27-year-old told by 50-year-old employer that she's "too old" to work at a smoothie shop: 'I'm sure Leonardo DiCaprio would love this place'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Sep 23, 2025 2:00 PM EDT

Imagine being told you were too old to make smoothies for a living!

Regardless of whether or not we'd like to admit it, there are some professions in which age is an inevitable factor. Professional athletes and dancers are likely to understand the fear that comes with approaching one's thirties all too well. However, can someone please explain to me how working at a smoothie shop also falls into this category? I'll wait for a valid response.

In the meantime, let's pour one out for this 27-year-old, who recently found herself looking for a new job after two back-to-back disastrous experiences working for a cleaning services company and as an ophthalmologist's assistant. She decided that while she continues to look for a more long-term full-time position somewhere, she might as well pick up work at the new local smoothie shop in her neighborhood to make some temporary income. She saw that they were hiring and thought that given the difficulties of the contemporary job market, she wasn't in a position to say no to this seemingly easy opportunity. 

Let's just say that the interview did not exactly go as expected. When she met with her potential employer, who was a man in his fifties, she learned that she was no longer eligible for the position out of nowhere. This revelation came directly after he asked how old she was. She made the regrettable admission that she was 27 years old, even though no job candidates should ever be pressured into revealing their age. Regardless, she made that mistake and was turned away all of a sudden. 

Apparently, the author had not read on the job posting outside the store that the age range for the position was 18-25. Sounds pretty ridiculous to require a limit for throwing some fruit and vegetables into a blender. Clearly, the author is better off not working there. Despite her need for another job soon, there is no point working for a toxic employer with such a backwards perspective. 

As one might expect, several members of this online community expressed their sympathies to the author after such an unnecessarily upsetting job interview experience. So many folks have found themselves in similar situations in the workplace, where their youth seemed to play a greater factor in the minds of their employers than their actual abilities. Here's hoping this is a practice that continues to go out of style.

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  • To be honest, I'm still processing what just happened. For 5 years, I've been stuck in a de d-end job at a commercial cleaning company. About six months ago, I took a second job as an ophthalmologist's assistant to try and get out.
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  • A young blonder woman wearing black clothing rests her head on her hand while waiting in a chair.
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The job was a disaster. The ophthalmologist was a nightmare, gave me absolutely no training, and then would get extremely frustrated when I couldn't independently help with complex patient exams. A few weeks ago,
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  • they expected me to help with four specialized eye exams in a row without telling me what my role was, so I walked out. I have no food service experience, but I'm at the point where I'll try anything. The job market is so tough.
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  • I saw a new smoothie shop opened downtown that was hiring, so I applied. They called me for an interview. I went in, and less than 10 minutes into it, the
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  • interviewer asked if I was at least 21 because they plan to add hard kombucha and ciders to the menu soon. I told her I'm 27. She looked at me funny for a second and said, "Oh. Did you not see we're only looking for people 18- 25? "She then told me I wasn't a
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  • 25? "She then told me I wasn't a good fit for the job because I was, in her words, 'too old to work here.' I've never been so embarrassed.
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  • I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. It turns out I missed a detail in the sign they had on their window about the 18-25 age requirement, though it wasn't listed in the online ad. But still, I feel like I dodged a bullet. What kind of insane policy is that?! Do
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  • they automatically fire employees on their 26th birthday? So yeah, shoutout to the 50-something owner who told me I'm over the hill. I'm sure Leonardo DiCaprio would love this place.
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  • A barista at a coffee and smoothie restaurant stands behind the counter facing a menu.
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • aaiceman Wow, that's a pretty clear cut discrimination case.
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  • jnmtx 38m ago . Your specific age as a number is not something you should reveal in an interview.
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  • You want to sell your ability and qualification to do the job they need - facts about your personal life should not be the focus.
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  • I'm also sorry the ophthalmologist did not work out- with good even low-level training, the medical field has a lot of roles that can pay very well. Good luck with your career.
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  • ailish 1h ago That's illegal if you're in the US. Report it to the Labor department.
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employment work stories toxic-workplace adulting work twentysomething Horrible Bosses adulthood funny work stories job interview toxic-work-environment
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