Despite living in the richest country in the world, many Americans over 65 don’t have nearly enough money for retirement. Here’s yet another tragic example of a senior citizen forced to remain in the workforce well beyond their prime: This 78-year-old man can’t afford to quit his job at Hot Topic.
So sad. This man should be spending his golden years with his grandchildren, not selling The Nightmare Before Christmas-themed hosiery.
Harrison Powell has worked hard his entire life, but with the hourly pay for a Sales Associate at the Oakwood Mall Hot Topic in Eau Claire, WI being only 30 cents an hour over minimum wage, he’s never had much money left over to contribute to a Roth IRA. Plus, his job doesn’t offer retirement benefits to employees under management level, and Harrison hasn’t been in the running for any promotions due to the ageist assumption that, at 78 years old, he is out of touch with the shopping habits of 12-to-24-year-old mainstream-alternative kids. Making matters worse, the store’s generous 40% off employee discount has tempted Harrison to stock up on all sorts of skull hoodies, studded belts, and Sleep Token records that he really can’t afford.
Thanks to our lackluster retirement system, while Harrison’s peers are out playing golf and taking their grandchildren to the zoo, he’s slaving away at the mall listening to Pierce the Veil at an ear-splitting volume and occasionally unlocking the body jewelry display for a customer to show them a navel ring. His arthritis-riddled knees throb after every four-hour shift on Hot Topic’s concrete floor, and his back aches from bending over to restock the combat boots, all for wages that barely cover his daily lunch at Sbarro.
Absolutely awful. This man devoted his life to Hot Topic, and this is how they repay him?
It may be easy to blame people like Harrison for choosing a “cool” career like working at Hot Topic over a “square” one with a more solid benefits package and salary, but doesn’t every senior deserve the dignity of being able to retire before they’re 50 years older than all of their coworkers? This is not okay.
