ATLANTA - Home Depot has reversed its stance on doing business with the U.S. government, just a few weeks after reminding its stores not to sell to federal agencies. <br>
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The nation's second-largest retailer behind Wal-Mart had cited the immense number of rules and paperwork covering federal contractors when it reiterated its no-government sales policy to store managers. <br>
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But the company decided Friday to reverse course after hearing from its associates and customers and looking more closely at the requirements for being a federal contractor. <br>
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A company with more than 50 employees and annual government sales of more than $50,000 is subject to affirmative-action reporting rules. Those require the company to file hiring records and other data -- a task that can lead to a mountain of expensive paperwork and legal fees. <br>
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It's unclear how much Home Depot earned from government sales last year, but spokesman Jerry Shields says it was ``not a significant amount of money.''
