Home Depot Actively Courts Burning Man Attendees

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Big box store Home Depot wants to be Burning Man attendees' number one stop as they head out into the Nevada desert. Digiday reports that Home Depot stores in Reno and Carson City create special sections for the annual festival that are designed to appeal to Burners, complete with displays that read "Buy all your Burning Man gear here!"

Not only that, Home Depot put out a blog post this month chock-full of Burning Man-related stats and tips. Because festivalgoers need to bring everything into the desert to build a city and functioning society, Home Depot stores in Nevada stock up on all the necessities. Two weeks before the event, sales of dust masks increase by 521%, tarps increase by 404%, rebar increases by 482%, and rubber bands increase by 2744%. Rubber band sales go through the roof: Nevada Home Depot stores usually sell 450 packages of rubber bands in an average week, but before Burning Man, they'll sell 12,800 packages a week.

The company even created a helpful graphic in the blog post with their suggestion of Burning Man must-haves, which includes "rope, tarps, spray paint, flashlights, tie-downs, batteries, extension cords, combination locks, hand sanitizer, dust masks and heavy-duty tape."