Old people working

Yes - maybe it is the ingrained thing - that you are supposed to help your elders - them helping you (even though getting paid) seems to go against my morals.

Ben Franklin formally retired as a Philadelphia printer and publisher at the age of 40 and from then on only took positions that piqued his interest, many without pay. Then at the age of 75 signed the declaration of independence and became immersed in the radicalism of revolution (normally an occupation of those 50 years his junior).

Shuckuns, dys, I bet I have almost as many miles on me as you do.

Oh, pardon me. Folks are jumping on my back for saying people who couldn't handle their job wouldn't be in that job.

But, at a grocery checkout? Man, it would be so obvious. Imagine an old lady with six customers waiting while she's falling behind (and apart) at the cash register. She's turning red, sweating, SWEARING, maybe crying. That is someone who can't handle her job!

My husband works at a golfcourse. He used to be a marshall, a starter, but now that's all done by computer. So, the old guys and college kids wash carts, empty trash, drive that contraption picking up golfballs, etc. But, hey, it's the young kids who are found sitting in their cars talking on a cell phone. Nobody complains about them.

Why comment about the old ladies running cash registers? Haven't seen one falling apart, not able to do her job, yet. What they do is catch your eye and smile.

that made me laugh!

So what are your good defects? I don't think I detected any.

What - from your sofa, you sloth?

I think this was aimed at someone else. I did mention a man who worked in a grocery store after he retired. He became a bagger just to socialize with the customers and to meet new people.

You're welcome . . . my brother was trying to make the point at the time that they could afford the inexpensive stuff like pasta but they stole higher priced items, like meat.

I love this post.

Sympathetic and dismissive at the same time.

I particularly like the strategy of avoiding the line with the aged bagger.

Which bothers you the most:

That she will slow down your shopping chore?

or

That you will feel compelled to help her?

Don't get me wrong, I intend no criticisim.

If its the former then use your excellent solution - avoid her line. If it's the latter than I would counsel you to let her do her job. It's unlikely that your Supermarket is in the practice of exploiting old people. If they didn't think she could safely do the job they wouldn't have hired her. Aside from any humanitarian concerns, they have a financial motivation to avoid employee injuries.

It's unfortunate that every senior in America cannot retire as comfortably as they would like, and that social security alone cannot accomodate their needs or wants, but as many on this thread have pointed out, a lot of seniors work not because they have to but because they want to. In any case we can't afford to pay the SS benefits currently in place; there's virtually no chance that they will be increased.

Few young people give a lot of thought to retirement, and who can blame them. Unfortunately though, unless you are a public sector employee, traditional pensions have gone the way of dinosaurs, and even if they had not, the days of remaning with one employer for a life time have.

It drives me nuts when young people don't take full advantage of 401K plans offered by their employers. If the employer is matching contributions, and many do to one degree or another, there is no better investment. Where else can you get a consistent 25% 50% or even 100% return?

They should also contribute the max allowed beyond the employer contribution level due to the tax defferal feature of these plans.

They should then forget about them until they are ready to retire.

I convinced my son to enroll in the 401K plan at his job and he was amassing a nice nest egg. Unfortunately, the money was burning a hole in his brain and he cashed it out, and took a tax beating.

Youth is wasted on the young.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving (28.0 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 90Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.0g12%
Saturated Fat 3.0g15%
Cholesterol 30mg10%
Sodium 300mg13%
Total Carbohydrates 1.0g0%
Sugars 1.0g
Protein 3.0g
Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 2% • Iron 2%

This is bologna - that's why it made me laugh when you said "some OTHER form of protein"!!

it depends on their capacity to work,,

Of course, the age at which one may claim full Social Security benefits is rising. Anyone born in 1947 has to wait until age 66.

Actually I intended to post it that way in order to more likely get a response. The old lady bagger doesn't bother me really - it is more I feel bad and it doesn't seem an ideal job for her to bag and to lift heavy things. The only time I use the line she is in is when I buy just a couple of items and there are more people at the self checkout so the hurry thing isn't an issue. I usually use the self scanners when I shop and bag as I go along when doing a normal full shopping.

I heard this discussion on a radio and thought it would be interesting to hear how people feel about it. One caller did mention, he tries to avoid those lines because he doesn't want it to take longer.

66 isn't the age I'm referring to - I am referring to ollllddd or those that look like they are ready to fall apart.

I was just posting a current reality that hadn't been mentioned here in re; age and working.

Earlier in the thread, I posted something about a woman who retired but found herself bored and lonely, so she became a crossing guard. She finally had to quit that job because her legs could no longer move well.

Personally, I'm against most things mandated that infringe upon a person, like retirement. I'm glad they did away with it in Canada. That doesn't mean people shouldn't be evaluated on their performance, but I am sick of the govt getting into all your business. Why the hell shouldn't they work? Maybe the govts could come up with a solution to the age-old (no pun intended) problem of older people wanting to work and young people needing to work, like pairing them up. They could give tax incentives to businesses who did this.

There's a solution to every problem, so surely we can figure this one out.

It's also mandated here that you HAVE to start dipping into your RRSPs at a certain age (I think it's 70)... some people (former MIL) already had a nice pension and didn't need the money. Instead of not touching the RRSPs and them going to her kids (or whomever) when she dies, she has to use them and pay hefty taxes on them. That's just stupid. Basically, she gave her pension cheques back in taxes.

I'd really like to live somewhere where everything's not so damn regulated.

As far as the old lady bagger is concerned, if a person can and does do the job properly, they should be able to keep it, no matter the infirmity, age, etc. I see myself working forever, not because I need the money but because I really enjoy working. Of course, at 70, I won't be lugging buckets of water from a swamp; hopefully, I'll be doing something a little more fun

I suppose if a person still feels active, they may work if they wish. However, I don't understand the relatives of that poor lady, who had to go to the grocery store and drag her full bag slowly back home, just because there was nobody there to help her. What about relatives? Don't they feel responsible for their senior, who may get into trouble doing this on her own? Some seniors can hardly drag their own feet, not speaking about heavy stuff.

i also see many people also working in our old age.