I was about to post the article below when the story of the Whole Foods CEO broke on the ABC Evening News. Since this is a great example of hot not to do business, I thought it appropriate to mention.
Aside from being sleazy, unethical and probably illegal, the actions of Whole Foods CEO, John Mackey were just plain stupid and his claim that it was "just a joke" is as lame as they come.
These kinds of underhanded tactics, reminiscent of the old time politicians who used to tie return postage cards to bricks in an attempt to bankrupt their opponents, represent the worst of the worst in the business community.
What makes it even dumber is that he did it with a business whose target customer is a cultural creative. I won't buy anything in Whole Foods again until he's fired. I cannot, in good conscience, contribute to this type of behavior. I don';t care how cute he thinks it is. It's not.
The article below was written prior to learning about this debacle but it offers an alternative way to conduct oneself in a business.
A prime retail location recently became available on Main Street in the heart of downtown Doylestown, Pennsylvania. An upscale, charming community, with a good amount of local and tourist activity.
Nestled amongst upscale restaurants, unique shops, local bookstore and trendy national brands like Chico's, The Gap and Starbucks, one could only wonder what would fill this newly vacated space.
What opened there, probably the last type of store anyone would have guessed and certainly one which a business school professor would have vetoed, was a competing brand of coffee.
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