Whole Foods sent a poor attempt at "clarification" today.
My Response: The Board has a choice: Keep your CEO, or keep your customers.
Full text below:
To Whom it May Concern:
Really?
Your CEO doesn't speak for the company? Really? Then why the frantic spin to "clarify" his remarks?
Please allow me to clarify: The Board of Directors of Whole Foods Market has a choice: They can stand by your CEO John Mackey, or they can stand by your loyal customer base—the vast majority of which I am certain are at the least offended by the substance and tone of John's opinion—if not wholly outraged. In fact, I suspect that this message would never have been sent if it were not the case that a substantial number of customers had expressed their outright disgust.
If the Board places its loyalty with the CEO over the customers, the boycott will grow, and we will find new alternatives that will negate the need for us to return to Whole Foods if and when the board takes the proper disciplinary action to correct John Mackey's extremely ill-advised and ill-informed decision to leverage the goodwill of the Whole Foods Market brand for partisan political purpose.
Sincerely,
Tom Berno