There have been more than a few headline-grabbing leadership transitions in the retail world recently. And, to be honest, “transitions” might be too gentle of a euphemism: some big names from some big-name brands have left, been fired, forced out, voted off the board, or otherwise pressured to step down in the last few months.

On the surface, it seems like the ousted leaders mentioned in this edition of Retail Rap left for different reasons; from Target’s CEO’s exit in the aftermath of the high-profile credit card theft/scandal last December to various CEOs leaving due to series of alleged transgressions ranging from the pedestrian to the bizarre. It strikes me that, beneath the public reasons cited for the departure of each of the CEOs discussed, there is a larger story of poor financial performance and ongoing uncertainty.

In this edition of Retail Rap, I dive into the public version of each big “transition” while questioning if something bigger is attributed to each of their exits.