Home Depot Founder: Retailers Who Don't Support GOP "Should Be Shot"

The Oxdown Gazette:

This is what Home Depot's founder Bernie Marcus said on a conference call yesterday:

"If a retailer has not gotten involved with this, if he has not spent money on this election, if he has not sent money to Norm Coleman and these other guys," Mr. Marcus said, apparently referring to Republican senators facing tough re-election fights, then those retailers "should be shot; should be thrown out of their goddamn jobs."

It's nice to know Home Depot supports the death penalty for not supporting their politics. The coming EFCA fight is going to be bloody.

Read the whole story: The Oxdown Gazette

Comments

[sinope]

I go to a small Mom/Pop-owned True-Value here in Wisconsin. You can see a Home Depot from their parking lot. It gets me mad every time I see it...

[bluecrewman]

The man is sick. Unfortunately senility leads to frankness.

[Jo Manning]

What an a--hole. He is a prime example of what is wrong with this country, what is wrong with the GOP, and why Republicans are not the patriots they claim to be.

Home Depot, I sure ain't gonna grace your miserable stores again.

[LS1958]

Two questions:

Why did this guy set up a conference call?
Why does anybody care what he says?

[IAB]

Bye bye, Home Depot...last time I will ever grace your doors...

[cyndeewi]

I will not go to another Home Depot. You just made a big mistake sir!

[Dram5780]

Here's Home Depots contact page. TELL EM!
http://www.homedepotcenter.com/aboutus_feedbackform.php

[kareemachan]

Thanks for posting this - I just gave them my thoughts on good ol' Bernie.

[mchelle1984]

That link is incorrect. It's to comment on The Home Depot Center (some sort of stadium), not the corporation itself. The link to comment to Home Depot is here-

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentView?pn=Contact_Us&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

[PCRX]

Ditto:

Hello,

I wanted to post this message to just put the word out to you that I will no longer be shopping at Home Depot. I come to this decision after hearing of your founder run off at the mouth that retailers who do not support the GOP "should be shot; should be thrown out of their goddamn jobs."

Well, with that quote I decide that I will not give money to retailers who want to throw out incindeary remarks. I will gladly shop Lowes or even better my local hardware store. Bernie should be sat down and told that there are plenty of places for me to get my hardware and home suppy wares that are NOT Home Depot.

Over the last 14 years and three homes I have shopped Home Depot for home improvement supplies. I can only imagine how many thousands I have spent over those years. That spending comes to an official halt today, as I can not support a business whose head founder speaks to others in such a way.

What a shame, but at least Bernie showed his true colors so that those of us who spend the money can make informed decisions about where to spend it.

[DrDemon]

I wonder how long it will take for this _____ to begin to recognize the losses over his "idiotic" statement?

[DrDemon]

Lowes for me from now on...

[deepfreezevideo]

He should have acknowledged his blessings as a businessman in the greatest country on earth instead of issuing fatwahs. When Karl Karcher opened his big yap that was the last time I ate at Carl's Jr. and I haven't been back since.
Today I add HD to the list of stores that can kiss my rosy red ass.

[videovik]

typical foolish republican businessman,blame someone else before everyone figures out that Home Depote stores look like they're almost bankrupt and going out of business soon. This kind of stupid statement will make that great day come even sooner, Thank god every American can choose to go to another store like Lowes or Menards here in Chicago, They are far better stores anyway.

[Mahi Joe]

I agree. We also have a lot of independently owned hardware stores here in Chicago which we can also support.

[IAB]

You're right...my sister lives in Glencoe...she never goes to Home Depot...

[LeBeau59741]

Well, that's the last dime I spend at Home Depot.
I've made a conscious effort for years to spend at least 30% of my home improvement and tool dollars at locally owned businesses, and Marcus' comments just bumped that number 50%.

Hope the board of directors is very happy with this guy, who retired in 2002, harpooning the company- especially when just yesterday they had to report a significant drop in earnings.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/home-depot-profit-drops-less-than-forecast/story.aspx?guid=%7BBADEE527-B0DA-45F8-AB48-24E10387CD3B%7D&dist=msr_34

[IAB]

My Mom hated all the big box stores...she use to rant to me and my siblings about the evils of Walmart (well justified, even though they DO have good bargains) and stores like Home Depot...if she did business in her small Indiana town, she always went to the local guys, not the big boys, and insisted we buy her items at those stores only.

[hskylvr]

I don't want to be thrown out of my job so I am going to go donate to Franken and Martin right now.

[SeenItBefore]

As a small contractor, I still spend between 25K and 35K a year with HD, down from 60-100k. I do this because I'm lazy and my client's find it convenient to go across the street and imagine their bathroom or kitchen.

That said, HD has approached me for years asking why my expenditures over the years have declined to 25K. Every time I say the same thing. "Stop sending A$$ hoes and high school drop-outs to help me!"

Lowe's is no better, taking 6 months to deliver one 6' foot piece of stair nosing from their supplier 210 miles to my local store. Nothing changes. Better yet, when you find a decent product, they stop stocking it... that's a great business profile! NEVER give the public what it want's!

Hint, go to your local lumber yard for lumber - you will get a better product, and most of the time, a better price. Local fixture stores offer a greater variety and similar pricing, check them out.

I do this for a living, so believe me when I say MOST of the prices at HD and Lowe's are higher than shopping locally. Support your local merchants because they are the back bones of your communities.

[Trittydi]

Thank you for this. We have a Menards about 20 minutes in one direction and a Home Depot about 20 minutes in another. Not sure where we can find a local place, but I'll work on it. In the meantime - I'll be damned before I'll ever set foot into the HD ever again.

I'll contact the company and tell them so too - I don't care if the guy IS retired.
*

[IAB]

You may pay more, but the small guys are worth it.

[incontempt]

Whoa!!... isn't this terrorism....at the very least criminal threatening! Don't these dumbasses see that attacking the president of the United States will only result in their deaths or orderly confinement.

[LeeCalif]

Just read he is still the largest single stockholder...

Bye bye Home Depot.