2,000 stores. Bam.
Interestingly, one of Home Depot’s biggest competitors, Lowes, is on the list of MCX merchants. I can’t imagine this is not a topic that will come up at the next Lowes Board of Directors meeting. Especially if some of those board members walk in with a brand new Apple Watch.
Update: Some people are questioning Home Depot being considered a large retailer (and questioning is always good!) To clarify this, large in the retailer universe is generally a revenue issue, not a number of locations issue. Here’s a link to a Forbes list of largest retailers in the world, which ranks Walmart as number one, CVS as number two, and Home Depot number three. Notice that Walmart and CVS are both on the MCX merchants.
Lowe’s already uses iPhones for all their handheld units in stores instead of the old Telzon’s that are still used at Walmart or Motorola units used at Home Depot.
I have a couple of issues with this “reporting,” as it were.
First, the headline, the largest retailer? 2000 stores? Dave, “Bam,” really?
Staples accepts ApplePay, 3800 locations. Office Depot, 2000+ stores. Foot Locker, 3,600 locations.
Not to mention, Walgreens with it’s over 8,000 locations. I’d assume all 4 of those places would be considered retailers.
Second. The CEO of Home Depot didn’t exactly say they were going to accept Apple Pay. He said they’d like to, but they haven’t even talked to Apple about the terms, etc. So this is a reactionary piece designed to blunt the criticism they’re receiving from deactivating Apple Pay for their PayPal support roll-out.
Which is my third point, people have been able to use Apple Pay at Home Depot because, just like CVS in the past, their systems supported wireless payments, but the company deactivated it when they rolled out PayPal.
Makes you go, hmmm.
Lowes is using MCX because it is a subsidiary of Walmart, which is the biggest player in the MCX group.
I don’t believe that’s Lowes is a subsidiary of Walmart.
ApplePay was working at Home Depot but was deactivated temporarily while they upgraded their system. First the media reported the Home Depot abandoned ApplePay and now they make it sound like Home Depot just adopted ApplePay. Both are false.
Sorry, should be clear, it’s Bloombergs reporting I’m talking about mostly, not Dave’s. But I don’t think this should have been posted accepting what they reported as fact.
I love your comments. See my update. And “Bam” because Apple just added 2,000 stores, just like that. Not saying that’s better than Staples, just saying 2,000 is a lot.
Appreciate your take. I should have been clearer in my post. Always learning.
yet doesnt accept AP.
but…they didnt just add 2000 stores. they havent even officially commented on it via a press release. i dont know that i trust this bloomberg story to mean they are. i emailed them and did not get an affirmative.