Old People of Kelowna

[JollyGreenBully]

Now retired, when dealing with employees in various businesses, I often sense that any 'social respect' or 'presence' or 'relevance' -- can't put my finger on the right word -- is nearly gone. Younger people tend to look at us and treat us like we don't really matter anymore. Are there any other old timers here who experience that?

I'm not going to presume you do certain things but I think a lot of people have unrealistic expectations about how employees should be treating them. If you've genuinely been nice and not expected the world then I'm sorry you've had bad experiences. But it's clear just by walking into say a grocery store that some customers make ridiculous demands and then act offended when these demands aren't met....which then leads to bashing the young cashier or whomever for not showing respect to elders.

[lesliepaul]

Well, I am a senior by age now and the only thing making me feel "OLD" are my knees. I have said this many times on these forums.........."your young once but you can be immature your whole life". What I have been able to do was when I was young (teens and 20's) most of my friends were a year to three years older than me.........today I have no problem relating to young people (20's, 30's). The reason is that my interests when I was young are still my interests today...........cars.......of all kinds (have owned too many), music (Rock and Roll, Blues.......have seen every band going back to the 60's, 70's, 80's........sadly, not Zeppelin). Younger people (many that I have met) love the stories from my youth and at the same time I have learned a lot (still to this day) from them and their perspective of life and interests. Several of the most important people in our lives today are in their 30's (too hard to meet our age group in Kelowna without having to cave in to their way of thinking which too many times is just plain boring). I have never had a problem relating to people of ANY age if similar interests exist.

The rude "seniors" many complain about here I think are few and far between although I have had people 25 years older than me (in their 80's) talk to me like I was a child.........which in itself is quite funny. I do not understand why "boomer's are looked down at or blamed for all of the problems of the younger (youngest) generation. Just remember that the MOST IMPORTANT thing in too many young peoples lives (and many who cannot live without for even a minute) is the cell phone (computer) and what it has become today..............YES, A BOOMER INVENTED IT!

[Omnitheo]

I have to say I agree with whatwhat. I have worked in numerous retail and support positions and generally it is older individuals who are more likely to have a sense of entitlement. Everything should be cheaper for them. Everything should be done for free for them, everyone should bend over backward for them just because "I'm a senior!".

Now I'm not saying this is all people. Heck I've known a lot of older individuals whom I have great relations with and mutual respect for each other. But it's people like this, who are in their 60's and building their own computers or programming their new blue ray player that make me shake my head when the majority of older customers I would speak with would use the excuse that they were too old to do that. "I'm 60, you can't expect me to know how to set up a tv". Well yes I can because TVs have existed for 5 decades so you've had much more time to learn how to do so than I have. That said, it's certainly a skewed perspective in retail or support, simply because you are more likely to speak with people with problems from all age groups. And I've been sworn at and screamed at and belittled by all demographics, but the treatment I've received from some elders is just shameful.

What really cements people as being "old" in my mind though, what deciding factor determines if someone has earned the title of "old person" is the usage of the word Millenial.

Once you start talking about millenials, you've passed the point of no return.

Now let's all agree about how terrible post-millenials are with their Paw Patrol and Dino Trucks, and needing their food cut up for them.

[monroe]

Is there something particular you most especially like/dislike about Kelowna's 'Old People'?

'Old People' pet peeves...?

Left pedal : B R A K E

Right pedal : A C C E L E R A T O R

i would be happy if many could remember this.


My wife is British, she refers to seniors as OAP's.

[Bpeep]

I hate the blue tops telling a minimum wage cashier who just wants to see some respite from the never ending cranky lineup their life story and how hard it is to pee.
When they're done telling the helpless clerk about their grand daughters science fair, they ferret through their change purse muttering about having had a couple coppers in there last week.
I feel they're infringing on my time telling the clerk about my ability to burn a cd.
Nothing worse than peeps holding up the line.

[Barney Google]

I'm really shocked at the number of posters complaining about 'Old People' being rude and presenting as self entitled.

This is most enlightening.

I can't imagine being rude to a cashier.

I do get irritated at The Stupid Store, for varying reasons, but I've never been rude to a cashier there...

so I hardly EVER go in there. Maybe once or twice a year...just to remind myself why I don't go there.

I do get ticked at the cashiers and packing people at Crotchco because I find it extremely rude of them to talk to

each other about their personal lives while completely ignoring their customers like we are unintelligent bovine and

they are livestock handlers pushing the cattle through the processing pens.

That being said, I am never rude to them...being rude to rude is a waste of time.

I've also never witnessed the rude or self entitled behavior in cashier lines...not that it doesn't happen!!!

