Flown the Coop
Just when it seemed that the wave of corporate scandals had run its course, another appalling case surfaces to shake the foundations of our economic order. I speak, of course, of the horrible stories now coming out of Philadelphia, where the beloved Mount Airy community grocery, Weavers Way Coop, finds its books light by over $100,000, and its long-time financial director under a cloud of suspicion.
Founded in simpler times (1973), the natural foods cooperative serves the progressive and integrated neighborhoods of Mt. Airy and Germantown in the northwest section of the city. Their flagship store at the corner of Greene Street and Carpenter Lane, a block from my grandparent’s house, was a fixture of my childhood and remains a destination for friends and family who still live in the area. A haven for picky and ideological shoppers, Weavers Way presents itself as the very antithesis of a supermarket: expensive, limited selection, crowded aisles, slow manual checkout. Think of it as an inconvenience store. And yet, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, even an institution such as this is apparently not immune to the problems of greed and mismanagement that have stricken its larger commercial brethren.
It is apparently unclear whether the accounting problems are due to criminal activity or just incompetent management. In any case, whoever is responsible should be ashamed. If you want to commit corporate crime, there’s no shortage of potential targets. But there’s a toasty spot in hell reserved for people who rip off the coop.
7:51:08 PM 
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