The Retail Illusion: When Sales Go Up, But Profits Disappear

Retail lies to you. It gives you the illusion of success through footfall, transactions, even a spike in gross sales. But none of that matters if your cash flow is negative, your payroll is bloated, and your best-selling item has a margin of 5%. This is what I call operational vanity. The business looks alive. But underneath, it’s bleeding out.