Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Home Depot shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Home Depot offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Home Depot at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Home Depot? Wrong! If the Home Depot is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Home Depot then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Home Depot? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Home Depot and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Home Depot wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Home Depot then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Home Depot site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Home Depot, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Home Depot, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox_Company |company_name = The Home Depot, Inc. | company_logo = ] | company_type = [Public company ({{nyse|HD-->)| slogan = "You Can Do It. We Can Help."| foundation = ([Atlanta, Georgia, [United States)| location = [Vinings, Georgia, [United States| key_people = [Frank Blake, CEO & Chairman| industry = [Retailer| num_employees = 355,000| products = Home improvement products such as [appliances, [tools, [hardware,lumber, building materials, paint, plumbing, flooring and [gardening.| revenue = {{profit-->$90.837 billion United States dollar ([) | net_income = {{profit-->$5.761 billion United States dollar ([) | homepage = http://www.homedepot.com/ www.homedepot.com| -->

The Home Depot () is an United States retailer of home improvement and building construction products and services.

Headquartered in Vinings, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, Georgia in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box store across the United States (including the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands), Canada (ten provinces of Canada), Mexico and People's Republic of China.{{cite web|url=http://ir.homedepot.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=219054|publisher=The Home Depot|title=News Releases|date=November 17, 2006--> Currently, the world's second largest Home Depot is in its final stages on the island of Guam.

The Home Depot is the largest home improvement retailer in the United States, ahead of rival Lowe's, and the second-largest general retailer in the United States, behind only Wal-Mart. Top 100 Retailers: The Nation's Retail Power Players (PDF), Stores, July 2006.

History The Home Depot was founded in 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia by Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank, Ron Brill, and Pat Farrah. The men envisioned a chain of home-improvement warehouses, larger than any of their competitors' facilities, filled with a vast array of products stacked from the floor to the 20ft ceiling and staffed by customer-service experts. With valuable contributions investment banker Ken Langone, they secured sufficient capital and searched nationwide for a suitable location to found their company. Marcus and Blank opened two stores on June 22, 1979, in Atlanta, which made the city the official home of the Home Depot.

In 2000, after the retirement of Marcus and Blank, Robert Nardelli was appointed chairman, president, and CEO. Nardelli was replaced in January 2007 by Frank Blake.{{cite web|url=http://ir.homedepot.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=224078|publisher=The Home Depot|title=News Releases|date=January 3, 2007-->

The Home Depot today Home Depot stores are large, averaging 105,000 ft² (9,755 m²) and warehouse-style, stocking a large range of supplies. The company color is a bright orange (PMS 165, CMYK 60M100Y), on signs, equipment and employee aprons.

Its 2006 sales totaled US$90.8 billion. Despite the 10% increase in revenue, it dropped three spots to #17 on the 2007 Fortune (magazine) Fortune 500 list (it was #13 in 2005 and #14 in 2006). The Home Depot also owns EXPO Design Center, a chain of higher-end home decorating and appliance stores. In 2006, The Home Depot acquired Hughes Supply which is to be assimilated into HD Supply serving contractors. In September 2005, Home Depot Direct launched its high-end online home-furnishings store, 10 Crescent Lane, shortly followed by the launch of Paces Trading Company, its high-end online lighting store. In mid 2006, Home Depot acquired Home Decorators Collection which was placed as an additional brand under its Home Depot Direct Division.

On January 2, 2007, Home Depot and Robert Nardelli mutually agreed on Nardelli's resignation as CEO after a six-year tenure. Nardelli resigned amid complaints over his heavy handed management and whether his pay package of $123.7 million, excluding stock option grants, over the past 5 years was excessive considering the stock's poor performance versus its competitor Lowe's. His golden parachute severance package of $210 million has also been criticized because when the stock went down his pay went up.{{cite web], who previously served as the company's vice chairman of the board and executive vice president. Board of directors Current members of the board of directors of Home Depot are: Greg Brenneman, Richard H. Brown, John Clendenin, Claudio González, Milledge Hart, Bonnie Hill, Laban Jackson, Lawrence R. Johnston, Ken Langone, Armando Codina, Tom Salveter and one additional director. The Home Depot's board consists of 12 members, with 11 of them being outside directors.

Marketing The slogan "You can do it. We can help." has been used by the Home Depot since 2003. Other slogans used in the past 25 years include "The Home Depot, Low prices are just the beginning" in the early 1990s and "When you're at the Home Depot, You'll feel right at home" in the late 1990s and "The Home Depot: First In Home Improvement!" from 1999-2003.

