Consider this sterling exchange, published on 12.05, between Warren Buffett and a Boston Globe reporter (the occasion was a Jordan’s store opening—Jordan’s is a Mass. corporation.):
Reporter: “Why did you buy Jordan’s Furniture?”
Buffett: “Jordan’s is spectacular. It’s all showmanship.”
More Buffet #1: the Great Man responding to a question about why his Berkshire Hathaway annual reports are so readable, some say “down to earth”: “I write the report for my sisters Doris and Bertie. I pretend when I write that report that they’ve been traveling for a year. I tell them what I would want to know if I were gone for a year and they’d been in charge.”
More Buffett #2: A BizWeek Cover Story addressed similarities (many) and differences (just one) between Buffett and Eddie Lampert, King of Kmart (and now Sears). The similarities included an emphasis on long-term value, mature industries, and holdings in a small # of companies. But the Big Difference is telling: Buffett buys gems (like Jordan’s) and helps build them; Lampert believes he can make silk purses of sows’ ears. (To me, the word “delusional” pops to mind in the latter case—sorry.)