schools. Every Christmas and every summer, the parents in all three DC classes club together and present the teacher and TA's with a very generous gift voucher for a local shopping centre or restaurant etc. So I wouldn't say they do too badly. IT flumoxes me as we wouldn't be allowed to receive a gift of such a large value even if someone did decide to be so generous (won't ever happen!).

Let's not begrudge each other the few wee perks we get in life please. FYI, I don't actually have a blue light card myself because I don't feel I need it, but I couldn't care less if others have one.

Absolutely!
Or if handing out discounts give them to those on universal credit, not tranches of the population actually in a job.

I see it as in work benefits, which you look at before you start working somewhere surely?

They can always apply for a key worker job if they like, but half the people who whine about the discounts probably wouldn't have lasted 5 minutes in these roles anyway.

As it happens I hardly use any discounts anyway as I don't shop or eat out much. I just get the odd 5% off a UK holiday booking. It's a bit like the benefits you get with RAC or gym membership. They are there, but I expect quite a lot of people don't use them.

One thing we do not get is paid Christmas parties, bonuses, work drinks on expenses, commission, customer gifts that some people get in the private sector. Some nurses have to pay to park in order to work too.

It's not hard to see why people who can't afford their bills are just generally angry. And I'm not sure it's necessary to have discounts for key workers two years later.

Has anyone said that it’s ‘tone deaf’ yet?
That’s another phrase along with ‘keyworker’ that drives me potty.

The discounts give me the rage because it makes people angry towards people who get the discount rather than the people offering it.

I am entitled to it before I get accused of being jealous. I’ve been entitled to a lot of things in the last few years that have made people angry towards my profession. So here is a big fat sorry.

ASDA could afford to keep the discount AND reduce prices IF they wanted too.

But, again, why should one person loose out on any type of benefit because another person is jealous of it? Why not start a campaign to have people in your own circumstances given some kind of loyalty program by ASDA? Or, better still, ask your boss for a pay rise. If it’s a job with no above MW rises start organising with your colleagues, or join a Union and negotiate with your bosses for more say, hours, pay, benefits and so on. Your would be surprised how after the shock of asking they will start to offer something rather than loose staff, especially at the moment in a ‘workers market’ with loads of staff vacancies.

I accept that this takes time and effort and they are counting on everyone being so exhausted from day to day working that they don’t have the energy to even think about changing their working conditions.

The term key worker is deeply irritating.

It seems to be mostly used by people who feel the need to bump up their sense of self importance.

I didn't realise it was even a thing anymore tbh. If people are still banging on about being key workers then they definitely fall into the category described above.

I get that keyworkers got preference when you had to queue, but not sure why the discount. The people that I know who work for the NHS are well paid.