Exclusive brands The Home Depot carries several exclusive brands, including:

Fuel Centers Starting in 2006, Home Depot has started testing with Fuel Centers at some of its stores. The first centers located in Hermitage and Brentwood (both in Tennessee), and Acworth, Georgia are expected to earn $5-$7 million per year. The fuel centers sell beer, hot food, snacks along with providing diesel at a separate island. This allows contractors with large trucks to be able to fill their vehicles. The fuel centers also offer car washes, which are large enough to accommodate full size pickups.

Home Depot construction toys Home depot also has its own brand of construction toys, but are sold exclusively at Toys R Us.

Social and Community Philanthropy "The company is also dedicated to giving back to the community and donates time, labor, money, and supplies to numerous charities, totaling more than $200 million in contributions. The Home Depot Foundation, established in 2002, supports a variety of community projects, including Habitat for Humanity; City of Hope, a California-based cancer-treatment center; and KaBOOM!, a playground-construction organization.Bailey,M. Georgia College and State University",http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1886&sug=y

Environmental record Home Depot has stated on their website that they have a commitment "to the environment and pledge to continue to be an industry leader in looking for products and services that are respectful of our world."{{cite web|url=http://ir.homedepot.com/governance/ethics.cfm|publisher=Home Depot|title=Business Code of Conduct and Ethics--> Home Depot has worked with environmental groups to develop a variety of green programs, like offsetting carbon emissions from its headquarters by planting thousands of trees in Atlanta.{{cite web|url=http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_read.asp?id=347104172007|publisher=stopglobalwarming.org|title=Home Depot to Display an Environmental Label|date=April 17, 2007-->

In April 2007 Home Depot announced its own label, Eco Option, for nearly 3,000 products, from fluorescent light bulbs that conserve electricity and natural insect killers, to sustainable forestry and clean water practices. The idea is that the brand name will identify the products as environmentally friendly. The initiative is expected to include 6,000 products by 2009, representing 12 percent of the chain's sales.{{cite web|url=http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_read.asp?id=347104172007|publisher=stopglobalwarming.org|title=Home Depot to Display an Environmental Label|date=April 17, 2007-->

Major sponsorships Since 1991, the company has become a large supporter of athletics, sponsoring the United States Olympic Committee and Canadian Olympic Committees, and launching a program which offered employment to athletes that accommodates their training and competition schedules. While remaining supportive of Canadian Olympians, Home Depot ceased to be a sponsor of the Canadian Olympic Team in 2005.

Company co-founder Blank also purchased the Atlanta Falcons franchise of the National Football League in February 2002. The Home Depot is also the primary sponsor of two time NASCAR Champion (2002, 2005) Joe Gibbs Racing. NASCAR driver Tony Stewart drives The Home Depot #20 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS/Impala SS. The Home Depot is also the title sponsor of The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, home to both the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA of (Major League Soccer), and Los Angeles Riptide (Major League Lacrosse), and many past major sporting events.innovative solutions for the home in areas such as security and home monitoring, communications, energy efficiency, entertainment, environment and health.{{cite web] candidates in the United States general elections, 2006. "Home Depot's PAC gives money based on a candidate's voting record, committee assignment and leadership position," said company spokesman Jerry Shields.{{cite web|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=ax33MvEtvy0E&refer=news|publisher=Bloomberg.com|title=Republican Candidates Increase Share of Business PAC Donations|date=August 8, 2006--> The CEO in this period was Bob Nardelli, a friend of Bush.{{cite web], 2004* article that mentions Bush Nardelli Garden Reception.

The Home Depot internationally Home Depot Canada is the Canada unit of Home Depot and one of Canada's top home improvement retailers. The Canadian operation consists of 159 stores and employs over 30,000 people in Canada. Home Depot Canada has stores in all ten Canadian provinces and serves territorial Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon through electronic means (Online and catalog sales).

The Canadian unit was created with the purchase of Aikenhead Hardware. Home Depot management has an ambitious plan to overtake its biggest competitor, Rona, which has about four times as many stores. However, many of Rona's stores are smaller than the typical Home Depot store. In terms of big box stores, Home Depot has many more stores than Rona. Home Depot will also face competition from Lowe's as they move into the Canadian market in 2007; Lowe's first Canadian outlets will be located in Ontario. Launched in Oct 2003 the Canadian website can be found at www.homedepot.ca.

