....the downward spiral would begin with their financials being managed from quarter to quarter.

"Do we really NEED bagboys?  Let's cut that cost.  And we have too many employees stocking during the day. Yeah, I know it's a good thing they're there to answer customer questions, but is that really NECESSARY?  Just think how much more EFFICIENT it would be if they only restocked at night when the store is closed.  Plus we can SAVE MONEY by not having as many stockers that way."

Etc etc ad nausea

Yes, there are publicly-held companies that manage for the long-term.  But there are too many that don't.  And if they ever get bought out by even a privately-held company, the first order of business will be instant ROI by cutting costs.

Which is why I hope it never happens (and my gut reaction is the same as yours - I'd love to own stock in it, but only with the current management structure).