Bay Area College Students Helping Seniors Get Better Deals with Mon Ami
Seniors Overpay for Holiday Gifts
PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Only 34% of seniors plan to take advantage of Black Friday deals, the lowest percentage of all major demographics, according to a recent study by Deloitte. This season, Bay Area startup Mon Ami is enlisting the help of shopping-savvy millennials to close the gap between seniors and holiday deals.
"Holiday shopping, especially at high traffic times like Black Friday when stores are crowded, can be a particular challenge for seniors," according to Madeline Dangerfield-Cha, co-founder of Mon Ami. "Many feel less independent and miss the times when they were able to do more for others, including getting gifts for their loved ones."
Mon Ami matches Bay Area seniors with college students to live more fully, including identifying the hot seasonal gifts their grandchildren and helping them with shopping, wrapping and sending. These once simple tasks become more difficult over time.
"It's gotten hard for me to handle and wrap gifts," according to Bill Corcoran of Woodside CA, who describes himself as 101 years young. "My gifts will actually be a surprise this year because I've got Rachel's help."
He is referring to Rachel Anders, a Stanford student who chose to work with Mon Ami so she can help seniors like Bill as she earns extra money for her own holiday shopping. "I can't think of a better part-time job," she explained. "I love spending time with Bill and want his holidays to be great."
Mon Ami companions are helping seniors with other holiday-related experiences including decorating Christmas trees, sending cards and preparing signature dishes to share at family gatherings.
"We are so grateful for the opportunity to enhance the lives of seniors to reduce the epidemic of loneliness so negatively correlated to good health," said Joy Zhang, co-founder of Mon Ami. "We believe that intergenerational friendships are a gift that keeps giving."
About Mon Ami:
Mon Ami carefully matches seniors with amazing college students who empower and inspire them to get the most out of life by helping with daily tasks, activities and companionship. Mon Ami is founded on the belief that intergenerational relationships are an antidote to trends of loneliness and isolation among both millennials and seniors and the basis for stronger, more vibrant communities. Learn more: https://www.monami.io/.
Contact:
Kathleen Kusek
(415) 850-0256
[email protected]
SOURCE Mon Ami
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