Mexico

The Home Depot entered Mexico in 2001, and has since become one of the largest retailers in Mexico, operating more than 50 stores with over 6,600 employees. Most of the Home Depot stores are located in the same installations in which the extinct Home Marts were located. Border town Home Depots attract some American consumers to make their US dollar go further in purchases of mostly same home improvement products in Home Depots of Tijuana, Mexicali, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros. In 2006, Home Depot began a program to offer Mexican employees to have "guest worker" incentives for Mexican nationals and Latin Americans to easily, but legally obtain employment in Home Depots across the US.

China In December 2006, The Home Depot announced its acquisition of the Chinese home improvement retailer The Home Way.{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/homedepot/26373/|publisher=PR News Wire|title=The Home Depot acquires The Home Way|date=December 13, 2006--> The acquisition gave The Home Depot an immediate presence in China, with 12 stores in six cities. Although China is ruled by the communist party, the government allows Home Depot to further deregulate its practices, decide on matters liberally on employee benefits and labor union membership in a socialist country.[Wikipedia:Please clarify] || -->

Labor Union Policies The Home Depot has a strong "union-free" policy like other major retail companies, such as Wal-Mart.

In 2004, Home Depot workers at a suburban Detroit store in Harper Woods, MI, rejected a bid to be represented by a labor union, voting 115 to 42 against joining the United Food and Commercial Workers.

If the union had won, the Michigan store would have been the first Home Depot ever to have union representation. The retailer has more than 1,900 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Home Depot Workers Reject Bid to Unionize

Criticism Fox News Advertising "Activists are urging Home Depot, which recently unveiled an environmentally conscious marketing program, to withdraw advertising from Fox News, whose hosts and commentators dismiss global warming as liberal hysteria."{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/business/media/30depot.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin|publisher=NY Times|title=Home Depot Refuses to Drop Ads on Fox News|date=July 30, 2007-->

Loss Prevention company policy In 2007, Dustin Chester of the Murfreesboro store in Tennessee was fired for apprehending a suspected thief. Chester was employed with the company for 7 years, and was a department manager in the store. He confronted a man holding a wad of cash and brandishing a crowbar. The man ran and Chester pursued, catching the man in the parking lot then holding him until police arrived. Chester was terminated by the company for confronting the thief, giving chase then detaining. The company policy states that associates should not confront thieves, but instead inform a salaried manager and/or loss prevention supervisor. Home Depot states the company policy is intended to protect customers and employees alike from a possible escalating situation. "The associates involved were not following company policy, resulting in this disciplinary action," said Don Harrison, spokesman for the Atlanta-based company. "Safety is a primary focus for our company." Chester claims in his seven years he has never heard of the policy.{{cite web|url=http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070829/NEWS01/70829023|publisher=Tennessean |title=Home Depot employee looking for job after stopping alleged thief|date=August 29, 2007-->

Whistleblower Case Home Depot currently is embroiled in whistleblower litigation brought under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) law. In July 2005, former employee Michael Davis, represented by attorney Mark D. Schwartz, Esq., filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Home Depot, alleging that his discharge was in retaliation for refusing to make unwarranted chargebacks against vendors. Davis alleges that Home Depot forced its employees to meet a set quota of chargebacks to cover damaged or defective merchandise, forcing employees to make chargebacks to vendors for merchandise that was undamaged and not defective. Home Depot alleges that it fired Davis for repeatedly failing to show up for work.

The trial initially was concluded in June 2006, but in April 2007, U.S. Department of Labor Judge Pamela Lakes Wood ordered the case reopened after Home Depot's law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld revealed that the retail giant's in-house counsel had told them that two Home Depot employees who testified at the trial had lied. Akin Gump sent Wood a letter on September 29, 2006 letter, in which the law firm requested that the testimony be stricken. In response to Akin Gump's revelation, Davis' attorney Mark D. Schwartz asked for the case to be reopened to permit further questioning of the witnesses. On April 6, 2007, Wood ordered the case to be reopened. The judge fundamentally sided with Schwartz, reopening the case so that Davis would receive "a full and fair hearing."

