Students are not providing much business in Abilene proportional to the rest of the population. Some businesses say student discounts would not be worth the money or time. This is mostly because of the low turnout of college students and the rising costs of production in profitable businesses.
Students are only minimally aware of the discounts offered.
If students knew about more discounts, many say they would go to the places that offer discounts more often, providing more business and more profits. Most businesses in Abilene offer coupons and discount specials instead of a flat-rate college discount. They strive to keep prices as low as possible and distribute 10 percent of their earnings to general discounts. Several restaurants give flat-rate discounts only to college seniors. College seniors get many more discounts than the average college student in Abilene.