to be fair, i've seen this story in multiple places and no one seems to notice that the stores are actually called "home depot design center", not "her depot."

clearly still patronizing and gross, of course.

Pffffffffft to them. I'm a woman, and I love building and fixing my own stuff. I was the one who took apart and fixed my boyfriend's mistake on his entertainment center. Girls aren't as wimpy as some people like to think. Come on!

I think I just pulled something rolling my eyes.

Im a shovanist pig and even I think this is stupid.

Sounds like something out of The Onion when you write about it, BPHD, but if it's really "Home Depot Design Center" then I don't see anything wrong with it. (Although the quotes are still bizarre.)

This sort of thing is really embarassing, because it's believed that 'men like me' are responsible for allowing this, which is frustrating because I am so against stuff like this it's untrue. Unfortunately, outdated/sexist chain stores who have got this approach seem to see things in a particular way - Like all men are interested in is manly stuff, like chainsaws and GUNS and MOTOR OIL MBWAHAHAHA...and of course all women would be interested in are pink lampshades and wouldn't dream of doing DIY. It's just...so 50s.

Uhhh.... Isn't this just an Expo?
You know, the high end home depot store thats clean w/ stuff for upscale clients?

I go there all the time to get fancy tile for cheap rich people who want nice bathrooms.

yeah, those geniuses at best buy did the same thing with home electronics then ended up INTEGRATING IT INTO BEST BUY RETAIL STORES.

Here's a novel idea...try training your fucking employees to know the difference between Fiberglass and Fiberboard...they may be gold medal winning athletes but they certainly aren't impressing me with customer service.

Furthurmore, If they are going to provide women with "Her Depot" shouldn't there be a "Bed Bath and Boob tubes" where men can watch football on big screen televisions while shopping for cinder blocks to prop up their bachelor bed?

Whatever, I shop at ace hardware anyway...I like that I can by five screws there instead of five hundred.

Perhaps its like an Expo, but most likely its just another attempt by the company to alienate customers and slowly run stock prices into the ground...
much like the way they have run the company for the past 5 years.

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

on an unrelated note anybody want to buy some HD stock... or perhaps some ocean front property in Arizona... they seem to be worth about the same

I think the question should be, "Is Home Depot manufacturing the role of women or responding to the role of women?"

I don't know. But, if it is the latter, then what they're doing is simply catering to women, in order to make more profit, of course.

Also, since we're talking about what is or isn't sexist: What kind of perspective are they putting out by calling Home Depot "male-friendly" and in the same paragraph "not clean and neat". I suppose without women, men are doomed to entropy and mud-wallowing.

Really, though, what freethinking person - male or female - would make a habit of going to Hope Depot if they didn't have to? Subvert the dominant paradigm and help your community by supporting locally owned business.

Come on, does anyone seriously believe that this idea was created by a bunch of overly-macho men at Home Depot headquarters sitting around and throwing out ideas about how they could create a store based solely on their stereotypes about women?

I would think when you're opening up a whole new chain, you're going to put some research into it. The process might go something like this:

CEO: I think there's an untapped market for home design, and we should expand Home Depot into it. You, Marketing Guy, go find out what the customer base is, and what they want in a design store.

Marketing Guy: Well, our research shows that in a majority of households, design is done by the woman, or by the woman and man working together. However, a small percentage of men are solely responsible for the design work.

CEO: Great. Now, what do these people want in a store?

Marketing Guy: Boss, our focus groups, surveys, and other data indicate that women in particular, but also the men, would prefer the store to be clean and well organized. They would like the home design store to sell more home design products than can be found at Home Depot. More home decor and organizational things than lumber and nails.
They would like the products displayed so as to emulate an actual home, so they can imagine what it would be like in their own houses. They don't just want their doors, windows, appliances, and the rest packed in boxes where they can't see it.

CEO: Spectacular! Go build it!

What's patronizing and disgusting about figuring out who your customers are, and then designing a store based on what they want?

I'm clearly missing something, I guess.

Yeah, um, the Expo Design Centers have been around for several years.

i don't get what the big deal is. not everything is meant to be a slap in the face of womankind. home depot can be a little overwhelming for any gender, and certainly lacks customer service. but i think this is just an attempt to expand their market....cheesy yes, insidious...doubtful. aren't there more important news stories out there to get worked up about?

Feh, it's not even handybeing-friendly. Every time I go there with a specific need in mind, it seems like it takes me an hour to find what I want. Finding a salesperson who knows their way around the store is hit-or-miss at best. I guess pink floral prints are cheaper than knowledgeable salespeople...

I understand your point. But they wouldn't be doing it unless they thought there was a market for this type of store. There is a segment of the female population who will think this is a good idea. That is not meant to be a justification, just an observation. To be honest, I hate going to Home Depot for the very reasons they give - too many nuts and bolts, no customer service, the inability to find anything quickly. I would probably be more likely to shop at Her Depot as a result.