Schwartz believes that the witnesses who falsely denied that they had ever been asked to enter false return-to-vendor information gave false testimony under pressure from Home Depot. Schwartz was quoted by the New York Post as saying, "I have reason to believe these witnesses were intimidated into giving false testimony." Home Depot's response to Schwartz's allegations were "meritless." "Home Depot Case Revived", by Suzanne Kapner New York Post (April 12, 2007)

References External links

{{Infobox_Company |company_name = The Home Depot, Inc. | company_logo = ] | company_type = [Public company ({{nyse|HD-->)| slogan = "You Can Do It. We Can Help."| foundation = ([Atlanta, Georgia, [United States)| location = [Vinings, Georgia, [United States| key_people = [Frank Blake, CEO & Chairman| industry = [Retailer| num_employees = 355,000| products = Home improvement products such as [appliances, [tools, [hardware,lumber, building materials, paint, plumbing, flooring and [gardening.| revenue = {{profit-->$90.837 billion United States dollar ([) | net_income = {{profit-->$5.761 billion United States dollar ([) | homepage = http://www.homedepot.com/ www.homedepot.com| -->

The Home Depot () is an United States retailer of home improvement and building construction products and services.

Headquartered in Vinings, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, Georgia in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box store across the United States (including the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands), Canada (ten provinces of Canada), Mexico and People's Republic of China.{{cite web|url=http://ir.homedepot.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=219054|publisher=The Home Depot|title=News Releases|date=November 17, 2006--> Currently, the world's second largest Home Depot is in its final stages on the island of Guam.

The Home Depot is the largest home improvement retailer in the United States, ahead of rival Lowe's, and the second-largest general retailer in the United States, behind only Wal-Mart. Top 100 Retailers: The Nation's Retail Power Players (PDF), Stores, July 2006.

History The Home Depot was founded in 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia by Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank, Ron Brill, and Pat Farrah. The men envisioned a chain of home-improvement warehouses, larger than any of their competitors' facilities, filled with a vast array of products stacked from the floor to the 20ft ceiling and staffed by customer-service experts. With valuable contributions investment banker Ken Langone, they secured sufficient capital and searched nationwide for a suitable location to found their company. Marcus and Blank opened two stores on June 22, 1979, in Atlanta, which made the city the official home of the Home Depot.

In 2000, after the retirement of Marcus and Blank, Robert Nardelli was appointed chairman, president, and CEO. Nardelli was replaced in January 2007 by Frank Blake.{{cite web|url=http://ir.homedepot.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=224078|publisher=The Home Depot|title=News Releases|date=January 3, 2007-->

The Home Depot today Home Depot stores are large, averaging 105,000 ft² (9,755 m²) and warehouse-style, stocking a large range of supplies. The company color is a bright orange (PMS 165, CMYK 60M100Y), on signs, equipment and employee aprons.

Its 2006 sales totaled US$90.8 billion. Despite the 10% increase in revenue, it dropped three spots to #17 on the 2007 Fortune (magazine) Fortune 500 list (it was #13 in 2005 and #14 in 2006). The Home Depot also owns EXPO Design Center, a chain of higher-end home decorating and appliance stores. In 2006, The Home Depot acquired Hughes Supply which is to be assimilated into HD Supply serving contractors. In September 2005, Home Depot Direct launched its high-end online home-furnishings store, 10 Crescent Lane, shortly followed by the launch of Paces Trading Company, its high-end online lighting store. In mid 2006, Home Depot acquired Home Decorators Collection which was placed as an additional brand under its Home Depot Direct Division.

On January 2, 2007, Home Depot and Robert Nardelli mutually agreed on Nardelli's resignation as CEO after a six-year tenure. Nardelli resigned amid complaints over his heavy handed management and whether his pay package of $123.7 million, excluding stock option grants, over the past 5 years was excessive considering the stock's poor performance versus its competitor Lowe's. His golden parachute severance package of $210 million has also been criticized because when the stock went down his pay went up.{{cite web], who previously served as the company's vice chairman of the board and executive vice president. Board of directors Current members of the board of directors of Home Depot are: Greg Brenneman, Richard H. Brown, John Clendenin, Claudio González, Milledge Hart, Bonnie Hill, Laban Jackson, Lawrence R. Johnston, Ken Langone, Armando Codina, Tom Salveter and one additional director. The Home Depot's board consists of 12 members, with 11 of them being outside directors.

Marketing The slogan "You can do it. We can help." has been used by the Home Depot since 2003. Other slogans used in the past 25 years include "The Home Depot, Low prices are just the beginning" in the early 1990s and "When you're at the Home Depot, You'll feel right at home" in the late 1990s and "The Home Depot: First In Home Improvement!" from 1999-2003.

