Home depot
INTRODUCTION Home Depot, Inc. first opened its doors in June of 1979 in Atlanta, Georgia under the owners of Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank. They had the vision of a one-stop shop for every need a do-it-yourself customer might have. The first few stores were around 60,000 square feet and they used empty boxes to give the illusion of more products on their shelves. Home Depot quickly became a popular home improvement warehouse throughout the country and revolutionized the do-it-yourself industry. Home Depot’s goal is to help consumers find the products perfect for their renovations or home projects by providing excellent customer service. Since the beginning their associates have provided superior customer service to their customers by offering free classes where customers can learn how to do it themselves. The store associates also underwent rigorous training in order to be knowledgeable about the products Home Depot stocks. Home Depot has a “whatever it takes” philosophy when it comes to customer service, meaning they want their associates to form a more personal relationship with their customers instead of just treating them like walking money signs. They also offer expert support services for contractors and tradespeople to guarantee that they have the right tools to complete the job in an effective and timely manner. Home Depot is currently the fastest growing retailer in the United States. The company went public in 1981 on NASDAQ and three years later moved to the New York Stock Exchange. In 1989 Home Depot celebrated the opening of its 100th store. There are now 2,256 stores located all over the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Home Depot was also present in China, which entered that market in 2006, until September 2012 when it decided to close all of its seven stores because of no profitability (Home Depot, Inc., 2013). Today, Home Depot carries approximately 30,000 to 40,000 different products in its stores, and it offers over 600,000