Mexican elderly lose work as grocery baggers due to pandemic

Baggers over 60 had expected to return to stores last month as pandemic restrictions eased in Mexico City. But they found themselves without a job. Photo: Unsplash/Hector Lopez

The coronavirus pandemic and changing consumer habits threaten to put an end to a decades-old practice of allowing elderly people in Mexico to earn extra income as grocery store baggers.

Baggers over 60 had expected to return to stores last month as pandemic restrictions eased in Mexico City. But Walmart de Mexico, the country’s biggest retailer, announced this week that they wouldn’t be allowed back.