So my wife I were at the FedEx office across the street from Avista Stadium.

We were sending a big box to family in Michigan.

The young man on the other side of the counter was personable and efficient. So, mostly for his benefit, I said this to my wife.

"I'll bet I'm the only customer who has been in here today who has spoken to Fred Smith."

(He's the founder of FedEx.)

Then she said to me that she would bet she was the only person who had been in there that day whose parents knew Fred Smith's father.

I said I was pretty sure she was right.

So what did the nearby clerk say about our exchange?

Nothing. Nada. Zip.

That struck me as somewhat odd. So I have been wondering about it.

Here are my theories.

A) He didn't recognize the name of his company's Founder/CEO. B) He simply was not curious. C) He has been trained not to engage customers on issues that might be part of a con. D) He was thinking about what he was going to have for dinner. E) He was brought up to believe eavesdropping is impolite. F) He heard us and recognized the name I had dropped but didn't believe me.

---

---