Thread regarding Whole Foods Market Inc. layoffs

Well here they go again. The takeover chatter has gone from Cerberus and other private equity players, to Publix, to Kroger, to Costco, to HEB, and now it's back to Cerberus. And every time it turns out to be just talk. Why? Because if I'm buying a business to improve results, there has to be a solid structure already in place unless I'm just buying the brand name after the ship has sunk. WFM was a regional company with global ambitions and more money than sense. They bought up what? 15 separate companies in far-flung areas (even the bloody UK!) with no plan for integrating logistics, technology, operations. Whoever was running these small companies became "regional leaders" at the new company with no real experience or qualifications in my opinion. The regions behaved like franchisees who were out of control with regard to pricing, training, technology and promotions. (That's how Whole Paycheck came about -- regions priced things as high as possible with no regard to the greater good or long-term effect on our brand.) Even basic operations like having a common intranet or using the same organizational operating structure are/were totally different. TMs still can't learn anything from each other because if you go from Boise to Boston it's an entirely different company. Bottom line: You can't just run around the world sprinkling money, pixie dust, a logo, and a book tour and hold 3-year Tribal Gatherings with campfires and slogans and create a global business. No potential buyer of this corporation wants to deal with this hot mess. My prediction is that no buyer will emerge until the unqualified regional overlords are FIRED and operations consolidated into one cohesive unit staffed by qualified, dedicated retail professionals, and until there are consistent technical and operational standards and accountability at the top levels. Unfortunately, most of the retail professionals have been systematically eliminated by what Jonathan Swift aptly referred to as "A Confederacy of Dunces." (John Kennedy Toole used that as the title of his fabulous novel.) "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him." All of the culture and world-changing evangelism is just marketing and whenever any company goes overboard with such pompous religiousity, you know now that it's to cover up the complete and utter lack of a concrete plan. The reality is that if Cerberus or others are shopping for a natural/organic grocery brand they will start with a company that they can easily invest in and grow, not a hot mess they have to spend 10 years and possibly $billions trying to fix.