Every Business Could Use a Granfluencer

At a Trader Joe’s store on Manhattan’s upper east side, staff members shepherd the snaking checkout line as shoppers snap up last-minute cookies, gnocchi and organic balsamic vinegar. What stands out this spring day is that above the store’s signature Hawaiian shirts, there’s a lot of grey hair.

Before the pandemic, retail and fast-food industries were embracing older workers. Chains such as McDonald’s Corp. were actively trying to recruit more seniors. But over the past two years, many of those in their late 60s and 70s have left the workforce and not returned. In a tight job market, where retailers and restaurants are short of everyone from cashiers to delivery drivers, this demographic represents a vastly underutilized pool of labor.