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The Business Of Upholstery => The Business Of Upholstery => Topic started by: MinUph on July 03, 2018, 07:44:44 pm

Title: Offering a military discount
Post by: MinUph on July 03, 2018, 07:44:44 pm
Does anyone offer a military discount? If so how do you check if they are military? I know there are online places but is there an easier quicker way? Do Military people carry their card? I'm thinking of offering it but don't know how to.
Title: Re: Offering a military discount
Post by: kodydog on July 04, 2018, 05:29:37 am
A good friend of mine is a veteran. He always carried a card. Lowes gives a 10% discount and would ask him for his card.
Title: Re: Offering a military discount
Post by: MinUph on July 04, 2018, 10:33:19 am
Yea that's what I'm after. I just wondered if Vets carried their card. I'll see if I get any other responses. Thanks
Title: Re: Offering a military discount
Post by: SteveA on July 04, 2018, 01:41:35 pm
I'm fortunate that I have customers in West Point that call me from time to time.  I don't have anything in writing but I always charge low prices for them.  They are never in a rush and can usually bring the items to me on their way to the airport.  Sometimes the pieces stay here 6 months but I don't mind.
Cops - Fire service - Friends -  always discounted.  Our Church I've never charged and it's lead to a lot of work over the years.
I can't imagine anyone showing up pretending to be Military or Civil Servant for a discount and lying about it ? 
SA
Title: Re: Offering a military discount
Post by: Mojo on July 09, 2018, 03:45:49 pm
We have always offered 10 % discounts to Vet's, Cops and first responders. We never ask for identification. Few people lie about that kind of thing and if they do then they have to live with the lie. Yes, a few liars will make it through and get a discount but it is better then asking for identification.

We are not Lowes and do not have the volume of customers they do. They had to go to verification because everyone and their brother were cheating the system. In Florida it states right on the drivers license if they were a veteran and you have to present your DD-214 to the State to get that designation. I just went through the process when I renewed my license. On the bottom right hand corner it states Veteran.

We are very big on supporting veterans. My admin assistant is a Vet who did a tour overseas. Ingrid thanks every customer for their service when giving them a discount. I can remember back in the day when Vietnam Vet's coming home from overseas were treated like crap. I never told anyone I was in the Marines back then. Guys were spit on and called baby killers back then.

I feel all veterans deserve our thanks and discounts considering the hell they have gone through for all of us. Thankfully I was never deployed. Saigon fell when I was in boot camp. Just getting through basic training was hell on earth. I cannot imagine what Nam was like.

Mojo
Title: Re: Offering a military discount
Post by: baileyuph on July 09, 2018, 07:28:25 pm
Very professional way of handling this type of business.  A big plus not to forget is,  mentioning .......
When these type of customers are treated with this type of respect they will share the respect with
their friends, especially veterans.

Doyle
Title: Re: Offering a military discount
Post by: MinUph on July 10, 2018, 02:45:17 am
Quote from: Mojo on July 09, 2018, 03:45:49 pm
We have always offered 10 % discounts to Vet's, Cops and first responders. We never ask for identification. Few people lie about that kind of thing and if they do then they have to live with the lie. Yes, a few liars will make it through and get a discount but it is better then asking for identification.

  Good point Chris thanks. I was thinking of just asking while writing up their order if they are a vet or other and just giving it to them at that point.


We are not Lowes and do not have the volume of customers they do. They had to go to verification because everyone and their brother were cheating the system. In Florida it states right on the drivers license if they were a veteran and you have to present your DD-214 to the State to get that designation. I just went through the process when I renewed my license. On the bottom right hand corner it states Veteran.

We are very big on supporting veterans. My admin assistant is a Vet who did a tour overseas. Ingrid thanks every customer for their service when giving them a discount. I can remember back in the day when Vietnam Vet's coming home from overseas were treated like crap. I never told anyone I was in the Marines back then. Guys were spit on and called baby killers back then.

I feel all veterans deserve our thanks and discounts considering the hell they have gone through for all of us. Thankfully I was never deployed. Saigon fell when I was in boot camp. Just getting through basic training was hell on earth. I cannot imagine what Nam was like.

  This is on point.

Mojo
Title: Re: Offering a military discount
Post by: Mojo on July 11, 2018, 05:51:09 am
Paul:

Doyle hit on something that I failed to mention. Veterans who are treated well, thanked for their service and given discounts are an excellent source of referrals. They are a very loyal group and have a tendency to spread the word among their friends. One other thing I did not mention and one of the reasons why we give discounts to Vet's is that our customer base is predominantly over 50 and a large part of that group are veterans. We would be nuts not to cater to Vet's. Speaking of Military we are just completing a large walkway canopy for the American Legion.

From a personal aspect I enjoy seeing all the Veterans now wearing baseball hats with their branch of service on them claiming to be Veterans. We have finally reached the point where Veterans can be proud to have served. I call it coming out of the closet for many of them as Veterans were so looked down upon at one stage in our countries history that we hid our military service.

Some people cannot imagine what it is like to give 3 or 4 years of your life to serve. The pay sucks and deployment in some places is horrific. I still remember my pay as a PFC back in 1975 - $ 350 per month. :)

Mojo