Here's something that happened soon after my Husband dropped the bomb that he had quit his job. I saw this sign at a certain specialty Grocery Store, "Now accepting applications for all positions," so I filled out an application. Since it is my favorite grocery store, I figured since I need a job and I am spending a great deal of our grocery budget there, I might as well try and get the 10 percent employee discount. They had hired a lot of young summer help. I knew I didn't have tattoos and piercings, but felt it would sure be humiliating if they didn't give me a callback!
Three weeks later, after calling several times and always getting the same answer that they were "still looking over the applications," I went in and tracked down a manager, who told me they get about 50 apps a week and process 10, and that they had already hired 5 of 6 positions. Looking me over, he added they were looking for people who "rock" and who would be a "good fit." Since all the new hires are at least half my age with tattoos and piercings, my guess was that they would not consider me a "good fit." (It was sweet, when I told my husband about it he said, "Well, Honey, I think you rock!")
The manager-boy suggested I try the other store in town, with the unspoken implication that they may have different hiring standards, but having shopped at both locations for years I can tell you the only over-30 people working there were hired previously. All the new hires at both locations were kids. Is this just a summer thing, or was it an upper management decision on the direction they want to take their company? I considered writing to corporate (this company does not have a public email address -- I know from when I wanted to tell them to stop introducing products that contain partially hydrogenated facts, as it does not fit their image or help the consumers), but they would never admit to such a policy, so why waste the time? It is supposed to be illegal to discriminate against age in hiring, but there you have it. Call it something else, like looking for employees who "rock," and it can't be proved.
