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I can see how the author views this as company mismanagement, but I'd offer a possible counter: Online is killing retail, full stop. High touch sales models ev

I can see how the author views this as company mismanagement, but I'd offer a possible counter: Online is killing retail, full stop. High touch sales models everywhere have lost profitablity due to "showrooming" -- curation and upselling aren't profitable for B&N, and they won't ever be again. To adapt, management needs to move to a lower touch model based on thin margins, web sales, and simpler stores. To do this, they need cash and they need to make staff cuts. Everything in the article fits perfectly with this course of action.

trynumber9 9y ago
Except, you know, lying about the upcoming layoffs.
- tytytytytytytyt 9y ago
  That fits in just fine with the above, at least as far as my understanding of businesses and what their goals are is...
wvenable 9y ago
Retail seems to be killing retail though -- it's a death spiral. Going to a lot malls right now is depressing. And I need to buy things, mostly clothing, but the selection and quality has gone down significantly in the last decade. I'm not sure this being made up in online sales.