Retired people taking jobs from people who could use them

[Ree]

This is a real pet peeve for me, because our store has a habit of hiring older, retired people to fill part time jobs at the store.

Currently, in our tool/hardware section, there is not one man under the age of 60. Not one of them will climb a ladder to get anything down, and none of them will lift anything over 10 lbs.

They call for help with everything.

In our plumbing section, it's almost the same story.

These people have worked for years, and are now collecting pensions, and there they are, filling jobs that could go to younger people who really don't have any other source of income.

We get all kinds of apps from younger people who could really use a job, but because we don't hire full time, they always look at the older, retired people who are only interested in a few hours a week.
Never mind that the young man or woman trying to keep a roof over their head, while they probably would prefer full time, could still earn a bit of money if they hired them.

I had written a referral note on the job app for a young single Mom who really needed a job. The father of the baby is a deadbeat.
Her only other option was to go on assistance and she didn't want to do that.

They were definitely hiring cashiers.

They never even looked at her app. Instead, they hired the wife of one of the old retired guys who already works in hardware. She's retired and on a pension too.

I do understand that some people don't have enough to live on when it comes to retirement age.
It just irks me that I see so many of these jobs filled by older retired people who just want to get out of the house.
Why don't they go volunteer or something?

[AdminAssistant]

Boomers. It's a shame that the Greatest Generation gave birth to the most selfish one.

[Seifer]

I don't mind older people taking jobs as long as they can actually do the job in question. I work with a few older employees who have a very hard time working the cash register and aren't able to stock because of their age. If you can't stock, can't work a cash register, and can't clean up around the store, then why the hell are you working here? Go work as a greeter at Wally World.

[bex1218]

One of the managers retired but then got rehired to be head of the liquor store.

I do understand that some people don't have enough to live on when it comes to retirement age.
It just irks me that I see so many of these jobs filled by older retired people who just want to get out of the house.
Why don't they go volunteer or something?

If they really don't need the money and want to get out of the house, there are plenty of places needing volunteers. And why would a place who needs strong people who can take a beating hire people who can barely walk? Cashiering is one thing but wow.

I should also add I know not every old person can't walk, but from what was described, thats sad.

[Ree]

Boomers. It's a shame that the Greatest Generation gave birth to the most selfish one.

I'm not really sure what you are saying here.

Are you implying I am selfish?

I'm sorry, but I think it's selfish of them to collect pensions and take up jobs while younger people are forced to go on assistance because they can't find a job.

I am not discriminating against older people either.

There is a woman in the store who is very close to retirement age, and she can work circles around all those old guys in hardware and plumbing.

She has no hesitation in grabbing a pump cart and moving huge, quite heavy skids of paint out to her department, and then unloading and stacking it all by herself.

Contrast that to some old fart who won't even climb up a few steps of a ladder to lift down a 25 lb shop vacuum.

[bara]

I'm not really sure what you are saying here.

Are you implying I am selfish?

I'm sorry, but I think it's selfish of them to collect pensions and take up jobs while younger people are forced to go on assistance because they can't find a job.

I dont think your being called selfish, I think hes calling the Boomer generation selfish for taking jobs.

I agree with Seifer. If you cant do that job, you shouldnt be trying to work it.

I dont mind making some exceptions for health and what not. But if you need to call me to do 80% of your work, then I should get 80% of your paycheck.

[Peppergirl]

I think she's referring to baby boomers. They are the post WW2 generation. Late 1940s, but also goes into the early 60s (post Korea)?

The 'Greatest Generation' refers to the Gen that lived through the stock market crash in the late 1920's and the Great Depression.

So, I think she's saying the Greatest Gen spawned the selfish Baby Boomer gen.

Not that I agree with that, necessarily - but I do believe that's what she's getting at.

[Ree]

Ah. Well I was born in 1960, so I am technically part of that generation, so I guess I misunderstood.

[bainsidhe]

When I read the title, I'll admit my hackles raised a bit and I did an eyeroll. Now that I've read the full post and understand what the company is doing, I am very . If you can't physically do the job, then I agree someone else should be hired who can. And cashiering isn't necessarily a physically easy job either. Working at MalMart put a great strain on my back, hands and arms because you were constantly pulling and lifting. A gallon of milk is no big deal, until you lift two hundred of them in a single shift. Plus massive packs of water, soda, etc etc.

And I don't buy the bit about retired folks being the only ones who want part time. I worked p/t evenings and weekends around my regular work schedule. A lot of others worked around school schedules and whatnot. Just as there are a lot of folks wanting FT hours, there are oh so many who want PT too.

[Lachrymose]

My father worked for 32 years in a steel plant.

When the department he worked in was closed and outsourced, he was forced to retire and take a very small pension.

He actually had to get a job delivering pizzas when he was 60 in order to support my mom and him.

[kiwi]

This happens in the boyfriends industry, the older guys who can retire then come back as an independent contractor and cherry pick their hours, locations and force the younger guys and their families to go to the middle of nowhere or work crazy hours to make their hours quota.

At my boyfriends fathers job they actually have an "old man alley" where 10 guys who are all retired but are still taking up a full time spot sit at a coffee shop all morning then go back to the office and push paper around their desks until they can go home. They can't physically do the work anymore so they kill time each week in a bigger city spot while people like my boyfriend have to work in the middle of nowhere.

I have no problem with seniority but I think once you retire at a full pension you should step aside and let the guys with families work in a yard with a full working crew so 8 guys arn't forced to do the work of 18 so you can get paid public funds to sit at timmies for 3 hours a day while the younger guys are scrambling to keep the power on.

[HYHYBT]

Didn't Wal-Mart get rid of its greeters?

[Ree]

He actually had to get a job delivering pizzas when he was 60 in order to support my mom and him.

Like I said, I realize there are exceptions, and I know there are some "older" people who have no choice but to go to work.

What I am talking about here, though, are retired people who have put in their years and are collecting full pensions, but are still working and taking a job from someone else who really could use it. In the cases I am talking about, they own their homes and have no mortgage. Their cars are paid off.
The job is just a hobby for them and a little extra spending money.

[Lachrymose]

Yeah, I was just throwing that out there, not arguing.

Though I am now reminded of an older woman that worked with me in Men's retail who was retired and worked just to be able to blow her money gambling at Atlantic City.

[AdminAssistant]

I think she's referring to baby boomers. They are the post WW2 generation. Late 1940s, but also goes into the early 60s (post Korea)?

Yes, that's what I was referring to.