The hospitality industry is still in recovery mode to bounce back from the challenges caused by pandemic-related shutdowns. In the Spokane area, some retailers have found success by stabilizing a segment of their customer base with a tried-and-true marketing strategy: senior discounts.

Senior discounts are found to be an effective way to help meet the needs of both the company and the customer, some company representatives here say.

Businesses that discover a balance between potential earnings through the promotion and a chance of decreased revenue by offering discounted prices, likely will benefit from improved sales activity, turnout, and customer loyalty, company representatives say.

Older adults must be 55 years old to be eligible for senior discounts at the Spokane Tribe Casino, Village Centre Cinemas at Wandermere, and Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest, while at the Airway Heights Recreation Center, patrons must be 62 for the discounted rate.

“A large part of our demographic on the casino side of things tends to trend towards that senior demographic,” Chris Marzotto, director of marketing at the Spokane Tribe Casino says. The senior discounts and perks are a way, “to show appreciation for that segment of our customers.”

The discounts also serve the casino by driving traffic to the property during off-peak hours, as many retirees have extra free time during the day, he says.

The casino provides food and beverage coupons to seniors, valued at $4, until 4 p.m. daily, in addition to a full day of senior appreciation on Wednesdays each week where those over 55 are eligible to win cash drawings and other prizes at swipe-to-win kiosk games.

“Our senior days have been on Wednesdays for a long time and tend to be some of our strongest of the week, and most consistent,” Marzotto says.

At another entertainment venue in North Spokane, daily discounts and snack deals for seniors help maintain attendance during slower business hours, says Armando Escareño, general manager at Village Centre Cinemas at Wandermere.

Seniors receive $1 off of matinee tickets for regular feature and enhanced Atmos theater seats and $3.50 to $4 off tickets for prime-time movies. With these offers, seniors can save up to 27% from nondiscounted ticket prices.

Other movie theaters such as AMC Cinemas and Regal Cinemas both offer senior discounts beginning at age 60, according to their websites.

While a lower age requirement at Village Centre Cinemas has worked as a business strategy for the company, customer feedback has brought up how the age limit has offended some customers to hear themselves referred to as senior citizens at 55. After the minor distress subsides, most are willing to take advantage of the savings, he says.

“We get more people in here because it’s a younger senior discount. Also, they do tend to buy those senior specials,” which include a small popcorn and a 16-ounce drink for $7, says Escareño.

Along with senior discounts, Escareño says older people tend to come to the theater often, so he works to curate content that older folks will likely enjoy. For example, some seniors will watch any movie available, while grandparents tend to see children’s movies with their grandkids during the day, and other seniors prefer faith-based movies.

“We try to bring those in as much as possible,” he says. “When ‘Jesus Revolution’ came out, that day and those weeks were pretty senior citizen heavy.”

Heather Alexander, senior associate vice president of marketing and communications for Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest, says people 55 and above are eligible to receive a discount of 20% off purchases every Monday.

Goodwill’s senior discounts, “helps to increase our revenue as it encourages those individuals to shop at our locations and brings additional traffic to our stores on Mondays,” says Alexander. “Overall, the senior discount helps attract seniors to our stores by offering discounts that can be applied to our already-low prices.”

People 62-years-old and older looking to stay active will also find discounted rates for seniors at the Airway Heights Recreation Center.

Parks, Recreation, & Community Services director, J.C. Kennedy, says senior memberships constitute 78% of the rec center’s customers, a 53% increase from 2021.

Seniors typically use the facility in the morning and midmorning hours, which are downtimes at the fitness center, says Kennedy.

“Large numbers of baby boomers are entering their elderly years and want to keep their bodies strong and healthy,” he says. “We will continue to embrace this demographic shift with increased opportunities for active aging to meet the needs of this aging population.”

Marzotto says in the three years he’s worked at Spokane Tribe Casino, he’s learned the importance of balancing flexibility and predictability while marketing to seniors. Any changes in promotions typically receive the most feedback from the casino’s senior customers, which Marzotto says has been helpful for his team to understand what’s working.

“I think any good marketing team is going to change up promotions,” he says. “But we’re always very careful on that, and the changes we make are based largely on the feedback we get from our customers. Overall, they tend to be very good at giving feedback.”