So I had every intention of just 'running in' to Publix yesterday for a few things when I was quickly stopped by the 'sample guy'. I wasn't interested in what he had to offer, some gooey pie that didn't involve chocolate so it was quickly deemed as a waste of my time. However, I knew this man. He usually works in the deli. I wondered if he got a promotion to the sample cart and wanted to know more.

I decided to act interested and struck up a conversation. I wanted to know why he worked at Publix. He didn't look the part. His coworkers seemed to be high school or college kids or 30-40 somethings wearing suits and ties and were obviously management.

To my surprise, this man had 30+ years of experience with a household named Fortune 500 company before being laid off at the age of 54. With a nice severance package and benefits for life, he felt convicted in his decision to take a job at the local grocery store. He did however, try to find another position in corporate america. He went on to say that recruiters aren't high on hiring 50+ people simply because they cost too much, need too much technology training and won't be there very long with retirement age looming. He went on interview after interview. He was qualified for every one of them. But was repeatedly told that 'another candidate was chosen'. After being let down over and over, he thought long and hard about how he could utilize his people skills, negotiation skills, sales skills, presentation skills-and it quickly dawned on him. The grocery store.

When he went in and applied, he was fully prepared to answer the obvious question. Why someone as young as him (not retirement age) was applying for a job? He thought about having fun with them and telling the recruiter that he was independently wealthy or he's always aspired to work there but they didn't even allude to wanting know why. Instead, they asked him "how do you think you can contribute to our success'' and " where do you see yourself making a difference in the store" and "when can you start".

After a few months, he asked the recruiter "why did you hire me?" The recruiter quickly answered back, "because of your wealth of experience working with people, ability to sell and exceed expectations." The recruiter went on to say that she was happy she hired him because of his dependability and work ethic.

This man loves his job. It's clear as day. He knows he can provide his work experiences at a place that nurtures career pathing and personal goals. They are open to his ideas. He has more experience managing people and businesses than the General Manager of the store. He's the secret weapon, even if he is only working the sample cart. He says it's an easy sale because people don't just come into a grocery store to peruse around, you know they are there to buy something but it's his job to help them make a smart purchase.

There's a message here. If 50+ candidates are actually being discriminating against, then it seems that companies are only selling themselves short. Even if this 54 year old man was hired into another organization and stayed for only 8 years until he retired, that would be 8 years of a quality employee contributing to success.

Seems like the retail industry is reaping the benefits of this trend. With companies like The Home Depot, Lowe's, Publix, Winn-Dixie and other stores across America just like them obviously taking advantage of these candidates, I am curious to know how it's impacted their bottom line. I'll be honest, when I walk into The Home Depot and I want to know where something is, I will ask anyone who's around. But if I want advice on something I'll target my question to a 50+ employee. There's a comfort in knowing that this individual has lived life, probably already completed the project I'm about to do and can offer answers to life's simplest questions.

These individuals can relate. It's a skill that you can't put a price on but only capitalize from it.