For several years, I’ve wondered why Home Depot does not show products’ manufacturing origins in their listings.
Home Depot’s Canadian website has been showing COO info for years. Even Amazon shows COO info for a lot of products.
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Here’s a link to Wiss straight metal snips on Home Depot, and here’s a link on Amazon. The Home Depot listing says nothing about these snips being made in the USA, while the Amazon listing does.
Over the years, I’ve heard from a lot of readers that want brands and online retailers to be more transparent about where their products are made.
So what can we do about it? Well, I asked a friendly HD contact again about this, and hope to hear back soon. I asked someone else a few years ago, and never heard back.
But I’m one person. If you want to see Home Depot add country of origin info for the products they sell, then you have to ask for it.
On every Home Depot product page, there’s a request for product information feedback. So, click that link, and give them feedback.
You can find this feedback link on ANY Home Depot product page. Just pick one tool you wish you could see COO info for, and submit your feedback.
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You don’t have to write an essay, simply fill in that box and say something like: I want to know where products are manufactured, or something to that effect.
I wrote:
Please consider adding country of origin information to product listings, thank you!
You’ve got to tick off some of the boxes in order to submit the form. It doesn’t ask for any personal contact information.
If enough of us ask for this info to be included in product listings, maybe they’ll consider it. Or maybe not. But if we don’t ask for such info, then they’ll definitely not add COO info.
If you don’t care, that’s okay too.
Nathan
I like it.
Done. Never even noticed the feed back link.
Andrew
Might as well ask Lowe’s too!
Jerry
Our local Menard’s has a Made in USA sale every once in a while which seems to go over well. They even put little signs on the shelf so you know which items are USA made. I wish more stores would clearly label their USA made items. Going to the HD website to suggest COO
Blythe M
I like that sale too, it’s really interesting to see where things come from
Ed
Did it, good suggestion.
Jon
Good call.
Done.
Jim Felt
Great idea! I just did a few and carefully mentioned that Amazon frequently provides this info and so for a better buying decision point so should they!
Grady
On my way to homedepot.com to ask them to add COO on there product information. Also, I would like all retailers to add a search filter “MADE IN THE USA” to only show products that are of course MADE IN THE USA.
SteveR
It might help, but I have a suspicion that a few requests here and there may not get them to add the COO. It would probably carry more authority if it came in the form of a friendly petition (i.e., all at once) with dozens if not hundreds of names on it asking them to include the COO in product descriptions.
The squeaky wheel(s) get the grease, but let’s see what the results of this current effort are.
Stuart
Any action is better than no action.
If someone wants to go the change.org or petition route, I’d sign it. But until then, this is the most direct way to provide feedback.
Donnie Johnson
You should always state where the tool is made. I will only buy USA made tools & I think that is why you don’t tell anyone where it is made. Because most people I’m sure would rather their tools be made in America.
Stuart
If you mean “you” as in ToolGuyd, I mention COO by default when a tool is made in the USA, Canada, or other high interest country (e.g. England, Germany, Japan, etc). For other tools, if someone asks and I know the answer, I’ll say so.
There are a few exceptions. For example, when I review a Spyderco knife that’s made in Taiwan, I make sure to mention that. Their Taiwan knife quality is EXCELLENT.
But if I can’t find the COO, what can I do? Often my only option is to look at brand and retailer product pages for such info.
Most retailers don’t offer COO info. But Home Depot Canada’s website DOES offer this info. So why not Home Depot’s USA site?
SteveR
Stuart–You indicate HD Canada offers this information (the COO), so you’re questioning why the U.S. website(s) don’t. Is it possible that a law or several laws were passed in Canada that requires that transparency? Apparently, we have no such requirements in place, and Home Depot USA doesn’t feel the necessity to provide it.
Remember, the automakers didn’t have to include seatbelts (occupant restraint systems) in cars until 1968. They were available prior to that for years, but it was downplayed. They understood that people might not think their cars were safe if you needed to wear a seatbelt while riding in one. They thought it would hurt sales if they pushed customers to buy seatbelts. They were inspired, as they say, by an act of Congress in 1968 which made it mandatory to include them in every new vehicle.
The same thing happened with the tobacco industry about health warnings. They though it would be suicide to imply their products weren’t safe if they printed such information on a pack of cigarettes. The closest they came was to add the “filter tip” to cigarettes. One brand, Kent, had a Micronite filter, which contained asbestos.
They also didn’t provide any health warnings in their advertising, either. However, they regularly aired and printed ads for years which stated many doctors thought it was not only safe, but healthful to smoke. That all changed on January 1, 1970.
It may be that HD America perceives that it is not in their best interests to tell us where products are made. It may hurt sales and/or place them in a bad light if they divulge the COO. They could also sidestep the question and simply refer us to the manufacturer or importer as the best source for that information. If there are no laws or requirements in place (and they don’t respond in the affirmative to your requests), what will you do then?
Obviously, we hope they realize they should just provide this information, so let’s watch to see how this plays out. The ball is in their court.
Jim
It almost sounds like you’re saying that they might not provide COO – so we shouldn’t bother to ask?
I agree that Canada might require more transparency by law – But I think the point was that HD has the information readily accessible. It’s just a matter of adding it to the US site. A trivial change.
Adding COO doesn’t really seem that relevant to the other anecdotes. You can find COO – it would just be more convenient if it didn’t require research. It’s not a safety or legal issue.
Hang Fire
They won’t do it, because they don’t want to be responsible when the brand changes OEM’s.
Coach James
If the brand changed OEM’s, they could simply change the COO designation on their website. I went to the website and put in a request on three items. Thanks for pointing out the section on the HD website Stuart.
Hang Fire
“simply change the COO designation on their website”. Hey boss, let’s put together a whole team to track and manage constantly changing data that most people don’t care about. Yeah, that’s a good sell.
They won’t do it unless legally required to.
Todd
Done. I have been looking at the Bosch PS22-02 for a while now used it to submit feedback. Do be aware you have to enter an overall rating before the form will submit.
Bob
I definitely fully support USA manufacturing. I do not shop at the orange box, due to their poor selection of USA product, especially tools. As mentioned by Jerry, most of my dollars goes to Menard’s.
Anyhow, I can’t seem to find that ‘feedback’ section on HD’s pages. Looked at Channeys, Huskie drivers, Wiss snips.
Keep up the great work, Stuart.
John A
I’m going to request that the employees stop greeting me like some kind of old high school buddy. One good morning at the front door is enough.