Over 60s

National Trust for Scotland offers reduced membership fees for those aged 60 or above. There are no qualifying criteria other than age! NTS membership fees are cheaper than NT and there is free parking and free access to NT car parks and properties.

I'm always amused by this 'over 60s' discount thingy. It's as if being older we deserve to pay less than those younger. When I have my hair cut I get offered the pensioners' rate but always pay full adult rate as my hair takes just as much cutting as a younger person and, yes, I can afford it. Maybe I would have a different view if I was less well off (although don't get me wrong I am not loaded!). My barber is a lovely fellow who has two small children and deserves a decent wage. Why should I expect him to subsidise my hair cut? I get free (?) prescriptions and a state pension as well as an occupation pension and don't expect any other concessions and wouldn't expect younger people to have to pay more for things so I can pay less. 

I expect the OAP discount thing dates back to the era when most retired folk only had a meagre income to survive on. Thankfully, these days many of us do better than that.

I am not sure you should think of discounts as generosity but more as sound business principle. They are usually offered to either improve footfall or to maximise business in quieter times. Even the hairdresser will want to fill spare time between the lunchtime and end of school rushes, ideal for pensioners!! I feel perfectly happy accepting the discount as I know what hair I have left takes a quarter of the time to cut than it takes to "style" a teenagers hair! The C&CC make a big thing of their over sixties discount and I am happy to accept that as well as I am to accept all the lower prices offered to seniors for visiting various attractions. But should the CMC go down the same route? Given the general age profile of the Club you could imagine it might bankrupt the CMC to do so! They already have a discount in place called the midweek discount. Unlike the C&CC offer it is not universal, only on a limited number of sites. Even with those limitations it is at least on offer to all members which perhaps is fairer? 

David

I think the discounting the C&CC offers has gone a lot further now, not just an age concession, they are offering a range of discounts to encourage bookings on sites with unfilled capacity. They also have a new booking system, slightly convoluted but they seem to be keen on upgrading their web site!

Both clubs offer limited concessions but I think CAMC could test the water with a few more offers?

It's my personal opinion that C&CC's convoluted booking system, deposits and minimum night bookings are responsible for their less than full sites. If I'm correct and that is the reason they’re finding it necessary to offer the various reductions to encourage site use, then the remedy is obvious.

CAMC seem to fill pitches with very few discounts offered. Due, perhaps, to their easier and deposit free booking system.

Try getting into some of the C&CC Cumbrian sites, they're nearly always full! They're only discounting where needed.

I've certainly tried to do some mid-week bookings this year with CAMC but have had to cancel, when faced with the full price I feel miffed and start looking around at other possibilities.

"They're only discounting where needed."

That's my point, Brue. Overall, C&CC seem to have a greater need to discount and the question has to be "why?".

I’ve given my opinion as to that reason.

But then It is the same with some commercial  sites that do "loss leaders" pitches out of season when us oldies can take advantage ,but then it's the youngsters who have no option but to use them in peak and pay very high prices which are to off set what we paid 

I would agree with your last sentence.

Should this Club bring in deposits and change the easy booking/cancellation process, they will totally lose that small advantage.