Jim Cramer, the longtime host of CNBC’s Mad Money, is known for his incessant—and often unwarranted—yelling. Now he’s on the receiving end of a string of shouting voices, who are berating him for posting a misleading image to Twitter of what appears to be an aisle full of empty store shelves with a snarky one-word caption: “suboptimal.” But the only thing that might be suboptimal here is Cramer’s eyesight, as it was clear to most people who took even a quick glance at the image that these “empty” shelves were simply being prepped to be filled with Whitman’s samplers, conversation hearts, and other Valentine’s Day-themed items.
suboptimal pic.twitter.com/bADD5ct3Bn
— Jim Cramer (@jimcramer) December 28, 2021
As The Wrap noted:
Cramer was presumably offering economic commentary on the potential plight of consumers amid the combined effects of supply-chain shortages and the Omicron variant’s COVID-19 surge.
But what Cramer apparently failed to see were pink strips below the featured shelves, prompting many to take the CNBC host to the presumptive cleaners over what they saw as a short-sighted attempt—with the photo revealing nothing more than a store that had made room for Valentine’s Day inventory.
Cramer’s tweet quickly went viral and got the term “Valentine’s Day” trending. And it didn’t take long for his fellow Twitter users to point out the err of the CNBC host’s ways. Some people called on Cramer to publicly acknowledge that he had either made a mistake, or was intentionally trying to mislead his 1.7 million followers:
This tweet from @jimcramer is pure bullshit and must be called out. This is a seasonal restocking. Either he knew that and lied, or his research and reporting is "suboptimal."
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) December 28, 2021
Hi @jimcramer I am a Retail Store Manager, have been for 24 years. The weeks after Christmas is a transition into Valentine’s Day. You condense and mark down Christmas and the. Fill with Valentine’s Day stuff. This tweet is just irresponsible, and you should delete it. https://t.co/VtFoQSOgpH
— Jersey Craig (@Jersey_Craig) December 29, 2021
love to spread misinformation to 1.7 million followers
— keithlaw (@keithlaw) December 28, 2021
Others were more straightforward:
https://twitter.com/Cryptoterra/status/1475953898003173380
https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/1475947783907590151?s=20
While others helpfully suggested that Cramer get out of the damn way so that the store’s employees could do their jobs:
Yeah, sorry they are clearing the shelves to put up Valentine’s Day items. Maybe if you weren’t in the middle of the fucking aisle taking pictures, they could get to work.
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) December 28, 2021
Yes, you might have to wait an hour to get heart shaped candy
— Diedrich Bader (@bader_diedrich) December 28, 2021
Cramer has yet to follow up on his photo, or tweet again.
(Via The Wrap)