More than money

I saw someone post a tweet during the recent hurricane that hit the East coast that essentially questioned the decision by Home Depot to stay open 24 hours. The tweet essentially questioned the business sense of paying employees when there wouldn’t likely sell enough materials to pay for the cost of electricity and staff. I was surprised, mostly because the person posting the tweet typically has more compassion for people than companies.

This decision isn’t about profit and loss. From an accounting, or MBA standpoint, this isn’t worth doing. However it isn’t about profits. It’s about serving the community and going the extra mile. It’s about being available to help your customers if they need it. I doubt anyone will come, but someone that gets damage at 10pm just might want to come get some wood, buckets, tarps, etc. for repair.

I’m sure some PR benefit accrues from the decision, but in my mind, this is more about being part of the community and understanding that there is more to business than straight profit.