Man saving ‘hundreds of pounds’ using fake Ginger Discount card
Believe it or not, being ginger can be a blessing, not a curse
Richard “Fuzz” Macrae was given a fake Ginger Discount card four years ago as a birthday present.
But the joke’s on bars and retailers all over the city who actually accept Fuzz’s card.
The comic book illustrator thinks his discount card has flipped the “because you’re ginger” stigma on itself: “People have always given me stick for my hair colour, but now I’m going out three nights a week and saving a fortune.”
And Fuzz’s strawberry blonde locks and card have saved him “hundreds of pounds over the years” on food, drinks and taxis.
The ginger said: “It comes out with me more than my bank card.”
Fuzz, who said he wasn’t merely a self-defining ginger, but “THE self defining ginger”.
The 30 year old has even used his card to get into clubs: “I’ve used it as ID, and it’s worked.
“My reputation precedes me, once I was asked by a security guard if I was the ‘Ginger Discount Guy’.”
And his tactics are very simple: “I ask if they do the ginger discount, and when they look confused I slide across my card. They always say yes”
It’s even helped him pick up women: “She said she wasn’t interested, so I showed her my card. That was an easy in.
“That’s the one time I used the card on girls, but I drink a lot. It’s the closest thing to a Makro card I have.”
And the card also caught the eyes of some of Aberdeen’s more notorious strippers: “I was in Private Eyes 2 and of course one of the dancers came over.
“She was interested in anything I had to say to get money out of me.
“So I asked her: ‘What can I get with my discount?’
“She laughed, and I got a free dance.”
Fuzz’s love life has been hard: “I have been long competing to win over the hearts of Aberdeen, so far I’m losing.”
But his confidence in his card has had him whip it out on a date: “We were at Vue, I confidently handed the card over and it worked. We got free tickets to watch the film.”
And Fuzz’s friends are in awe of his success: “Only certain people can get a way with it and he’s one of them.”
He also said that many people have asked for similar cards but that “it’s for VIPs only right now.”
But with any luck, some day gingers up and down the country will profit from similar cards.
Photos from Doug Sim