Home Depot facing customer boycott after quietly rolling back DEI policy

Home Depot has enraged its customers, sparking calls for a boycott, after it decided to quietly axe a section of its website championing the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

The recently removed DEI page, which was live on the site as of March, read: “We strive to ensure that our company culture maintains a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment so that we can attract and retain the best employees, amplify their unique experiences and ideas, and strengthen the communities where we operate.”

The move follows President Donald Trump’s orders to axe DEI programs in the private and public sectors across the nation.

While supporters have celebrated Trump’s orders, they have been criticized by advocacy groups who say they might deepen inequities and undo decades of progress made to enshrine civil rights protections for marginalized groups.

Since then, Home Depot has replaced its DEI page with a “WeAreTHD” page that omits any mention of “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” reports Retail Brew.

In a statement to Retail Brew, spokesperson Sarah McDonald said: “We’re proud to have a culture that welcomes everyone, and we believe it helps us achieve our business goals.”

“We’ve been using ‘WeAreTHD,’ which is a slogan that represents the welcoming culture we’ve built here. We remain committed to our core values and the needs of our business, empowering associates, driving innovation, and enriching our communities,” she continued.

Customers took to social media to vocalize their frustrations at the hardware store, with Blue Sky user, Greg Morosoff writing: “Well, look at that. Home Depot seems to have done away with DEI also. They say some corporo babble, but, nothing about DEI. Another reason to boycott everything publicly traded, like, Home Depot.”

Another, ‪Lorie Kellogg‬, said, “Well, we all know that [home improvement competitor] Lowe’s is a blue company and Home Depot’s a red company, so here we go.”

Equally, a user who claimed to be an employee praised the company, saying it was “a really great place to work” and that “there’s an entire app on the phones we’re given to work around the store with that takes you to a browser page describing what DEI means and what DEI benefits Home Depot offers and supports, and that stuff’a important to me.”

Trump supporters praised the move on X, with one user stating: “Thank you for dropping #DEI. It was preposterous to have a DEI policy! Home Depot knows its customers should not have ever pushed for inclusion. Thank You Home Depot, for waking up.”

The store has followed in the footsteps of other American businesses, like Target, which announced it would be rolling back DEI in late January. In March, a 40-day boycott was proposed against the big-box chain.

The Independent contacted Home Depot for comment.