Bert Coker, 80, of Brandon, Fla., has worked as a deli clerk at Publix supermarket for 29 years. “The customers keep me going," she says.
Photos by Joshua Kessler

When the holiday season approaches, Linda Hansford knows exactly what she will be doing: The 55-year-old trades her regular part-time job at a nursing home to work in the seasonal gift shop at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in her hometown of Nashville, Tenn. She has returned for the past four years as much for the holiday spirit as for the 40 percent discount on gift shop items.

Out on the West Coast, Phil White had the same idea. After selling his men’s clothing store in Portland, Ore., nine years ago, White had plenty of time for golf, grandchildren and travel with his wife, Carol. But when the economy turned sour and with the holidays approaching, the 66-year-old decided to look at part-time work. He found the perfect fit: as a salesman at Patrick James, an upscale men’s clothing store. “It’s an opportunity to earn a little money and be able to buy gifts for family and friends,” White says. 

Judy Billodeau, 67, Sun City West, Ariz. Job: Price checker, Staples Hours: 40 a week Previous job: Owned her own business; bookkeeper Motivation: Bored with retirement How found job: Walked in and asked manager Bottom line: “Working keeps the body and mind active. The days are never the same.”

With unemployment soaring among all age groups—for seasonal jobs as well as full-time—Hansford and White were looking in the right place. For older workers, retail is friendly. Just ask Judy Billodeau, who decided to return to work 13 years ago. The then-54-year-old former small-business owner and bookkeeper and her husband had recently retired to Sun City West, Ariz., a retirement community near Phoenix, and she was getting “antsy,” as she puts it.

She looked for office jobs but didn’t exactly find open doors. “I couldn’t even get an application once they saw the address on my resumé,” she says. Then she walked into a local Staples, and the manager hired her on the spot. “The retail business doesn’t have a problem with age,” she says.

That’s confirmed by a study released in July by the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research organization. The report showed that retail employs more people over age 65 than any other industry. That translates into nearly 350,000 men and women working as salespersons or supervisors in the nation’s stores.

Even though many people nearing retirement talk about pursuing a significant second career after 65, or a so-called dream job, a lot of people wind up in difficult jobs that are not particularly interesting, says researcher Richard Johnson, a coauthor of the report. “Our study is a reality check on what’s really available for older people.”

A job in retail may well be a second career for many older workers. And in today’s gloomy economic landscape, this translates as good news for a segment of the population that wants—or needs—to work. A recent AARP study, “Retirement Security or Insecurity?,” showed that if the economy does not improve significantly, 65 percent of workers age 45 and older will delay their retirement.

Typical is Jack Schober, 68, of Dallas, who worked in the airline industry and then as a freelance consultant. “After a few lean months, I decided I needed a regular income,” he says. Now he’s happily employed selling books at Borders. Judy Mayron, 67, of Salt Lake City, has worked for more than two years at Chico’s, a women’s clothing store. “The money helps,” she says.

Francisco Cardoza, 74, New York Job: Greeter, CVS Hours: 40 a week Previous job: Owned printing business Motivation: Got bored playing golf How found job: Through NYC Department of Aging Bottom line: “I like helping customers find what they come in for.”

Health insurance is often cited as the second most important reason (after extra income) to be on a payroll. Many retailers don’t offer it, but if they do, it’s a big draw. Renée Ward runs Seniors­4Hire, an online job site. “One client told me, ‘I don’t care what the hourly pay is. My health care is costing me $30,000 a year,’ ” she says.

Boredom is another motivating factor. Bert Coker got her first job at 51, after being widowed, because she “wanted something to do.” Today, the 80-year-old works part time slicing turkey and dishing out potato salad in the deli department of Publix, a supermarket in Brandon, Fla.

For a variety of reasons, the retail industry hires a disproportionate number of older Americans. “There’s a huge demand for bodies in retail,” says Steven Sass, of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, and coauthor of Working Longer: The Solution to the Retirement Income Challenge (Brookings, 2008). “The workforce expands and contracts,” he says. “Stores need people when they need people.” Retail also offers part-time work and flexible hours, and often not a lot of training is needed.

But the work can be hard. In fact, the one drawback often expressed by older workers is the fatigue that comes from being on your feet for eight hours. “Initially I did have trouble standing all day,” admits Judy Mayron, “but then I got the right shoes and I guess my legs adjusted.”

Marc Freedman, CEO of Civic Ventures, a think tank on boomers and work, applauds the retail industry for being out in front in hiring older workers. “Other sectors should be inspired and challenged by what the retail sector is doing,” he says. “Millions of older people are interested in moving into health care, education and nonprofits. These sectors should be recruiting people and adapting jobs suited to them.” It’s in the absence of other sectors stepping up to the plate that the retail sector—by default—could well become the new norm for older workers, Freedman says.

Linda Hansford, 55, Nashville, Tenn. Job: Salesclerk, gift shop, Gaylord Opryland Resort. Works part time at a nursing home during the year, but at Opryland during the holiday season. Motivation: The holiday spirit—and discounts. Bottom line: "I like the people and I love the atmosphere."

And employers seem to appreciate their older workers. “Elder associates bring a wealth of life and experiences,” says Maria Brous, director of community relations at Publix Super Markets Inc. Francisco Cardoza, 74, speaks four languages, which comes in handy at the CVS near the United Nations in New York. Jack Schober is a voracious reader, which serves him well in his job at Borders.

The population is aging, and workers need to reflect the customer base, says Stephen Wing, director of workforce initiatives at CVS/Caremark. “Retail is a tough business,” he says, “but older workers not only see it as an opportunity, they enjoy the work. They’re dependable and they act as mentors to younger staff—and the enthusiasm of young people can revitalize older workers.”

For the most part, such coworkers accept their colleagues without comment, although one employee was outraged when his younger manager called him “Grandpa” over the PA system. (That manager is gone.) “People don’t think about your age unless you make them aware of it,” says Billodeau, who routinely climbs ladders and carries furniture as part of her job at Staples. “I’m not afraid to ask for help,” she says, “but I don’t ask for favors. I don’t plan on retiring until I can’t handle the job.”

Cathie Gandel is a freelance writer based in Bridgehampton, N.Y.