Investing in Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD) beginning in 2000 and routinely visiting those stores locally in the Manhattan area until 2003, nationwide store visitation began soon after I moved to Florida where Rite Aid has no stores. These inspections ended in 2015 when I advised Corporate in writing that I would no longer play "baby sitter" for them and solve store execution issues that middle management had the luxury to ignore because Corporate was not properly supervising their stores. I call this the "middle management problem," but then that means it is a regional management problem and ultimately a senior management and director problem as well. The "pecking order" was out of order for years not properly supporting our stores where the cash registers are. My inspection of stores around the country demonstrated that our dedicated store employees want to do a good job but oftentimes were prevented from doing so because "nobody was home" at Corporate ensuring that store personnel had the proper tools to get the job done for our customers and investors. For examples of this, readers are directed to read my first of three prior articles published on Seeking Alpha in early 2017.

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