By Madeleine Villa [1] and Tyler Penney [2]
BELLEVILLE – Money-stressed students may not realize that local retailers offer discounts, but QNetNews has learned there are many opportunities for them to save money with little effort.
There are two simple ways students can save between five and 15 per cent, as well as getting additional upgrades on purchases.
One is the Student Pricing Card [3], a national program for all students, and the other is to use your school, college or university student card.
Jacob Moore, a third-year student in Loyalist College’s TV New Media program, knows how important it is to save mone.
“Being a student, you’re broke most of the time, so you do what you can. I use (my discounts) for car parts. There is a place back home where you can use your student card and they give 10 per cent off to students – so that really helps,” Moore said.
Five retailers in the Quinte Mall [4], including Roots [5] and La Senza, offer discounts to students who show their student card. Most places offer 10 per cent off – almost as much as the sales tax.
Every little bit counts, Moore says.
“I am able to save money, which makes my money last a little longer since (the Ontario Student Assistance Program [6]) doesn’t really give you a whole lot. It’s hard to work and be in school at the same time, so it’s good to be able to save as much money as I can.”
While many places offer students discounts when they display their student cards, 21 retailers in the Quinte Mall, including American Eagle Outfitters [7], Old Navy [8] and The Body Shop [9], accept the Student Price Card for discounts.
Taylor Halladay, another TV New Media student, has been buying the card since she was in Grade 12. “Sometimes it only saves you a couple of bucks, but if you are buying a bigger purchase you can sometimes save $10 to $15. So it definitely helps.”
The Student Price Card has been around since 1992. The program started as a coupon book for college and university students in Toronto, but since then has grown nationally. By purchasing a Student Price Card for $10 at the beginning of the year, students are able to use it at participating retailers to receive discounts and other rewards. The company also has a mobile app, which has over 400,000 downloads.
Though there are many opportunities for students to save money, they aren’t always readily advertised. Cassidy Whitelock, a second-year practical nursing student at Loyalist, said she does not use student discounts because she doesn’t know which retailers offer them.
“I just don’t know where to find them. honestly. They just don’t advertise them well, in my opinion,” Whitelock said.
She has never bought a Student Price Card because she lives in Arnprior [10], a small town west of Ottawa, and no places there accept it, she said.
QNet News found all the places in the Quinte Mall that offer student discounts, along with all the places in Belleville that accept the Student Price Card. Here’s where they are: