The Perks of Unemployment

by Josie Raymond · 2010-01-26 10:54:00 UTC
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For some very small, very lucky contingent of the unemployed, proof of unemployment has become something of a "get in free" ticket as businesses across the country offer gratis services to victims of the recession. Granted, no one who's unemployed is crisscrossing the country in a private jet picking up hockey tickets here, getting a haircut there -- but when proprietors open their doors to those unable to pay, they're helping not just an individual and a community, but their long-term bottom line.

Each relationship established with an unemployed person is an opportunity for referrals to employed friends, or fond memories and intentions of repeat (paying) visits when the person is back in the workforce (not to mention kind stories in the media, such as this). It's just a shame these services can't be subsidized rather than provided on an ad hoc basis by business owners with hearts of gold and keen marketing managers. While it makes perfect sense that job-seekers will be met with more success if they've had a professional haircut, salon gift certificates just aren't handed out with food stamps.

Here are just some of the perks of unemployment (that's an oxymoron, right?) offered in recent months: In Brookline, Massachusetts, a theater is offering unemployed people free matinee movie tickets. A jewelry store in Olive Branch, Mississippi last year gave away cubic zirconia necklaces just in time for Valentine's Day. A Jacksonville jewelry store made a similar offer for Mother's Day and saw lines wrapped around the block for days. A gym in Durham, North Carolina lets the unemployed work out for free. The same thing happened at the YMCA in Lafayette, Indiana. The unemployed in Boulder, Colorado can get free haircuts and there are free car repairs in Massillon, Ohio. The Grand Rapids Griffins hockey team donated 1,000 tickets for people out of work. The newspaper is Lawrence, Kansas is offering subscriptions for $1, which should help people find those help wanted ads. Pfizer has instituted a program to provide a full year's worth of Viagra (and other drugs) to people without jobs or insurance. And the pièce de résistance: a medspa in Arlington, Virginia gave 50 unemployed and image-conscious individuals free Botox injections last summer. If one is confidently wrinkle-free, the thinking goes, she will be able to nail that job interview -- but not able to frown when told the position doesn't offer insurance.

Photo credit: myoldpostcards

Josie Raymond has reported from the streets of the South Bronx, written for several magazines that folded (not her fault) and fixed thousands of typos.
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