Lively Tom ,69,skates for Tesco
He gets paid for putting on his roller skates
Tom Hopperton is one of 1200 over-65s working for the supermarket, Tesco. He’s been working there for 15 months. Before that he was a plumber for thirty years.
Tom skates about 5 miles a day around the store fetching things for customers who realize that they’ve forgotten something only when they’ve reached the checkout till. He earns $4.50 an hour.
‘I just love the job. I help the customers so they’re usually very nice to me. I’ve always liked meeting people .And I keeps me fit.I can’t sit at home doing nothing.I’d just die.I have to keep busy.Time goes really quickly.
Tesco’s made the decision toemply people of all ages.It sees the advantages of older worker who aremore calm and authoritatives when they are dealing with customers.
“ When I saw this job advertised , I did not believe they’d give it to me,” says Tom. “ I went in to see them because I thought they would be put off by my age if I just phoned . I wanted them to see that I am very lively for my age.”