One of the best kept secrets for South Africans over the age of 60 is that they can claim a discount at Makro stores every day of the week, and not only on a specific day – an offering that has been in place since the onset of COVID-19.

“While we decided to make this change at the height of the pandemic and lockdowns to ensure that our shoppers could visit our stores conveniently and safely, we have decided to extend this programme indefinitely. Since May 2020, there has been an increased interest in our mSenior card which offers senior citizens of up to 10% on general merchandise and up to 5% on fresh food related items, excluding products that already on promotion,” says Andrietta van Veijeren, National Commercial Sales Manager at Massmart Wholesale.

Makro identified this need early in the pandemic and quickly adapted to the changing shopping habits of consumers at that time. By extending this offer indefinitely, Makro also continues to assist senior citizens during hard economic times.

Increasing petrol prices, lower take home pay and higher taxes on pension payments are just some of the factors pushing Makro to review their value proposition for a growing but sometimes financially stretched customer segment.

“We are constantly looking at how we can make our customers’ lives better by giving them flexibility and convenience,” explains Van Veijeren.

Senior citizens are important to us

The portion of elderly persons aged 60 and over grew from 7.6% to 9.1% in 2020, according to Stats SA, and Makro is wants to do more for these customers.

“Life expectancy is also estimated to increase within this consumer segment which is why we are putting down a clear strategy going forward to best serve their needs. For example, the discount is only available in-store and we need to consider what other value adds we can bring to the growing online shoppers in this demographic,” says Van Veijeren.

Makro has found that senior shoppers are looking for good deals on general merchandise and the habits of bulking up on essentials which were so common during lockdown has stayed with them.

How it works:

Those who qualify for the Makro mSenior card can sign up for a membership in-store. Customers can also take advantage of the express check out facilities at all Makro stores by simply showing their mSenior card to skip the checkout queue.