No Rocking Chairs for These Seniors
One of the oddities Canadians who spend winters in Florida notice is how grocery stores and Wal-Marts use old folk to bag groceries or help customers.
These people are invariably pensioners or retirees, eager to earn a little extra money and to keep busy to avoid boredom.
At the Winn-Dixie and Publix supermarkets, these old gaffers are invariably cheerful and pleasant, and seem to make the younger cashiers less irascible, and they certainly inspire customers to be more polite and thoughtful than they otherwise might be.
I haven’t a clue how much they earn, but it isn’t much and certainly is below the minimum wage. But the retirees throw themselves into their job with such enthusiasm that you feel they are the ones who benefit most from having something to do.
I guess retirement can be a drag if you have to lie around all day and have to fill time until nightfall or the evening news comes on. A few years ago I ran into an old army buddy who took retirement in Florida and was bagging groceries in Publix. He cheerfully loaded my purchases, then took time off to invite me to lunch. No embarrassment, just a curious pride in being useful again. I thought his was a wonderful attitude.
Compare that to a complaint a few years ago of many Floridians that Snowbirds coming down from Quebec were frequenting local food banks and picking up canned goods for their own consumption.
Editorials were written in newspapers explaining that food banks were intended for the homeless and the needy, not Canadians desirous of escaping the winter.
That irritation seems to have solved itself over the years.
But my friend Mike tells the story of one retiree who was a greeter at Wal-Mart, whom everyone liked but who just couldn’t seem to get to work on time.
Every day he was late. Sometimes five minutes late, other times ten or 15 minutes late. This presented problems for his boss, who really liked him, admired his attitude, appreciated that he worked diligently, was honest, was tidy, clean-shaven, sharp minded and a credit to both himself and the company.
He was also living testimony to the benefits of Wal-Mart’s “older persons are friendly” policy.
Finally the boss called him into the office for a talk. “Charlie,” he said, “your work is great, you do a bang-up job and we really appreciate you. But I’ve got to tell you, you coming in late so often is really bothersome. Can you do something about it?”
“Yes, boss, I know that’s a failing and I’m working on it,” said Charlie.
“Well, that’s good. You’re a team player and that’s what I like to hear. It’s odd, though, you coming in late. I know you were in the military. What did they say when you came in late there?”
They said ‘Good morning, general, can I get you a cup of coffee sir?’”
Possibly apocryphal, but one hopes not . . .