Students to save at local businesses, courtesy of USG

Students worried about shrinking wallets can breathe a little easier. Starting Monday, the Undergraduate Student Government is unveiling the new Student Savers Club, a discount service that will help USC students save at many restaurants, shops and salons across Los Angeles if they show their USC ID.

USG worked with the Student Savings Club, a service available to universities across the country, to negotiate with local businesses to compile a list of student discounts. USG will have to pay $1,700 to Student Savings Club every year they use the service, but the funds will come out of USG’s budget and will not cost students additional money, said Paige Hill, director of communications for USG.

Hill said USG thinks the program is worth the price.

“I think it’s really cool,” she said. “A lot of the places we’re offering discounts at are something all students can use … stuff that I ate yesterday I could have saved money on. It’s very practical, especially right now in this economy.”

Local businesses are also excited about the partnership.

“I think more than anything it’s going to bring us closer to that whole student body — get them in here and familiarize them with the venue and what we have to offer them,” said Timothy Whiteman, marketing manager for ESPN Zone at LA LIVE, where students can receive a 10 percent discount if they show their IDs.

But other stores said they’re not expecting the Student Savers Club to be an economic boom.

“I think the discount will definitely help,” said Tina Plescia, the store manager for Lawry’s Carvery. “But I think just having more promotional ads or something would be beneficial to the location.”

Other discounts include 10 percent discounts at Kinko’s, Fatburger and Cold Stone Creamery; a buy one get one free deal at New Zealand Natural; and a complimentary birthday dinner at Zip Fusion.

The only expected kink, according to USG President Holden Slusher, is making sure businesses are giving students their discounts. Students will be able to report any problems they have with businesses on the USG website.

Students, however, still need to read the fine print, as some businesses have restrictions on the purchases that can be made using the discount.

“The 5 percent [discount] is normally not for all transactions, just certain items,” said Maria Verjan, manager of Office Depot on Figueroa Street.

While some venues, such as Robek’s, will offer a straight discount, other stores have caveats, such as Bronze Body’s 5 percent discount — offered only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Slusher explained that such restrictions were the inevitable result of negotiations between businesses and the Student Savings Club.

Although the program is just starting, USG is already looking ahead. Slusher said he hopes to run the Student Savers Club independently next year, to avoid paying the $1,700 fee to Student Savings Clubs. He noted, however, that using the Student Savings Club helped the program get off the ground.

“It would have taken a full year to put together a program like this, rather than things happening right now,” Slusher said. “The Senators were excited about getting a student-run one next year, so we don’t have to keep paying the annual fee.”