With food, electricity and medicine costs rising, many pensioners in our towns are counting every rand. Without much fuss, a number of local businesses along Route 62 and Swellendam have been doing their bit.
In Swellendam, the Swellendam Doggy Parlour gives pensioners 50% off grooming every Wednesday, and SPAR has a pensioner card. In Robertson, D-Vine Restaurant & Deli gives pensioners 10% off all food every day. In Montagu, Montagu Winery holds a monthly Pensioners’ Day with R60 coffee and cake, and Avalon Springs lets over-60s visit the hot springs for R100.
These specials are now collected on RippleCard, a list of pensioner specials organised town by town and day by day, built by Durban-based Benn Pieters. Pensioners use it without signing up, giving personal details or downloading anything.
“Many businesses already give older customers a little extra, but the information is scattered,” says Pieters. “For a small business, a pensioners’ day often fills a quiet weekday. For a pensioner, it can mean an outing they could otherwise not afford.”
Almost 3,000 people use RippleCard, with more than 1,250 specials in over 250 towns. Local businesses are listed above the big chains, and anyone can send in a special they know of.
Do you know a Route 62 business that looks after pensioners? Search “RippleCard” on Google, or visit ripplecard.co.za/app.
