The box stores adhere to this I have a local store "Westlake Hardware" they will mark the stuff down to almost free that's when I fill my cart my wife says it's like I'm bringing home stray puppies you can't stand to see them suffer.

My local HD marks them down. Got a multitude of bulging 4" pots of *Tete a Tete* narcissus for .75 each--thrilled! Also got the same amount of Primroses past their prime.

The Home Depot is still destroying salvageable plants. I purchased ten arborvitae, and asked for a discount on some of the distressed trees. The manager was kind enough to ask the vendor, who ordered the trees destroyed. There are about 15 trees waiting to be crushed and bailed just sitting behind the store. It will be the third lot that the Burton, MI store has destroyed this year.

NO GOOD Plant Killers !

I bought super dwarf cavendish banana HD recently had to give as gifts.

One person took and loved, the other said no room in the house since he had new elephant ears to care for. So I returned and told them "nothing wrong just bought too many" ( could see on receipt).

Cashier turned around and chucked in garbage next to food containers. I said "there's nothing wrong with it, it's growing well and no disease". They said company policy.

I went to another HD a few weeks later and asked and they said its not the policy at their store or company policy on a return when you code the reason "didnt want, no damage". Such a waste , they have to change their mentality.

If they can waste so much and still make such high profits, why don't they just lower their prices overall and give the consumer a break.

dumpster divers :) A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Big box stores kill so many plants through neglect yet never mark them down.
They should be reported to the A.S.P.C.P....

Home Depot in Ohio stores rarely sell plants at a reduced rate. As soon as they look tired or they haven't sold, they pitch them. However, we have Lowe's stores that are the opposite. As soon as sales go slow on a plant, they reduce them to $5, $3, $1 or 50 cents. People can get a deal and save plants in the process. Good for you Lowe's.....SHAME ON YOU Home Depot!

That's dumb but in the end the plants decompose and become soil again. It's probably the only garbage that's good to throw away. Everything else stays in landfills and pollutes the earth. It's still stupid that they do this, and refuse to sell. I'd probably wait till they closed and go grab a few but I'm a rebel like that!

Nice theory but when you see them throwing plants including plastic pot in garbage with glass, metal food containers, light bulbs etc. all mixed in non recycle things as it was, that will be taken to dump/landfill for future ground water contamination.

I know this is an old post but I was at a store where I talked to the vendor of the plant department and their contract is to destroy any plant that starts to look stressed,No discounts at all. The vendors employees cannot even have them.

They need to be reported to the ASPCP....

Sad plants aren't a deal if you bring home pathogens or pests with them. Water molds come to mind in particular.

I believe that Home Depot does not own the plants, they are the vendor, the suppliers own them. If plants are deemed by HD and/or the rep to be unsaleable for whatever reason, if the plants are destroyed HD gets full credit from the supplier. If they are marked down and sold they get no credit.

Many years ago, I recall about 70 cubic feet of bulbs being destroyed. All of them viable. Mostly daffodils. Four major crates of bulbs.

I was told that HD sends back the tag for credit. They do mark them down for a short period before throwing them out. Tax-Exempt organizations might have access to the merchandise.

I have also learned that 90% of merchandise returned to big-box stores is also discarded. It is easier/cheaper to dump it than to put it all back in the packages and placed back on the shelf. People tend to not purchase a package that has been opened.

Economies of scale.
It is a sad state of affairs.
These stores have become trash generating machines.

Sorry to say it, but the Home Depot where I live put them outside for the vendor to come and get the distressed plant , but a lot of people like me get them and bring them back to life, all the discarded plants are always gone in two days…