Exclusive brands The Home Depot carries several exclusive brands, including:

Fuel Centers Starting in 2006, Home Depot has started testing with Fuel Centers at some of its stores. The first centers located in Hermitage and Brentwood (both in Tennessee), and Acworth, Georgia are expected to earn $5-$7 million per year. The fuel centers sell beer, hot food, snacks along with providing diesel at a separate island. This allows contractors with large trucks to be able to fill their vehicles. The fuel centers also offer car washes, which are large enough to accommodate full size pickups.

Home Depot construction toys Home depot also has its own brand of construction toys, but are sold exclusively at Toys R Us.

Social and Community Philanthropy "The company is also dedicated to giving back to the community and donates time, labor, money, and supplies to numerous charities, totaling more than $200 million in contributions. The Home Depot Foundation, established in 2002, supports a variety of community projects, including Habitat for Humanity; City of Hope, a California-based cancer-treatment center; and KaBOOM!, a playground-construction organization.Bailey,M. Georgia College and State University",http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1886&sug=y

Environmental record Home Depot has stated on their website that they have a commitment "to the environment and pledge to continue to be an industry leader in looking for products and services that are respectful of our world."{{cite web|url=http://ir.homedepot.com/governance/ethics.cfm|publisher=Home Depot|title=Business Code of Conduct and Ethics--> Home Depot has worked with environmental groups to develop a variety of green programs, like offsetting carbon emissions from its headquarters by planting thousands of trees in Atlanta.{{cite web|url=http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_read.asp?id=347104172007|publisher=stopglobalwarming.org|title=Home Depot to Display an Environmental Label|date=April 17, 2007-->

In April 2007 Home Depot announced its own label, Eco Option, for nearly 3,000 products, from fluorescent light bulbs that conserve electricity and natural insect killers, to sustainable forestry and clean water practices. The idea is that the brand name will identify the products as environmentally friendly. The initiative is expected to include 6,000 products by 2009, representing 12 percent of the chain's sales.{{cite web|url=http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/sgw_read.asp?id=347104172007|publisher=stopglobalwarming.org|title=Home Depot to Display an Environmental Label|date=April 17, 2007-->

Major sponsorships Since 1991, the company has become a large supporter of athletics, sponsoring the United States Olympic Committee and Canadian Olympic Committees, and launching a program which offered employment to athletes that accommodates their training and competition schedules. While remaining supportive of Canadian Olympians, Home Depot ceased to be a sponsor of the Canadian Olympic Team in 2005.

Company co-founder Blank also purchased the Atlanta Falcons franchise of the National Football League in February 2002. The Home Depot is also the primary sponsor of two time NASCAR Champion (2002, 2005) Joe Gibbs Racing. NASCAR driver Tony Stewart drives The Home Depot #20 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS/Impala SS. The Home Depot is also the title sponsor of The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, home to both the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA of (Major League Soccer), and Los Angeles Riptide (Major League Lacrosse), and many past major sporting events.innovative solutions for the home in areas such as security and home monitoring, communications, energy efficiency, entertainment, environment and health.{{cite web] candidates in the United States general elections, 2006. "Home Depot's PAC gives money based on a candidate's voting record, committee assignment and leadership position," said company spokesman Jerry Shields.{{cite web|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=ax33MvEtvy0E&refer=news|publisher=Bloomberg.com|title=Republican Candidates Increase Share of Business PAC Donations|date=August 8, 2006--> The CEO in this period was Bob Nardelli, a friend of Bush.{{cite web], 2004* article that mentions Bush Nardelli Garden Reception.

The Home Depot internationally Home Depot Canada is the Canada unit of Home Depot and one of Canada's top home improvement retailers. The Canadian operation consists of 159 stores and employs over 30,000 people in Canada. Home Depot Canada has stores in all ten Canadian provinces and serves territorial Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon through electronic means (Online and catalog sales).

The Canadian unit was created with the purchase of Aikenhead Hardware. Home Depot management has an ambitious plan to overtake its biggest competitor, Rona, which has about four times as many stores. However, many of Rona's stores are smaller than the typical Home Depot store. In terms of big box stores, Home Depot has many more stores than Rona. Home Depot will also face competition from Lowe's as they move into the Canadian market in 2007; Lowe's first Canadian outlets will be located in Ontario. Launched in Oct 2003 the Canadian website can be found at www.homedepot.ca.

