Dillon McCormick, an air force veteran, had been supporting himself by pushing carts in Louisiana’s triple-digit temperatures

Thousands of people have donated about a quarter of a million dollars to a 90-year-old US air force veteran who has been financially supporting himself by pushing shopping carts at a grocery store in sweltering Louisiana – and now has the option of retiring if he wants thanks to the strangers’ generosity.

The story centers on Dillon McCormick, who is among a growing number of Americans to extend their working careers well past the average retirement age as the cost of living in the US has soared and most employees’ wages have stagnated over the years, preventing many from being able to save.

  • Pirky@lemmy.world
    26·
    7 months ago

    I pushed carts at a big box store for a year in my 20’s. Fucking sucked. In an 8 hour shift you could easily walk 20,000+ steps and walk over 10 miles (GPS verified). And you do it no matter the weather. Pouring rain? Out there. Sweltering heat? Out there. -5F and 6" of snow? Out there.
    This work can be brutal, even for a young healthy person, let alone a 90 year old vet.
    The worst part? I was paid the exact same wage as the cashiers who stayed inside the entire time. About $10/hr on average in 2017.

    • Crismus@lemmy.world
      9·
      7 months ago

      I had my first minor heart attack pushing carts in the snow for Toys R US at 16. That was a brutal job for $4.75 an hour in 97.

    • Hasherm0n@lemmy.world
      3·
      7 months ago

      I worked at a grocery store in 2003 in California for a short time. I joined just after a major strike had ended. As always, the company was pushing for lower wages and benefits, the union wanted higher. They came to an agreement with a two tiered system, tenured employees got to stick with a pay scale and benefits slightly better than what they’d had before.

      New employees got fucked.

      A couple months in I was promoted to cashier from bagger and got to see the two tiers. I was starting at $18 per hour, the original tier started at more than double that and went up pretty high.

      Not really related to your comment, but I’m a little drunk after a rough day and seeing those amounts just really fucking pisses me off. My numbers are not adjusted for inflation and wages have gone down for the job I did in the last 20 years. It’s fucking maddening.