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.

[justshe]

My husband purchases some supplies from Home Depot for the federal agency he works for. The reason? Because Home Depot offers the lowest prices for the products he needs, and to purchase elsewhere would cost the taxpayers more money. There IS another side to this story. Even if some don't want to hear it and think that ALL government employees are lower than pond scum.

[concerned about politics]

Once you become a vendor for the Feds, you agree to their politically correct thought oppressions.
The Feds came to them, and they said "no thank you." I'd say they did the right thing.
Sure there's a war, but other chains are willing to bend over and show their "tolerance."
They'll still get what they need from another.

[glm]

Sorry it took so long to answer (cable was down). I don't write the laws such as the Trade Agreements Act which states you must treat a bunch of countries as if they were domestic when evaluating prices/products. Before there were evaluation penalties for foreign products, now we treat foreign products as equal (well most countries). NOw I did not write that law but I did take an oath to carry out the laws. Are you saying I should betray my oath. I cannot pick and choose which laws I follow.

[Maelstrom]

Unfortunately, Home Depot is taking the correct action.

Allowing the government to do business there makes Home Depot liable for numerous government laws, regulations, and executive orders that will *punish* them prohibitively for ordinary and proper business practices. Nobody needs that...except maybe you, A. Morgan...until you understand it.

[Cvengr]

Maybe Jesse Jackson initiated actions to encourage Home Depot's fair interest in governmental sales.

[meyer]

I think Yankees tend to be a little more crotchety.

Like me :-)

Well, I used to live in Ohio and had 2 Home Depot stores within 15 minutes from my house. One was very good; the other was "crotchety". It isn't necessarily a Yankee thing; it just depends on the area sometimes.

And, you don't appear crotchety to me. :^)

[sport]

When did Congress declare that "On this date a state of war exists between the United States of America and ....."

[Cvengr]

Your assessment reads consistently.

From my experience, especially after Clinton/Gore went to bat to 'overhaul big government', they seemed to have thrown out about 60 years of federal checks and balances along with 60 yrs of corporate culture. Meanwhile they substituted a number of 'minority/good ol' boy' only contract mechanisms where the government machine only gets about 20 cents on the dollar in value, while the majority to all outlays have been solely directed to a handful of contractors who already competed during the Gore/Clinton regime with 5yr contracts.

Meanwhile, in the government credit card circles, I've seen decentralized control with centralized command result in about as efficient of a method possible to locally contract small purchases,...yet I've seen the best, most conscientious, most experienced estimators/puchasers who probably save 50% of any standard competitive contracting, get suspended simply because of GS BS several tiers over their positions in accounting and controllership circles,....without notice or due process.

I've seen contractors get their payments suspended simply because of bureaucracy even when no abuse occurs mainly due to some arrogant symptom of empire building.

I've also noted that the same persons who seem to be at the root of the conflicts, sincerely believe they are being good stewards and think they are in control of large empirtes or estates, yet if they ever had to manage a typical account for a firm like Home Depot, I stongly suspect their budgets would be dwarfed by private enterprise.

[Chi-townChief]

I like Home Depot but it looks like I'll do my shopping at Menards until the true story here comes out.

[Chi-townChief]

You forgot the question mark after "and ..."

[Lloyd227]

"NOw I did not write that law but I did take an oath to carry out the laws. Are you saying I should betray my oath. I cannot pick and choose which laws I follow."

No, but you can quit your tax funded employment and get a real job.

[sport]

Thanks.

[Sam Cree]

"No congressional action required"

I view that as a violation of the principle of the "rule of law" on which our freedom has always has been based. That is that bureaucracies have the power to make arbitrary decisions

[1L]

The estalished Lowes, visible right down the block, is always crowded so if you go to the new HD, there is seldom anyone there and the employees can actually be found and asked questions.

That's the exact opposite of my experience. I go to Lowes in another part of the (DFW) metroplex, passing up a Home Depot (except for quick in and out trips) about a half mile away.

[Beenliedto]

"This is the first company I've ever heard of establishing a policy of not doing business with the federal government. I find it hard to understand," she said.

Must be the second. We're in the printing business, and we WILL NOT touch a government job, under any circumstances that I can think of.

[Brian Allen]

Good on Home Depot!

There has NEVER been a single company and/or individual that/who has done business, on its terms, with the US feral gummint and has remained uncorrupted.

The feral gummint's FRankensteinian bureaucracy is America's [And, it follows, the world's] most corrupt institution.

To touch it is to be touched by Pure Evil!

[walden]

It's about all of the rules for federal sub-contractors and suppliers, and I can't say that I blame them. If you do any business at all with the government, you're probably in violation of dozens of laws (even if you don't, you're probably in violation of something.) What that means is that if the government wants to go after you, they can almost always get you for something.

That said, though, it's probably a self-defeating policy, as it is going to cost them big bucks.

[self_evident]

I sent it back after a pass through our shredder, with a note saying, in effect, "You want to buy our stuff, you send a check like everybody else. If not, go pound sand and stuff your forms."

Lol. You are my HERO!!!

[meyer]

That said, though, it's probably a self-defeating policy, as it is going to cost them big bucks.

I'm not so sure about that; the cost of compliance for such a large firm could be astronomical. Just the quota stuff alone would probably put them under.