Home Depot Targets Women

Home Depot is opening a new prototype store in Florida. The building is slated to have wider aisles, lots of glass and ornamental designs on the facade, better lighting, and a less-industrial warehouse appearance--all in an effort to woo women.

"Better than 50 percent of the decisions about what products to buy in our stores are driven by women," said Don Harrison, an Atlanta-based spokesman for the home improvement chain.

Home Depot says the changes are based on customer exit surveys and marketing studies. I wonder what type of women they surveyed? I don't pay any attention to the touchy-feely atmosphere at the Home Depot I patronize. I just want to find the stuff I'm looking for at a decent price.

But these women apparently are more interested in having all the "decor" items in one place.

Although the new store will target women, it won't ignore contractors and the handyman, Harrison said. Merchandise will stay the same.

So, it sounds like their approach to the females is to assume they just want to buy kitchen appliances (isn't that where we're supposed to stay, anyway?), curtain rods, and rugs. But the handymen and contractors want the "real" stuff?

If I was in the market for decor items, HD wouldn't be my first stop. But a good drill bit or 2x4? That's my kind of HD!