Since students struggle with finances, some local businesses offer discounts.

Mexican restaurants such as Los Portrillos and El Rancherito offer a 10 percent discount to students who show their Panther Card.

Panther cards can be a discount ticket at other places as well such as QQ Buffet, Family Buffet, Papa John’s and Borics Haircare.

Many students are aware of the lack of discounts in Charleston including Cara Fumagalli, a senior communication studies major.

“I always know to use my Panther Card at Los Portillos for the discount, but I don’t really know of any other places in town where you can do that,” said Fumagalli.

Some of the other places Fumagalli is talking about include Walmart, which does not offer a student discount; however, panther cards can be used there as a debit card.

Buffalo Wild Wings, Steak ‘n Shake, Stadium Grill and Cody’s Roadhouse, which are all located in Mattoon, do not offer student discounts.

Stadium Grill and Cody’s Roadhouse say they do not offer discounts because their target customers are families, rather than a group of students.

The same goes for Roc’s Blackfront, Pagliai’s, Monical’s and Jerry’s Pizza, T Garden Thai, and Jimmy John’s.

“We just use coupons. Set discounts don’t work as well for us,” said Larry Teck, owner of Jerry’s Pizza.

Charleston’s newest establishment, Planet Weiner, does not offer a student discount at this time, but they say it is not something they are ruling out for the future.

Other than restaurants, stores such as Positively Fourth Street Records, Dollar Tree and Hibbett Sports do not offer student deals either.

Brittany Mooney, a senior marketing major, is also surprised about lack of discounts for students.

“I personally think they want to give more student discounts. However, with the economy being so low, they are also struggling and are not able to afford to give discounts to students,” said Mooney.

Meredith Mueller can be reached at 581-7942

or [email protected].