Home Depot copies Walmart with decision consumers won’t like

Home Depot has always held its own as a major retailer.

While other retailers will hire any senior citizen to stock shelves or handle purchases, Home Depot tends to hire knowledgeable sales associates trained in specific jobs.

For example, if you need help finding the right bedroom paint, there’s someone for that. If you’re brave and doing the bathroom remodel yourself, there are store employees who can direct you to the right materials.

Additionally, the nature of Home Depot is that it is a store that customers need year-round. That’s why Home Depot maintains long hours throughout the year; It opens at 6 in the morning and closes until 22 in the evening.

It’s this consistency that customers have come to trust.

Many retailers close their doors to shoppers several times throughout the year. In fact, it’s quite common for stores to be closed on holidays like Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.

But Home Depot remains open almost every day of the year. Part of the reason for this is that the company prides itself on being consistently available to customers.

Related: Walmart sees shift in consumer behavior

Still, Home Depot draws the line at two major holidays: Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

These are the only two days in the entire calendar year that Home Depot will not be accepting shoppers.

This is the same store closure schedule that Walmart has stuck to, and it’s a schedule that consumers may find frustrating, given they’re used to Home Depot being open all the time. But although some customers may not like it, there is a reason behind it.

Closing twice a year makes sense for Home Depot for several reasons.

First, the company has large stores similar in size to Costco warehouses, which many customers find impressive but overwhelming.

Even keeping such a large store running for a day costs money. And given that Thanksgiving and Christmas aren’t really big home improvement days, foot traffic is likely to be minimal during these times.

It’s not worth the cost of staying open for just a handful of customers.

Related: Shoppers angry over grocery chain’s new anti-theft rule

But Home Depot also needs to keep its sales associates happy. These aren’t just any former retail workers; people who know their way around home improvement and specific products.

To retain good employees, it is very important to give workers time off for these major holidays.

More Retail: