Sign of the Times

**Contrary Housewife** · 12-11-2009, 11:24 AM

I've read that a lot of employers would rather have the older workers because they are more responsible and have a better work ethic than a teenager. A lot of fast food places started hiring elderly/retired folks back in the 90s because of this. Grandpa needed the extra income, and would show up on time and not screw up orders.

**lottaLove** · 12-11-2009, 03:50 PM

I have a friend who is an assistant manager at a Tim Hortons store (think Dunkin Donuts). She said when she is doing hiring, she would rather take someone who is older anyday because they tend to need every penny, and will be more responsible. They won't call in sick to go party or show up late. They won't be rude to customers because they don't care. Its sad for all the responsible teenagers who are trying to get some kind of work experience for their resume.

**pollypurebred39** · 12-11-2009, 05:09 PM

It's hard to imagine a generation of kids that are so used to having the lastest and greatest gadgets, shopping at exclusive clothing stores, and eating out all the time of a sudden having to down scale their lifes, forget about their wants. If they are starting jobs where the best they can ever hope for is to reach an end goal of $30,000 a year and the cost of living continues to rise, There's going to be some real problems.

Heck, I'm an adult who did not grow up like that. I've always embraced frugality, however since my husband's been under employeed for over 2 years now (making less then 10% what he used to bring home) I'm finding it tough some days to keep a stiff upper lip. I just can't not see this next up coming generation accepting their lot in life with grace. I think there will be an upsurge in multi generational households, these kids are not going to let go of their prefered lifestyle if they don't have too, and given that their parents jobs may have been outsourced or vanished due to recession, they just may need them to stay on.

I'm not saying don't teach our kids how to be frugal, I'm saying that there is a huge amount of people out there who were never frugal, so their kids are not frugal. What's that going to look like? I had an ex-roomate who was a total nightmare. She grew up in a world where she was given the best of everything, and did not know how to or have the desire to scale down her life. She lived her life scamming everyone so she could have the best of everything. She never paid for sitters, every week or 2 her kids had a new sitter, she had food stamps but had a deal with the seafood manager of our local store to give her giant boxes of lobster tail and shrimp for just $5 a box, she had huge birthday parties for her sons by calling the stores and giving them a sob story, she end up with not only cake and ice cream but platters of food, balloons, streamers, paper goods, and every party had free entertainment. She call a local party entertainer and give a sob story and they'd do the party for free. She had illeagal hook ups for the phone, water, cable and electric. She received stolen goods, traded stolen goods. She had scams and cons going all over the place. She refused to let that lifestyle go and her under the table bartending job did not bring in enough cash. I later learned that she never pays for rent either, just first and last months then nothing. Thank God our landlord knew she was a real shark and kindly took my name off the lease so I would not be responsible for her back rent. Not everyone has a moral code they live by, she sure didn't. I feel for all the landlords, shopkeepers, churches out there, these people are out there waiting to pounce.

**NikoSan999** · 12-15-2009, 12:18 AM

Here most all Walmart workers are over Medicare age. They work up until they have reached the limit before SS starts taking back money then they are taken off the schedule until new year starts...then put back on. Our store even kept track for them. This is by the employees request.

If they are on Medicare Walmart does not have to get involved with paying even a portion of their insurance. It cuts their cost dramatically.

I'm sure there are other places that do the same.

**frugal-fannie** · 12-15-2009, 08:16 AM

Also heard that the supposed health care bill has a ceiling of 58k for a family and then they have to start paying on top of the being taxed 4 years ahead of time before it even becomes effective. Deficit neutral my a--. Young people will also have to have mandatory health insurance or be fined and even Jail. Don't know what this government is thinking. Just get torte reform and let people purchase across state lines, instead of burdening our kids with such a tax burden. Got distracted, our greeters are about 100 or handicapped. We have a lot of hispanic workers even and not many asians even though our town is 80% asian.

**Trishagirl** · 12-15-2009, 08:22 AM

I have noticed the same thing alot of older people being cashiers at walmart. We have one lady she must be 80 a grandma for sure!

**jamie79** · 12-15-2009, 09:52 AM

Our WM has a mix of ages from kids who go to school with yds to the doorgreeter who is 94!!! yes she is.
Yds has had a job at the DQ for over a yr and a half and we live in a small town of 10,000

**YankeeMom** · 12-15-2009, 11:52 AM

It took my dd a year and a half to find a job. She applied at every fast food joint and what few retail places that would hire under 18yos (she's 17). Eventually she just volunteered at the SPCA for something to do in her spare time and to have something to put on an application as far as experience. She finally got a job this fall working at BK part-time.

It's a difficult time for teens/college students who want or need to work.

**monkeywrangler71** · 12-15-2009, 12:30 PM

When I was in my early twenties the unemployment rate for my age group was 25%. That's the official unemployment, meaning people still in the system actively seeking work. That didn't include teenagers, that didn't include welfare recipients, that didn't include fulltime students. There were no jobs at McDonald's, they went to friends or family of current employees. No one dared to advertise a vacant position because they would receive a thousand applications. There was no work for young people. None.

After it was over, some of us might have been lost for awhile, but we certainly weren't doomed to a lifetime of poverty. Probably the opposite, most people kept upping their skills and education and learned how to really sell themselves on a resume. I think anyone who went through that period at the beginning of their career probably came out better equipped for success than most people.