Customers feel right at home with ‘Grandpa George’

Stand in this checkout line and it sounds like everybody and his brother is the grandchild of the cashier.

Here’s what you hear: “Hi, Grandpa.” “Thanks, Grandpa.” “Later, Gramps.”

Wait, people older than the cashier are saying it.

What’s up with that?

He’s Grandpa George.

Says so on the name badge of Albertsons cashier George Caudill.

Maybe you’ve been in his line at the Albertsons store on Mukilteo Speedway. He’s got a wide smile and salt-and-pepper hair. He doesn’t just ring up your beer, bread and bananas, he talks and jokes with you.

The store’s badge-maker changed his name tag from “George C” to “Grandpa George” when Caudill’s granddaughter was born in June 2013.

It was a hit with customers. With company policy, well, not so much. “My supervisor at the time said you can’t wear other than your real name,” Caudill said.

No big deal. He went back to being George C.

“People were sending in comments and really liked the name,” he said. “My boss said, ‘You know, George, everybody loves it. You’re the oldest guy around, so put it back on.’?”

Caudill has worked for the grocery store chain for nearly 40 years. His father, George Sr., worked for the Albertson family in Idaho for 25 years.

“I started in 1976, Boise, Idaho. I was 16 on the freight crew, stocking shelves at night,” he said. “I worked at (Albertsons founder) Joe Albertson’s first store. He used to have his office in the store.”

Caudill transferred to Washington in 1982 to work at the Port Orchard store, then over the years was at others in varying capacities, including management.

Cashiering led to a second career outside the store. “One of my customers is a broker for RE/MAX, and we were just talking in line and she said, ‘You’d be great in real estate,’ and she helped me get into it,” he said.

He’s been selling homes since 2004 and added Grandpa George to his Pacific Properties real estate badge.

It’s become his brand as well as his bond with customers at the grocery store.

They’ll say, “I’m Grandpa Bob” or “Grandma Sue” and talk about their grandkids, he said.

“Kids tell me stories or tell me about school. I’ve been invited to birthday parties. One older gal about 90 told me, ‘It’s very endearing. I like it.’?”

So, there he is, grandpa to all, everywhere he goes. What does his grandchild call him?

Nothing yet, he said. “She makes noises when she wants me.”

Send What’s Up With That? suggestions to Andrea Brown at 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.