An 88-year-old worked 5 days a week at a supermarket. Then strangers raised almost $2 million so he could finally retire.

"In a video shared to Weidenhofer's social media accounts, Bambas said he's an 88-year-old veteran who works at the supermarket five days a week, eight hours a day. Bambas said he retired from General Motors in 1999, but lost his pension after the company went bankrupt in 2009. Bambas told Weidenhofer that his wife, who died seven years ago, had been sick around the time his pension stopped. Without his pension, Bambas had to re-enter the workforce."

"Nearly 550,000 Americans 80 and older are still working, according to 2023 US Census data. As part of Business Insider's "80 over 80" series, reporters interviewed nearly 200 workers over 80 - in addition to conducting surveys and receiving emails - in an effort to understand why. While some older Americans are driven by a personal desire to work, others take on jobs to combat financial insecurity."

An 88-year-old veteran named Ed Bambas works five days a week at a Detroit supermarket after losing a General Motors pension when the company went bankrupt in 2009 and after his wife became ill and later died. Content creator Samuel Weidenhofer, who has a large social media following, launched a GoFundMe with a $1 million goal; more than 65,000 donors contributed nearly $2 million in under a week. Nearly 550,000 Americans aged 80 and older remain employed. Interviews and surveys with workers over 80 identify motivations including personal fulfillment and the need to supplement Social Security and other retirement payments.

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