What I do see on occasion is what I view as a lonely "Older Person" wanting to chat with what might very well be

the only person they will talk to on that day. And yes, I've seen some fumble for change and get confused with the

debit machines...but now that I'm closer to being an "Older Person" than a young spry person, I guess I can relate a little.

[monroe]

Ive never had so much interaction with seniors as i have since we had our little guy.

Stick a 2yr old blonde haired blue eyed ferret in a room/mall with a bunch of OAP's and its a riot.

They are good for each other. He gets to play and the seniors get some entertainment.


I imagine a family without grandparents and kids could be a fairly boring place.

Our little one worships his Gido.

[mexi cali]

The old folks in my life when I was a tween/teen/young adult were interesting people who had interesting stories because they had led interesting lives. Just imagine the world changes someone who was born at the turn of the 20th century witnessed throughout their lives. The global conflicts. Automobiles, airplanes, and on and on. Endless.

The older folks of today, lets say 70 plus, seem different. Not so world impacted as their parents were but grew up in the last of the innocent age. The 40's and 50's were the cusp of what is now. Much of what we see as everyday ho hum was being speced out in those eras by people who were in the generation ahead of them.

Cell phones were very new in the mid to ate 80s and very expensive. CD players. Fax machines. PCs. There is a pattern there though. Information and sharing of information. Access. Access to people. Access to the world.

A lot of the mystery surrounding our world is not a mystery anymore. We all see and know far more than what our predecessors had the ability to know.

Those "old" people of today are a betwixt and between group, many of whom never grasped the onset of a world rushing to create and offer the latest and greatest technologies because they had the "cusp time" where that stuff was all science fiction.

Those who didn't embrace technology I think are intimidated by it and lament that they are surrounded by things they don't understand and they see as a threat to their own intelligence and worth.

It's a busy world we live in and everybody (almost) has their nose in a smart phone while ringing through their purchases at a self check out or while having their purchases scanned through a bar code reader (cashiers don't have to know nearly as much as they used to about a stores products) so quickly that they can't see if their on sale nectarines actually went through at the right price after which they have to pay with a debit card which requires the memorization of four to six digit numbers and every damn machine is different where some take the chip and some don't but how the heck are they supposed to know and when they leave, they get into cars that have more technology built into them than anyone could have imagined even twenty years ago so they can work their way home while fighting through the masses driving next to them who still have their noses in their smart phones, through multiple roundabouts (used to be only in Europe) to homes that likely don't have a PC because the damn things are complicated and expensive and who needs to get the news on the net when there are perfectly good newspapers still in print and on TV, which are so damned complicated and there are so many channels that a person just doesn't enjoy a little tube time anymore because you can't find the one show you realy like on A&E because you can't find A&E (whatever happened to the Rockford files anyway) so they can eventually go to bed tired and confused and loaded down with enough pharmaceuticals to make Manuel Noriega blush all so they can get up, do it all again without ever feeling like they know any more today than they did yesterday.

Who wouldn't be grumpy?

[Barney Google]

...

Who wouldn't be grumpy?

Hear, hear, Mexi Cali!

...exceptionally insightful and very articulately written.

Thank you!!!

[Smurf]

Good one Mexi. I have been trying to figure out something to write and am having a real problem trying to figure out how to explain my thoughts/feelings. I am one of the 1940's crowd. I remember when I was older and met my wife I used to love visiting her family and sitting with her grandfather for hours. He was a hundred years old when he died and that was unusual back then. I still think he might be the most interesting person I have ever met. Born in Scotland, stowed away on a boat to come to Canada. Ended up in Manitoba as a farmer. Never had a drivers licence. Actually walked from farm to Winnipeg about 344 km's on business. What he saw in his lifetime was amazing and he remembered it all until the last couple of years of his life. I have to agree the things, changes they saw were endless.

Where I might differ is the 40 to 50's crowd. We also saw a lot and were part of a tremendous number of changes. Our lives were much easier thanks to the generations before us, the same as yougner generations today. However I also feel that people of that generation had a lot of foresight, initiative and ideas, working hard to make the world what it is today, be that good or bad. A lot of mistakes were made along the way but think of where we would be now if we did not have all the things brought forth by that generation. Basically I am proud of everything our generation has done. I hope the generations that follow us can look back when they get older and see similar successes to what we have had.

The world is a wonderful place and there comes a time when one can hopefully sit back, look at their life as a success and enjoy the fruits of their efforts. When I look around now and see people at The Schubert center 80 to 90 years old enjoying
Tai Chi, dancing and whatever else they wish I believe it is great and they probably worked hard to be there. When I go south for the winter and see thousands of people in their 80's and even 90s enjoying the fruits of their labour I am happy for them. Many of these people started out with nothing, some took time out to fight in a world war before they even started their lives.
I truly respect them.

