Bed Bath & Beyond Has Nothing But Itself to Blame for Downfall

Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., facing a crisis in late summer as sales plunged and suppliers revolted, insisted its white-collar workers return to the office four days a week.

Interim Chief Executive Officer Sue Gove told staff at company headquarters in Union, New Jersey, that face time would help quickly address mounting problems facing the retailer, according to six former managers and employees who attended the gathering.

To the employees, however, it felt like just another example of how executives were mired in minutiae as the chain barreled toward bankruptcy. Most staffers had already returned to the office three days a ...