Online, the retailer isnвЂ™t faring much better.

But the activist investors said in a news release that they lack confidence in TemaresвЂ™ plan, given that in the past, вЂњmanagement has lacked the ability to successfully implement initiatives that generate customer visits based on product or store experience.вЂќ Redesigning the stores is a goal of Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Steve Temares.В Temares wrote in an email to employees sent earlier this week and obtained by CNBC that the company plans to roll out 40 вЂњworking labs,вЂќ where it will test out new product layouts. Having a retail strategy anchored on cramming as much product as possible into towering aisles, leaving customers to search them for what theyвЂ™re looking for, is an outdated approach, and the quality is also on the decline.Д«obby Griffin, a specialty retail analyst for Raymond James, wrote in a note to investors on Tuesday that вЂњwe find too many of those stores cluttered, tired, and - in too many cases - dirty,вЂќ and вЂњwe also wonder how often the current senior management is in the legacy stores outside of New Jersey/New York.вЂќ Many customers come into Bed Bath & Beyond on a mission with particular products in mind,вЂќ said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail.В вЂњThe dense approach to merchandising and the vastness of the selection makes shopping hard and occasionally unpleasant.вЂќ вЂњConsumers now want curated selections of product from which they can quickly select the best option. But that advantage has been eroded by online-only competitors like Amazon and Wayfair if customers want to browse through seemingly endless product options, theyвЂ™re not going to do so in stores like Bed Bath & BeyondвЂ™s. Bed Bath & BeyondвЂ™s advantage used to be its vast assortment: It carries a wide array of products in home furnishings, ranging from bedding to furniture to kitchen accessories.

Bath and beyond