Last week and the week before, I took a look at five instances of companies behaving silly. Wouldn't you know it? More companies are at it again this week. Let's take a look.
1. Falling into the Gap trap
Gap
Gap is in a funk. Comps have risen in only one year on this side of the millennium. But where's the logic in shrinking the stores? I get the cost containment benefit, but how is Gap supposed to matter again with that approach? Consumers weren't finding anything worth buying when they had a ton of shelf and rack space. What makes the company think it will be able to do more with less?
2. For those about to rock
Major record labels lost another seasoned vet when AC/DC agreed to release its next CD through Wal-Mart
I think I just remembered the last time that AC/DC had a hit single. It was about the last time that the prerecorded music industry's major labels were doing well.
3. Thinking inside the box is out of stock
The $99 home theater appliance by Roku, introduced three weeks ago to exclusively play Netflix
Either way, with Netflix set to introduce similar functionality through a few unnamed partners that already have "millions" of TV-tethered boxes in the market before the end of the year, the Roku player may be bumping up against obsolescence before it's in stock. Go figure.
4. It's a layman problem
It's as bad as you think. Lehman Brothers
Yes, this was the same Lehman that battled back rumors it was looking to raise liquidity a week earlier by resorting to a share buyback. Maybe it's just me, but one would think that a financial giant like Lehman would be better at money management and not spend money it will need later.
5. Tomb and Jerry
Yahoo!
The deal is a mixed blessing, but this is why Yahoo! makes this week's cut of dumb moves. One reason it originally rebuffed Microsoft's advances was because it wanted assurances that antitrust regulators wouldn't block the deal. Guess what? The Department of Justice now has to give the deal with Google a more strenuous sniff test. It's amazing what a little desperation can do in curing your fear of regulators.
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