I hope all the younger generations today can realize what they, we, I suppose went through. I hope they continue to work as hard and progress as much into the new things that are beyond. And last but not least they should remember that with a bit of luck they will be where we are today, looking back at their past. Hopefully they can be happy and proud of what they have accomplished and appreciated for their contributions as hopefully we are.

[Barney Google]

...A lot of mistakes were made along the way but think of where we would be now if we did not have all the things brought forth by that generation. Basically I am proud of everything our generation has done. I hope the generations that follow us can look back when they get older and see similar successes to what we have had.

The world is a wonderful place and there comes a time when one can hopefully sit back, look at their life as a success and enjoy the fruits of their efforts. When I look around now and see people at The Schubert center 80 to 90 years old enjoying
Tai Chi, dancing and whatever else they wish I believe it is great and they probably worked hard to be there. When I go south for the winter and see thousands of people in their 80's and even 90s enjoying the fruits of their labour I am happy for them. Many of these people started out with nothing, some took time out to fight in a world war before they even started their lives.
I truly respect them.

I hope all the younger generations today can realize what they, we, I suppose went through. I hope they continue to work as hard and progress as much into the new things that are beyond. And last but not least they should remember that with a bit of luck they will be where we are today, looking back at their past. Hopefully they can be happy and proud of what they have accomplished and appreciated for their contributions as hopefully we are.

Well written, Smurf.

I have been reluctant to express very similar experiences and worry in doing so that I might offend someone and come off as some Ol' Fart 'schooling' or 'pontificating'. You and Mexi have both shared insights that I hope will allow others to understand where some of these 'grumpy' or 'difficult' Older People might be coming from.

Thank you, both!!!

[Smurf]

Believe me I know all about grumpy old people, grumpy middle aged people and grumpy young people. I started my life out serving public and didn't take long getting out of it. I ended up closing my working career owning a service station. If you dislike grumpy that is not a place to be the way gas prices go and everyone thinks you have some control. I just hope those people are having a bad day and don't have to live everyday like that. Old age and retirement have been good to me and I am enjoying it, even my new titanium hip works better than my old one. I actually hope all the young'uns on here end up as lucky as we are because like it or not they only have two choices and one is to grow old.

[hobbyguy]

That feeling of retail staff not caring varies a lot from store to store. I suspect that the good employers that care about their employees have staff that care about their jobs.

The old sayings about that are "you pay peanuts you get monkeys" and "you pay peanuts, you make monkeys".

[Barney Google]

A few weeks ago while walking through a parking lot on my way into a shop I passed two 'Older Person' Gentlemen. They were excitedly talking about what a 'good deal' they had gotten at the grocery store and the 'unbelievable' deal. Both these fellas were dressed fairly well and it appeared that grocery shopping might not be their first skill of expertise but they obviously figured they knew enough to know that they sure got 'one hellva deal'. They must have taken me as a kindred spirit cause they waved me on in to view their purchases. I had a few minutes to spare before my appointment so amusingly obliged. Using both hands one fella hefted a gynormous pork hind quarter out of his shopping cart and heaved it into the trunk of his car with a thud' That thing had to have weighed at least 35 lbs. Smiling ear to ear they both told me to go get one for myself cause they were 'selling like hot cakes' and I 'better get in there quick before they run out'. I looked at the price tag and indeed it was pretty enticing. The big ol' leg set Mr Chef-boy-r-dee back $35.00! I looked in the other fellas shopping cart and he proudly showed me that he had bought TWO!! I asked him how he was gonna cook it and he shrugged his shoulders. His partner then sauce-essly commented, "that's not my department, my wife does all the cookin". To which the other fella nodded in agreement. I'm thinkin to myself that a hunk of meat that size is needing a commercial oven to fit in but kept my yap shut and told them that indeed I had never seen such a good deal. I bid them good day and headed towards my appointment. One of the fellas called out to me, 'hey, aren't you gonna go get yourself one of these'.
I waved back and said, 'I raise my own pork but at that price it's hard deal to pass up but none the less, in my experience I know better and am passing.' They both shook their heads and flapped their hands at me for not following their lead and being a less than astute bargain hunter.

I chuckled to myself for a good part of the day over that encounter.
I had an niggling little inclination that when those fellas got home and presented their 'prizes' to their respective spouses, 'Look what I got for you to cook up, Martha' they just might not have gotten the exact reception they were expecting.

Sometimes taking the time to visit with folks for a few minutes will result in some refreshing entertainment.

[OldIslander]

We buy meat in bulk like this all the time at Costco. Fifteen minutes on the cutting board in the kitchen, and it's been reduced to several packages of meal sized portions. I wish I'd been there -- I would have grabbed one two...!

I enjoyed your story though -- one of the cool things about getting older is you get to act like a kid again, and nobody cares. The persons I identify most closely with these days, are my grandkids.