One day, all the managers were excited because the store was getting a visit from the CEO of the corporation, Joseph Pichler. I was working back in the video department when he came. One of the managers, Brad, was giving him a tour of the store, when he stopped at the video department to introduce me. "Mike, this is Joe Pichler, the new CEO of the company".
My response: "Hiya, Joe."
Joe gave me a quizzical look, and said, "Nice to meet you Mike." Brad gave me an absolute death look.
Now, at this point, I want to explain that I did not address the CEO of a major corporation by his first name to be disrespectful. It was just a reflex, because: a) everyone in the store was on a first name basis, and b) he was wearing a nametag that said "Joe". Subconsciously, I saw this nametag and assumed he was one of those "cool" CEOs who wanted to called by his first name.
An hour later, after my new friend Joe left, Brad angrily called me to his office. "Mike, what is the matter with you? How could you call him by his first name?" A vein was popping out of his forehead.
"Well", I replied, "His nametag said 'Joe'. I figured thats what he wanted to be called."
"Oh yeah", Brad said. "So if his nametag said 'Idiot', would you call him an idiot?"
"Why would the new CEO of Kroger's be wearing a nametag that said 'Idiot'?, I asked.
Brad gave me the look of a 30-something grocery manager who was just outsmarted by a 16 year old. I went back to work.
