The lack of availability across all Dunedin supermarkets has been described as a "thorn in the side" by the president of a club for retirees, who says it is unfair for those who rely on the discounts.
It comes after the regional eligibility for the discount programme was labelled an example of "grey washing" by Age Concern chief executive Kevin Lamb yesterday, who said only the bare minimum was being done to support older people.
Dunedin pensioner Rob Donaldson said he used his SuperGold Card every Tuesday at Woolworths Andersons Bay to get a 5% discount on frozen meals.
The card, however, was not accepted at Woolworths Dunedin South, a source of annoyance for many SuperGold Card holders.
"A lot of people give the staff flack over not getting the gold card discount," Mr Donaldson said.
"Some people leave their trolleys and walk out.
"It's very annoying for customers to come in and not get a discount."
Dunedin 60 Plus Club president Moira Ingham said SuperGold discounts worked well, but should be available more widely.
A lot of its members were limited to shopping at supermarkets in the area they lived due to mobility issues.
"It's a bit of a thorn in the side, actually.
"When the conversation has come up, it's the first question: why can't all supermarkets offer it, and why can't they do it every single day instead of it being down to one day?"
A lot of people aged 65 and older had to watch what they were spending and relied on such discounts, Mrs Ingham said.
"It's unfair for them to have to sit down each day and think, ‘oh, where can I go here to save myself a few dollars?’."
Both the SuperGold and Woolworths websites list the SuperGold Tuesday promotion as available at the supermarket giant’s Dunedin Central, Andersons Bay and Mosgiel stores.
FreshChoice Roslyn and Green Island also offer the discount, although not on liquor products.
Foodstuffs does not offer SuperGold discounts at any of the co-operative’s locally owned South Island New World, Pak'nSave, Four Square or On the Spot stores.
Woolworths New Zealand director of retail Jason Stockill said the company understood the SuperGold discount programme was highly valued in the stores it was offered in, and would love to extend it to all of its supermarkets.
"However, this programme is costly, we do need to carefully balance this offer with our ongoing investment into lower prices, services and great shopping experiences for all our customers."
Woolworths did not have plans to extend the programme further, but was not ruling it out in the future, Mr Stockill said.
Several factors were considered when selecting which stores to include in the programme, including demand.
"Whilst we may not offer the discount in all Dunedin stores, we do offer it broadly across the country."
A Foodstuffs South Island spokesperson said they connected with their customers and provided everyday value in other ways, such as its New World Clubcard, while Pak'nSave remained committed to New Zealand’s lowest food prices.
"In addition, our local grocers know their communities best and have numerous initiatives they support, either directly or through contributions many of them make to the Foodstuffs South Island Community Trust."
In December, the trust gave $350,000 to 31 food-based community groups to help them support the communities they served — $89,050 of which went to organisations in the wider Otago region, the spokesperson said.
