Elderly and vulnerable being 'unfairly discriminated against' as supermarkets shift to apps

Robgivs

Digital discrimination is becoming a serious problem as teens and twenty's who are welded to their phones snap-up all the best deals the moment they're released. Older people may not look at the phone for hours and by the time we hear about deals there's simply nothing left worth having!

What we need is say a 30 minute head start via an age verified site, please not an App, that  can give specific alerts for particular types of offer, even then the youngsters would simply give a false DoB to get access! Anybody got any clever ideas how we can "level the playing field?"

Woolsery

Robgivs said:

Digital discrimination is becoming a serious problem as teens and twenty's who are welded to their phones snap-up all the best deals the moment they're released. Older people may not look at the phone for hours and by the time we hear about deals there's simply nothing left worth having!

What we need is say a 30 minute head start via an age verified site, please not an App, that  can give specific alerts for particular types of offer, even then the youngsters would simply give a false DoB to get access! Anybody got any clever ideas how we can "level the playing field?"

I think the only problem here is a perceptual one. Your FOMO is blinding you to the insanity of wanting to counter what you see as discrimination with..err...a different kind of discrimination.

I'm not sure how many 'older people'  would want you as their advocate. There are more important decisions to be made right now than catching 'deals.' This is always the case, but things are so unstable at present it's more relevant to be looking ahead and planning for the next problem than trying to be super-competitive.

Planning involves people in real donkey-work, looking at the economics behind the news and thinking logically. For example, what do the Chinese lock-downs mean for us here as their ports seize-up and the supply chains falter? What sort of goods will be most affected? Are there alternative sources? ....and so on.

Maybe not everyone can or will do this sort of research, but I think 'older people' as a group have the ability, whatever device they use.

p00hsticks

Robgivs said:

Digital discrimination is becoming a serious problem as teens and twenty's who are welded to their phones snap-up all the best deals the moment they're released. Older people may not look at the phone for hours and by the time we hear about deals there's simply nothing left worth having!

I tend to look at it the other way - it's a marketing ploy to offer 'one time only' and 'buy now or it's gone for ever' type deals for stuff that you'd never otherwise consider buying, and they're deliberately targeted at the (young and) gullible. Us oldies are far too savvy and far more concious of what we actually need and for what is and is not a bargain, to fall for such tricks, however mobile phone savvy we may or may not be.

PennyForThem_2

p00hsticks said:

Robgivs said:

Digital discrimination is becoming a serious problem as teens and twenty's who are welded to their phones snap-up all the best deals the moment they're released. Older people may not look at the phone for hours and by the time we hear about deals there's simply nothing left worth having!

I tend to look at it the other way - it's a marketing ploy to offer 'one time only' and 'buy now or it's gone for ever' type deals for stuff that you'd never otherwise consider buying, and they're deliberately targeted at the (young and) gullible. Us oldies are far too savvy and far more concious of what we actually need and for what is and is not a bargain, to fall for such tricks, however mobile phone savvy we may or may not be.

I sort of agree with hesitation.  You can compare and contrast pricing via the internet with a pc/laptop/tablet by doing research on the item you want to buy.  

So an example (a minor one) - Lindt Truffle Balls - 7.50 but with Tesco clubcard 5.00  (about 2 weeks before Easter).

I don't have my smartphone as an addendum to my body.  But I do use it strategically for shopping.    I HAVE to have apps for banking which I am happy to use via internet (love it - so convenient).  I am in my 70's so no way a millenial but so identify why they and the generation Z gen? want to use the internet so.

I would not want it for myself but I forsee the chip in the wrist......

RogerBareford

p00hsticks said:

Robgivs said:

Digital discrimination is becoming a serious problem as teens and twenty's who are welded to their phones snap-up all the best deals the moment they're released. Older people may not look at the phone for hours and by the time we hear about deals there's simply nothing left worth having!

I tend to look at it the other way - it's a marketing ploy to offer 'one time only' and 'buy now or it's gone for ever' type deals for stuff that you'd never otherwise consider buying, and they're deliberately targeted at the (young and) gullible. Us oldies are far too savvy and far more concious of what we actually need and for what is and is not a bargain, to fall for such tricks, however mobile phone savvy we may or may not be.

Saying that young people are gullible and fall for rubbish offers and old people are savy and do not is just as bad as saying young people are good at using technology and old people arn't.

Both of those statements are just generalisations and neither are correct because there are people of all ages who are savy/not savy and people of all ages who are good/bad at technology.

But one thing that is true is that there are many genuinly good offers out there that need access to technology and i would say that being able to access every offer from a smartphone and compare prices on the go is essential to get all the best deals. A cheap smartphone will easily pay for itself in a short period of time if someone takes up all the advantages of having one and anyone of any age can learn how to use one if they really wanted too.

KxMx

Your last line is certainly true- many older people are perfectly capable, but simply don't want to use a smartphone.

PennyForThem_2

KxMx said:

Your last line is certainly true- many older people are perfectly capable, but simply don't want to use a smartphone.

Why  not?

Katiehound

PennyForThem_2 said:

KxMx said:

Your last line is certainly true- many older people are perfectly capable, but simply don't want to use a smartphone.

Why  not?

Well for one thing smart phones aren't given away free and they require monthly payments!
Some folk are quite happy with their existing landline . 
Who wants extra expense these days??

KxMx

Katiehound said:

PennyForThem_2 said:

KxMx said:

Your last line is certainly true- many older people are perfectly capable, but simply don't want to use a smartphone.

Why  not?

Well for one thing smart phones aren't given away free and they require monthly payments!
Some folk are quite happy with their existing landline . 
Who wants extra expense these days??

I buy a sim free handset (£125-£175) outright every 2-3 years- selling on or keeping the previous as a spare.
I pay £5 pm on a 30 day rolling contract to Lebara, unlimited calls & texts.
It saved me money actually as I cancelled LL calls boost which was £12pm.
And so convenient to dial, put on loudspeaker, get the hold music then place the phone beside me and get on with something else while I wait.
Plus as has been said a smartphone opens up deals, coupons etc, soon becomes worthwhile financially.

PennyForThem_2

Me too - bought an ultra cheap Motorola sim free (think it was about £80 3 years ago) and added a sim from first O2 then changed to Plusnet.  I pay £6 / month for frees texts, free calls and 6GB data (which I never ever use).  Now don't use LL other than for free 0800 calls and only have it because of internet (not on cable or fibre to premises).

I know you can get a smart phone cheaply so really puzzled by this resistance - whatever, this is the way the world is going.  Embrace it!  Cash is / should be gone.