‘Suspender Tuesdays’ to offer seniors discounts on shopping, movies
The program encourages seniors to leave their homes and travel, consume culture, shop or simply enjoy life by offering them special discounts.
By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZIElderly couple making aliya 370(photo credit: Sasson Tiram; courtesy of Nefesh B’Nefesh)
Tuesdays are set to become known as “Shleikes (“suspenders”) Tuesdays,” according to an initiative of Senior Citizens Minister Uri Orbach.The program, which launched on Tuesday, aims to encourage seniors to leave their homes and travel, consume culture, shop or simply enjoy life by offering them special discounts.Any senior citizen with a Veteran Citizen’s ID – women aged 62 and up and men aged 67 and up – can take part.“The Shleikes Tuesday project aims to emphasize that senior citizens are desired consumers. Making Tuesday the weekly day of the elderly in cinemas, leisure activities and consumerism sends a message not only to this population but to society as a whole,” Orbach said ahead of the launch.Numerous leading chains and companies have announced their participation in the project and are set to provide a variety of discounts, benefits and special activities.The Azrieli Group will provide workshops, lectures and dances in its malls, telecommunications company Pelephone will provide tutorials on smartphones in 19 training centers throughout the country, while Royalty Jewelery will provide discounts on jewelry.Other companies taking part in the initiative include language school Wall Street, department store Hamashbir Lazarchan, Fox Clothing and Home, Laline beauty care, Tzomet Sfarim bookstores, Aroma coffee shops and pharmacy chain Super-Pharm.“We are happy to take part in this welcome initiative of the Senior Citizens Ministry; for us, this represents a substantial strengthening of the senior citizens population in Azrieli malls,” said Arnon Toren, CEO of Azrieli Malls.In addition, seniors will be able to watch movies at major theater chains such as Cinema City, Yes Planet and Rav Hen for only NIS 10, as well as gain free access to a variety of museums and cultural sites throughout the country.“There is enormous economic potential in the consumer power of this population of over 830,000 citizens who have free time, a fixed income, and diverse needs, and so can serve as a lever for economic growth,” Orbach said.