Home Depot stops doing business with federal government (even cash!)

Saint Louis Today ^ | June 16, 2002

[John Jorsett]

Home Depot Inc., the nation's largest hardware and home-improvement chain, has told its 1,400 stores not to do business with the U.S. government or its representatives.

The Post-Dispatch checked with managers at 38 stores in 11 states. All but two said they had received instructions from Home Depot's corporate headquarters this month not to take government credit cards, purchase orders or even cash if the items are being used by the federal government.

[Salvation]

I just stopped doing business with Home Depot.

Ditto! Never again will they see my face.

[Redcloak]

I can't blame them. Federal dollars come with Federal strings attached.

[goodieD]

Many of the Home Depots around here are in deep financial doo doo.. mainly due to their cozying up to the fags through PFLAG. They are about to lose their shirts completely when it gets out that they won't do business with military personnel.

[carpio]

Always, everywhere, at every opportunity - tell Big Stupid Government to jam it.

This is a principle by which I live. Sometimes it costs me but I never waiver from this civic responsibility.

[Swordmaker]

Asmodeus, I agree with you... there, I said it! Didn't hurt a bit... well, not much.

I recall the government's position regarding a college in Arizona a couple of years ago. Even though the College officially refused to accept Federal funds to avoid being required to meet Title IX and other onerous regulatory requirements, the government took the position that since STUDENTS were personally receiving government guaranteed loans and government grants, the COLLEGE was imputed to be Federally funded and therefore subject to the regulations!!!

Home Depot does not want the government to come to court with receipts and credit card invoices totalling an amount greater than $25,000 which would then force them under the regulatory rules the government wants.

[ReaganIsRight]

I've found HD is lower in price, but the quality is not there, the service is not there, and spend about 10-1 more money at Lowes. I put in over $1K in replacement windows, and HD was lower $, but didn't like the crap they were selling. Also bought my Frig at Lowe's, better stuff than Best Buy, didn't even consider HD.

HD impressed me before Lowe's came here because they could offer a floor display of toilet wax rings for 1/2 the price at Hechingers, where I had to repair the only one left on the shelf, before installation. And a fully stocked store, but my first visit, we couldn't find Acetone, probably cause they didn't set the store up properly.

I needed a wire cutter to cut stainless steel fishing wire, RK hardness scale 60++, and the clown at HD tried to sell me a Channellock regular wire cutter, and said "This will cut your little wire". The wire would have left holes in the cutting surface. No clue whatsoever.

How many times do you think I've walked out of a HW store that is now defunct? More than one hands worth of fingers.

HD was on my stock buy list because they are so depressed. Been looking for years, but NO WAY will I commit now.

They sold me CCA lumber that was 2x2, should be nominally 1 1/2 x 1 1/2, but was 1/4 short in both dimensions!

This isn't over, but I never returned lumber until I did biz with HD.

[BJungNan]

Just think how nice it would be if a state or fifty were to adopt the same attitude regarding federally mandated programs, telling the Fed they did not want the Fed money and the strings.

Sounds to me as if this is what Home Depot is doing.

[ReaganIsRight]

I was just in a HD and one employee was riding a shopping cart for the handicapped. He actually helped someone correctly, but what's going on with this outfit? They have stock kept at 8', not 8" and how much can you do sitting on your butt at a "lumber yard"?

I got a Xmas gift certificate at HD and it took me three trips to get the garbage disposal installed. No knowledgable help from their employees. One trip was my fault, my old plumber's putty was not worth reviving.

[Texasforever]

HD has every right to do this. However, it does not make them more worthy than companies that do sell to the government. I can't understand this orgy of praise. HD is just a company that has made a business decision and believe me those decisions are NOT BASED ON PRINCIPLE.

[sheik yerbouty]

A lot of their stuff seems to be from the PRC. Maybe they own it now.

[bybybill]

Home Depot is a great company. Two families in my family buy their beans with very good Home Depot salaries. They are making a very big and important statement.The Federal government is killing American business with their regulations. Home Depot needs to be supported and other companies should follow thier example. You want to change the way governments influence biz, shop at Home Depot.

[bybybill]

Watch the libs and the press slam HD. The government can`t allow a company this big to tell them to eat .... good for Home Depot, they are on Freepers side

[petuniasevan]

You know what? We could direct handk to SevenofNine's posts. He'd blow a gasket!

[glm]

sorry - I have put in 31 years and have worked hard and many free hours just to meet deadlines. I was just ticked at the jerk who told me to get a real job. Just could not resist getting a little nasty back.

[glm]

We tried to voting in California. We worked for two years on Proposition 187 and this was the result, thanks to the Federal Government. The people of the great state of California held a free election and voted 3 to 1 in favor of proposition 187 which would have put a stop to the tax paid support of illegal aliens. WE WON the election!!! However, the federal government stepped in and burned our ballots and declared our election unconstitutional.

I believe the elected officials - clinton and davis - were behind that. Government workers are required to follow the elected officials [since that is who the american people put in charge] Did the supreme court ever weigh in on the situation?

[4CJ]

A private school can refuse to accept federal funding, just as any private business can. The costs of complying with zillions of little "regulations" the fedgov creates hits everyones bottom line. HD is not discriminating against our men and women in uniform, they're making a point about the bloated government.

[lonestar]

Home Depot is noted for its "gay friendly" policies and promotions.

Well, they're in the "interior decorating" business.

[anniegetyourgun]

I thought states did set their own speed limits and their own legal terms involving blood alcohol levels.

[fogarty]

Not quite. Small units spend cash all the time on equipment that our still dysfunctional supply and parts systems cannot get in a timely manner. In spite of Bush and Rummy, and their promises of 'transformation', the logistical tail of the military is still a broken beast in a lot of regards. When our unit needed placards for our embark boxes and pallets, we could sit and wait a few months for supply to get their act together - or the battery gunny could go down to Home Depot and buy about 50 pieces of plywood cut to size and ready to stencil.

You can guess which route the units are going to take.

[Born to Conserve]

My local private school will not accept ANY federal money. If you apply to the school under the GI bill, They'll pay for it themselves rather than accept Federal dollars. By accepting Federal money, they would have to, for example, hire athiest men as dorm house mothers.

Doing business with the Federal government brings laws to bear that are not applied to the general public.