'Undercover Boss': Family Dollar Stores COO Mike Bloom Gets Fired By Worker For Incompetence

Most workplace failures end with a boss firing a worker, and not the other way around. But this past Friday Mike Bloom, the COO and president of the discount retail chain Family Dollar Stores, found himself on the ejector seat thanks to one of his employees. The worker, Rosali, a forklift operator at a Family Dollar distribution center in Fort Royal, Va., was the one who canned Bloom, as can be seen in the video.

Rosali thought Bloom was in fact "Mark," an aspiring business owner who dreamed to own a rock and roll bar appearing on a second chances reality show, and not the c-suite executive of a company that brings in $10 billion a year in revenue. They met during Bloom's swing through "Undercover Boss," the hit CBS series now well into its fifth season.

And during his time on the show Bloom proved to be an ineffectual on-the-ground worker. It was his lackluster performance that drew the ire of Rosali. Bloom simply couldn't keep up with the vital stop signals and warning beeps necessary to control forklift traffic in a bustling warehouse. The performance left Rosali wary enough he felt it was unwise for "Mark" to be invited to work in the warehouse. He was just "too shaky," Rosali felt. And so he let him go.

Rosali's fears were also grounded in "Mark's" general discomfort with the environment of the distribution center. Given all the volume of merchandise needed to keep the Family Dollar Store operation and its 7,800 stores humming, the forklift needs to be able to reach as high as 35 feet into the air. But Bloom broadcast an obvious fear of heights, which of course is no personal fault, but is probably a disqualifying attribute in such a workplace. "I am nervous about him using this equipment," Rosali put it bluntly.

Bloom, for his part, took the dismissal like a good sport. As can be seen in the video above, the executive saw the big picture and felt his worker made the right choice. "I am glad to see he takes safety so seriously," he said.

Most of the times on the show when someone is fired it's a worker who suffers. And it has happened a handful of times during the series. Earlier this season, Aaron, a delivery worker for Donatos pizza, got caught smoking marijuana while completing his route. But because Aaron also demonstrated himself to be a hustler, Jane Grote Abell, the owner and chairman of the board of the Ohio-based pizza chain, decided to allow him to try and return after a 30 day-period, provided he passed a drug test.

And last season, Jacqueline, a Retro Fitness gym worker in New Jersey was fired after she explained her choice to play on her smart-phone during working hours by saying, "I am not a f------ slave!" Ronnie, who also appeared last season as a worker from Boston Market, was canned after he openly bragged how he "hates the customers." He also introduced himself as the "the Kim Kardashian of Boston Market."

The flipping of the dynamic was in keeping with how some market commentators currently view Family Dollar stores. During his appearance, Bloom announced his plans to double the number of Family Dollar stores over the next few years, but sales at Family Dollar "failed to inspire" over the last quarter, as was noted in a report by Motley Fool, the financial news site. The report said Family Dollar is losing of late to competitors like Dollar General and Dollar Tree. Indeed, same-store sales are flat from where they stood a year ago, though management said they hoped to see a 2 percent increase.

But investors would be unwise to underestimate Bloom. The jovial executive, and lackluster factory worker, is just 20 months into his time at Family Dollar. He previously spent his career at CVS Caremark, and before any of his corporate success, he had to stay close to home when his father lost his job. And so he was only able to attend community college.

You don't hear that everyday from market leaders. And on his swing, Bloom came across Chanel, a training store manager in Clifton, N.J., who after growing up as a foster kid had also attended community college. She had a spirited disposition, saying her work was her "passion." He rewarded her an $80,000 package, which included a pay-raise and a year's worth of rent, as she's had to live with the family of the father of her child to get by.

"The struggle is over," she said.