Mexico

The Home Depot entered Mexico in 2001, and has since become one of the largest retailers in Mexico, operating more than 50 stores with over 6,600 employees. Most of the Home Depot stores are located in the same installations in which the extinct Home Marts were located. Border town Home Depots attract some American consumers to make their US dollar go further in purchases of mostly same home improvement products in Home Depots of Tijuana, Mexicali, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros. In 2006, Home Depot began a program to offer Mexican employees to have "guest worker" incentives for Mexican nationals and Latin Americans to easily, but legally obtain employment in Home Depots across the US.

China In December 2006, The Home Depot announced its acquisition of the Chinese home improvement retailer The Home Way.{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/homedepot/26373/|publisher=PR News Wire|title=The Home Depot acquires The Home Way|date=December 13, 2006--> The acquisition gave The Home Depot an immediate presence in China, with 12 stores in six cities. Although China is ruled by the communist party, the government allows Home Depot to further deregulate its practices, decide on matters liberally on employee benefits and labor union membership in a socialist country.[Wikipedia:Please clarify] || -->

Labor Union Policies The Home Depot has a strong "union-free" policy like other major retail companies, such as Wal-Mart.

In 2004, Home Depot workers at a suburban Detroit store in Harper Woods, MI, rejected a bid to be represented by a labor union, voting 115 to 42 against joining the United Food and Commercial Workers.

If the union had won, the Michigan store would have been the first Home Depot ever to have union representation. The retailer has more than 1,900 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Home Depot Workers Reject Bid to Unionize

Criticism Fox News Advertising "Activists are urging Home Depot, which recently unveiled an environmentally conscious marketing program, to withdraw advertising from Fox News, whose hosts and commentators dismiss global warming as liberal hysteria."{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/business/media/30depot.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin|publisher=NY Times|title=Home Depot Refuses to Drop Ads on Fox News|date=July 30, 2007-->

Loss Prevention company policy In 2007, Dustin Chester of the Murfreesboro store in Tennessee was fired for apprehending a suspected thief. Chester was employed with the company for 7 years, and was a department manager in the store. He confronted a man holding a wad of cash and brandishing a crowbar. The man ran and Chester pursued, catching the man in the parking lot then holding him until police arrived. Chester was terminated by the company for confronting the thief, giving chase then detaining. The company policy states that associates should not confront thieves, but instead inform a salaried manager and/or loss prevention supervisor. Home Depot states the company policy is intended to protect customers and employees alike from a possible escalating situation. "The associates involved were not following company policy, resulting in this disciplinary action," said Don Harrison, spokesman for the Atlanta-based company. "Safety is a primary focus for our company." Chester claims in his seven years he has never heard of the policy.{{cite web|url=http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070829/NEWS01/70829023|publisher=Tennessean |title=Home Depot employee looking for job after stopping alleged thief|date=August 29, 2007-->

Whistleblower Case Home Depot currently is embroiled in whistleblower litigation brought under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) law. In July 2005, former employee Michael Davis, represented by attorney Mark D. Schwartz, Esq., filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Home Depot, alleging that his discharge was in retaliation for refusing to make unwarranted chargebacks against vendors. Davis alleges that Home Depot forced its employees to meet a set quota of chargebacks to cover damaged or defective merchandise, forcing employees to make chargebacks to vendors for merchandise that was undamaged and not defective. Home Depot alleges that it fired Davis for repeatedly failing to show up for work.

The trial initially was concluded in June 2006, but in April 2007, U.S. Department of Labor Judge Pamela Lakes Wood ordered the case reopened after Home Depot's law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld revealed that the retail giant's in-house counsel had told them that two Home Depot employees who testified at the trial had lied. Akin Gump sent Wood a letter on September 29, 2006 letter, in which the law firm requested that the testimony be stricken. In response to Akin Gump's revelation, Davis' attorney Mark D. Schwartz asked for the case to be reopened to permit further questioning of the witnesses. On April 6, 2007, Wood ordered the case to be reopened. The judge fundamentally sided with Schwartz, reopening the case so that Davis would receive "a full and fair hearing."

Schwartz believes that the witnesses who falsely denied that they had ever been asked to enter false return-to-vendor information gave false testimony under pressure from Home Depot. Schwartz was quoted by the New York Post as saying, "I have reason to believe these witnesses were intimidated into giving false testimony." Home Depot's response to Schwartz's allegations were "meritless." "Home Depot Case Revived", by Suzanne Kapner New York Post (April 12, 2007)

References External links



 

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