For a while now, Home Hardware has been using the slogan, "Homeowners Helping Homeowners." I can get why they chose that: you like to think that the people helping you at a store are not unlike yourself and can relate to your needs.
But as a non-homeowner myself, I can't help but feel a little left-out. For one thing, my apartment's flimsy wiring has blown countless light bulbs, directly resulting in my being a repeat customer at the local Home Hardware. It's also the implication that a non-homeowner isn't going to care to help a homeowner. "Which drywall compound is most appropriate? How should I know - I wish I had something I could drywall."
But that claim - their company is made up of homeowners - brings up an interesting aspect. Are the people in their stores homeowners? I mean, think of any large retailer, and the people who work there, and consider whether they own homes. Even before the collapse of easy home loans, it's hard to believe that, say, Walmart employees were home owners. So Home Hardware must really be paying their employees way more than their competitors. Good for them, but I think a company would get more success if they advertised that they were "Ununionized Working Poor Helping Homeowners."
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