The American retail network of home goods stores Bed Bath & Beyond just paid interest that was due one month ago. Notwithstanding this information, the stock of the company has fallen further, alarming analysts and investors.

In addition to rising competition from Amazon and other e-commerce behemoths, Bed Bath & Beyond is also dealing with shifting consumer preferences. Since more and more customers are choosing to make their purchases online, the company has struggled to get customers to its physical locations.

Covid 19 Pandemic

These issues have been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic as more and more people shop online to avoid stepping out in public. Bed Bath & Beyond was forced to close several of its locations and fire staff as a result.

Together with these difficulties, Bed Bath & Beyond has also been having trouble paying off its debt. Investors have been quite concerned about the company's high level of debt, which is reflected on its balance sheet.

Recently, Bed Bath & Beyond made an interest payment that was due a month ago. While this news should have been a positive development, the company's stock continued to slide. This suggests that some investors are not confident in the company's ability to turn the business around. The stock was down an additional 6.71% on Monday after a prolonged decline the past six months.

Reasons For Investors Concern

There are a number of reasons that investors might be skeptical about the prospects for Bed Bath & Beyond. First, the company is facing intense competition from online retailers such as Amazon, who can offer lower prices and more convenience to customers.

Second, Bed Bath & Beyond has been slow to adapt to changing consumer preferences. While the company has made some efforts to improve its online presence, it still lags behind many of its competitors.

Third, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the Bed Bath and Beyond operations. With many physical stores closed and customers hesitant to go out in public, Bed Bath & Beyond has had to rely more heavily on its online sales. While this has helped to mitigate some of the damage, it has also put additional pressure on the company's balance sheet.

Moves by the Company

Despite these challenges, Bed Bath & Beyond has taken several steps to try to turn things around. The company has implemented cost-cutting measures, including store closures and layoffs, and has also launched a new loyalty program to try to attract more customers.

In addition, Bed Bath & Beyond has been working to improve its online presence, with a particular focus on mobile apps and social media. The company has also been experimenting with new store formats, including smaller, more focused stores that are designed to cater to specific customer segments.

If what’s being sold is an indication of what’s important in the market today, then Bed Bath & Beyond can help us with recent trend development. In the past two weeks sales of bread making machines, vacuum cleaners, and coffee grounds are what the new trends are about. At Bed Bath & Beyond, bread machines are up 400%, vacuums are up 100% and enough coffee grounds in pods and beans have been sold to make 10 million cups of coffee. Guess that means that while the fresh bread is baking in the oven, folks are sipping on their coffee and vacuuming their carpet. Sales have not been bad when you consider other companies are struggling to have anything in sales at all since their shops are closed.

Bed Bath & Beyond Tough Decisions

Bed Bath & Beyond did have to do some major juggling to keep afloat when the shutdown that impacted the nation first happened following the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic. Among the crucial decisions they needed to make was the move to furlough some of its employees and close some of their stores when the pandemic first started. Bed Bath and Beyond said at first that the furlough would need to last until May 2.

However, as of late April, Bed Bath & Beyond has already had to call back hundreds of their employees to staff 25% of the stores that were converted to fulfillment stores to meet the order demands from online customers purchases. Many of the stores also have pick up locations for easy contactless curbside pick-up service.

The furlough, for those still remaining on it, has been extended until May 16. Bed Bath & Beyond is paying 100% of healthcare premiums for employees enrolled in such programs until further notice. There is also a temporary continuance of pay cuts of 30% to executives.

Sales Rise on Price Slashing

Decisions at the corporate level to allow for some price slashing is keeping customers coming in droves (up to 85% increase in online sales). Many items available on the Bed Bath & Beyond website are 50 to 75% off and when you log on you are offered a 20% coupon for signing in.

New Players, Plans and Growth

The team at the top is relatively new, but experienced. Mark J. Tritton, Chief Executive Officer of Bed Bath & Beyond was previously with Target, Nordstrom and Nike. Stock market prices rose 11% after he was brought on board in October of 2019. He is handpicking his team and is looking for new leaders that will bring fresh perspectives and that are new innovators for change.

John Hartmann is the new Chief Operating Officer of Bed Bath & Beyond. He was previously with True Value and has also been with Home Depot, Cardinal Health, and the FBI.

They are making tough decisions to keep the company in a favorable and fluid position to outlast the coronavirus situation. Stocks rose 32% as of mid-April. Comparisons to any time before that is like comparing watermelons to cherries. We are in unprecedented times and any progress is worthy of note.

Bed Bath & Beyond’s decision to proceed with the online sales market has proven to be successful, as has the decision to convert some of their stores to fulfillment centers. The decision to turn stores into fulfillment stores doubles the retailers digital order capacity, making it more competitive in the online market.

Cramer previews earnings reports for the trading week of April 27