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In June 2002, the Atlanta-based Home Depot chain of hardware and home-improvement stores instructed their retail outlets, as a matter of corporate policy, to decline any purchase of materials made by or for the federal government. This policy applies regardless of the method of payment, whether it be cash, a government purchase order, or a government-issued credit card: Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2002] The reasons for this policy were explicated by a Home Depot spokesman who said that Engaging in business practices with the federal government is not a strategic focus of the Home Depot, and that The Home Depot is not and does not plan to become a federal contractor or subcontractor. (The same spokesman also said that it was a restatement of an old policy, although memoranda outlining procedures regarding the acceptance of government purchases were only sent to Home Depot stores within the last few weeks.) The issue, according to The Washington Post, was that Home Depot was taking steps to ensure they do not become classified as a government contractor, and thereby subject to reams of paperwork and cumbersome government regulations regarding equal-opportunity hiring practices: On 17 June 2002, Home Depot posted a somewhat murky press release on their web site, one which did little to clarify the reasons behind their policy: A few weeks later, however, Home Depot suddenly announced it had reversed its no government policy:
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