Meet the 93-year-old grocery store worker who loves his job — and has no plans to stop

John Shipton starts enactment 3 days a week astatine 8 a.m. connected the checkouts astatine a supermarket successful Exeter, southwest England. He's nary antithetic from his colleagues — apart from being 93 years old.

"It's truthful overmuch fun. I've got beauteous customers," helium told Business Insider. "I deliberation I'll bent astir a spot — I won't dash disconnected astatine 95."

Shipton started moving astatine Waitrose, an upmarket British supermarket chain, connected a three-month declaration successful 2011 earlier being offered a imperishable role.

"Every week the aforesaid customers are coming backmost clip and clip again," helium said. "They're great, I emotion them."

"I don't consciousness similar it's enactment — it's much similar play, to beryllium honest."

He described Waitrose arsenic an unthinkable employer. Shipton said erstwhile he'd lone been moving astatine the store for astir 4 years, helium broke his hep portion gardening but was fixed 3 months paid permission to recover.

"And erstwhile I went back, they made definite that I had everything I needed to marque beingness casual for me," helium said.

John Shipton, 93, works astatine Waitrose successful the UK. JLP

Shipton decided to use for the supermarket occupation aft speechmaking a publication by John Spedan Lewis, who established the John Lewis Partnership, which owns Waitrose on with the John Lewis section store chain. It's the UK's largest employee-owned business and each unit person a involvement successful the business.

"I figured this antheral was going to beryllium bully to enactment for," helium said. "I figured, though helium died, his concern was inactive running, and it was moving arsenic they organized it."

Shipton said he'd antecedently worked astatine different supermarket for six years but wasn't wholly blessed there.

His career spanned a scope of industries. He worked successful electronics, arsenic a attraction controller for his metropolis assembly and connected a freelance ground arsenic a machine programmer, and repairing antique furniture.

Shipton attended assemblage for 2 years but decided it wasn't for him.

"They weren't teaching maine what I wanted to know," helium said, truthful helium decided to articulation the army.

"I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I could spot that erstwhile I got to the property of 45 I was going to go grown out," helium said.

Shipton past worked successful income and selling for large electronics companies. "I've ever wanted to bash something."

'Curious astir the world'

Shipton said helium was "at a loss" for astir a twelvemonth erstwhile his wife, Julia Marise, died successful 2021, followed by his feline a twelvemonth later.

"Then I thought, 'right, I'll instrumentality connected immoderate Ukrainian refugees,'" helium said.

Shipton said helium spent his schoolhouse days with Jewish refugees aft World War II.

"There was a batch of accusation astir Auschwitz and truthful on, which made maine think, you know, however tin radical commencement a warfare and dainty radical truthful badly?" helium said. When Russia invaded Ukraine successful 2022, Shipton felt helium had to bash thing to help.

He wrote to the president of John Lewis to assistance Oksana get a occupation with the retailer. Her son, Illia, is successful his last twelvemonth of schoolhouse and owed to spell to assemblage adjacent year.

"They're fabulous people," helium said. "I mightiness person cooked 3 dinners successful the past 3 years."

Shipton said helium and Illia person bonded implicit their shared involvement successful math. "I'm precise funny successful anti-matter and I'm studying that astatine the moment."

No status plans

The 93-year-old besides regularly paints and reads. "I effort and larn connected a regular ground almost. I'm funny astir the world. I'm funny astir people."

Shipton said he's ne'er retired — and has nary plans to bash so: "I conscionable bask working. As I say, it's not work, it's play."

A fewer months agone Shipton said helium was reasoning of moving until 95, but has decided to proceed adjacent longer. "My beingness is precise full."