As we all know, and as the comments here at The Paycheck Chronicles will attest, there are many businesses that offer military discounts and/or veterans discounts of some variety. Sometimes, the hardest part is remembering to ask.
I'm having a banner day in the military discount department. I almost never remember to ask, but today I remembered to ask THREE times. All three places did offer military discounts to active duty dependents, though at one they were already offering a percentage off deal that was more than the military discount and they couldn't be combined.
That's not to say that I always get "yes" replies on the rare occasion where I remember to ask. Tons of places don't offer discounts, and some limit it to the active duty member only. And, as discussed ad nauseam here, some places offer only to active duty and not to retirees, or to active duty and retirees but not other veterans, or any other combination as fit the desires of their company
I haven't written about military discounts here in a long time, because the drama and complaints really upset me. I honestly have never seen as much childish and selfish behavior as has occurred here in discussions about the Home Depot and Lowes discount policies. I just had to take a little break from the subject.
If you think you might be eligible for any sort of military or veterans discount, it never hurts to ask. I don't know if there is a great way to remind yourself to ask - maybe a post-it note on your credit or debit card? However, please, PLEASE, if you ask and get a no, or find that you don't meet that particular requirements for that store, please be polite. Don't argue or complain. Companies are under no obligation to provide any discounts to military members, and bad behavior often ends in the end of the discount or program. At the very least, acting like a jerk makes you look bad, and it reflects poorly on the rest of the military population. And nobody wants that.
