R-E-S-P-E-C-T the Do-It-Herselfer
Not all hardware stores are welcoming to women, and that's just bad business
An Ace Hardware’s tongue-in-cheek sign makes passers-by laugh, I’m sure. By why would a woman ask her husband to choose a paint color for her? Maybe it’s because not all hardware stores are welcoming to women.
A survey released by the Home Improvement Research Institute in May found that:
1 in 10 women don’t feel comfortable navigating large stores alone
2 in 5 women feel they are treated differently than men by employees
1 in 5 feel judged when they ask for help
16 percent were made to feel stupid for asking for help
Bad manners are bad for business. It’s also bad for repeat business. According to the survey, 93 percent of women have completed a DIY project in their home. Cost savings is a significant motivator for women who undertake DIY projects, survey respondents said. But “personal interest” and “learning desire” were also cited as motivators.
Most women credit YouTube videos, TikTok, and their fathers for their DIY skills. Women are adept at finding a stud and patching walls (76 percent), replacing doorknobs (71 percent), resetting a blown fuse (69 percent), and relighting pilot light (51 percent). Overall, three in five women consider themselves handy.