The big news this week was the departure (do we still say firing?) of BP's CEO Tony Hayward.  Several headlines I read called him the "fall guy".  I guess I thought he was actually responsible.  A fall guy/scapegoat is punished for the errors of others...and wasn't it Hayward himself who actually blew it in nearly every public forum held about the oil spill?

 I'm not feeling any sympathy for CEO expectations.  In my own experience, these are the same expectations we all have of each other.  Tell the truth.  Don't be an arrogant jerk.  Take responsibility for your actions.  Say you're sorry when you screw up. 

Sure it's worse when the media covers it, and customers and investors get to watch the whole thing.  But really it's all about integrity, and I'm pretty sure that was written into Hayward's job description.  But if you don't have it when you get the job, the PR experts aren't going to be able to help you develop it on the fly.

In smaller news, A&P replaced their CEO for the fourth time in less than a year.  I thought the comments from WSJ readers were quite amusing and also quite interesting.

Amusing:

Their stores are Food Museums and Christian Haub knows absolutely nothing about how to run a Company. No one can fix this. Cut your losses if you own the stock, avoid the stores unless you are starving on an island and there are no alternatives.

 Interesting:

It's rather disturbing that Mr. Martin will receive a $1million salary on top of 1.5 million shares and stock options along with a possible $276,000 payment if he stays until February. A&P is crying hard times but is willing to waste such massive amounts of money on one man while cutting much needed help from the bottom.

There are many good workers who work in A&P stores that make the company it's money and these people don't see even a modest increase in salary or full-time positions. As for myself, I was told that I was going to receive full-time within my department a few months ago. The VP approved it to my Produce Merchandiser and I was told it was a go. Then after about 2 or 3 months it came down in an email that the policy of a full-time hiring freeze was still in effect and somehow the VP was overridden.

If A&P refuses to replace full-timers when they retire and only fill the gaps with $8.00 an hour part time help, as in mine and many other cases, the company will be facing some major pains down the road. When product doesn't get to the shelf and the departments look messy, customers will be pushed away. People who only look at numbers all day won't understand that and you can't expect to cut corners in areas where the money is made. Paying someone $1 million at the top while your backbone rides on those making $8.00 an hour is not smart business.

I don't shop A&P, but I do shop WalMart and Copp's - a regional grocer.  At least in my shopping area, it seems the strategies of these two retailers are converging.  Increase the emphasis on private label, and reduce the selection of branded items to streamline inventory.  It's an unexpected turn of events for me to watch these very different businesses compete on the same strategy.  Makes shopping a whole lot more challenging, as my favorite brands and products get harder and harder to find.  Not to mention how it just plain ticks me off. 

Well maybe this new CEO at A&P will find a growth strategy.  That would be news worth reporting.