Can You Trust Your Paint and Hardware Store?

A Toolkit to Check Your Local Stores for

Advice and Supplies on Health Hazards

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Executive Summary

Goals and Objectives for Toolkit

Basics of Store Visits

Strategy for Assessing Stores' Performance

I.     Define the Project

II.   Identify the Stores

III.  Train Volunteers

IV.  Report Results to IKE

       Survey Form for Retailers

V.   Provide Feedback to the Retailer

Executive Summary

On March 19, 2004, Improving Kids’ Environment published its “Inept But At Your Service:  Can You Trust Your Hardware Store?” report.  The report is available at www.ikecoalition.org/stores.  It describes the results of IKE’s visits to 39 retail hardware stores serving Indianapolis posing as customers.  IKE’s goal was to assess how “kid friendly” the stores were based on the advice provided about lead safety and pesticides and the products sold.  The results were disturbing.  Based on IKE’s criteria and analysis of seven key indicators, the stores had an overall average score of 29% with individual scores as follows: 

IKE’s study shows a broad lack of basic knowledge on the part of store clerks and a careless disregard for the health and safety of the store’s customers – whether a contractor or a do-it-yourselfer.  80% of the paint department clerks recommended dry sanding to remove paint on a door to a kids’ room in a house built in the 1920s.  Even when asked explicitly whether lead-based paint might be a problem, 53% of the clerks continued to give dangerous advice.  No store had basic reference information on lead-safe painting, maintenance or renovation practices on hand.  While the larger stores stocked most of the relevant supplies, the supplies were difficult to find and selection poor.

The problem was not limited to the paint department.  Customers seeking a pesticide to kill cockroaches would fare little better.  95% of the pesticide department clerks violated Indiana law when they helped IKE select a pesticide to kill cockroaches.  74% of the time the clerks advised the customer to use toxic sprays and foggers to kill cockroaches.  While legal to use, these products are less effective and more dangerous to kids than boric acid, enclosed baits or gels. 

The response to IKE’s report was overwhelming.  More than 500 copies of the report have been downloaded from the website.  Children health advocates in community-based organizations, businesses, health departments, environmental agencies, and industry associations from across the United States contacted IKE to applaud the report.  They uniformly admitted that the results were not surprising but called the report a critical step in advancing children’s environmental health by challenging retailers to provide customers with services and products that won’t threaten the health and vitality of our future generations.  Indianapolis’ Marion County Health Department took up the challenge and formed a Paint Retailers Task Force to find ways to fix the breakdowns.  The Office of Indiana State Chemist issued fines to both Lowes and Menards and warnings to Home Depot and most of the other stores to comply with Indiana’s pesticide regulations.

These advocates asked IKE to develop a toolkit to help them assess the retail stores in their community.

Thanks to the ongoing support of The Boren Foundation of Upland, Indiana and Jack and Karen Kay Leonard of Indianapolis, Indiana, IKE was able to develop this toolkit to help those community-based advocates.  Their support also enabled IKE to offer limited grant funds to help these advocates succeed.