This document summarizes observations and interviews about day laborers who gather at a Home Depot parking lot seeking work opportunities. It finds that while technically not allowed inside the store, security generally allows the men to use restrooms and get food. The men wait for potential employers to arrive and offer work in tasks like drywall, framing, and roofing. One anonymous laborer was interviewed, saying he does this work to support his family, finding jobs every 2-3 hours paying around $80. He notes Americans typically pay more than other ethnicities.

1. By: Brandon Warner, Jorge Mendoza, & Ignacio Rivera
Home Depot is a warehouse store where you can buy all sorts of different hardware, but is that
all its used for?

2. We
Came
To find out.

3. Interview with Security
Guard
Technically by Home Depot policy, all
everyone who is just there to wait for
a job is supposed to be outside of this
gate. He also said “A lot of the time I
see some of these guys getting high
or drunk, sometimes you’ll even see
them knocked out on the grass.”
There is only one security guard on
duty at a time and his job is to make
sure they are outside the gate but
when he goes to one side to let them
know to get out the gate, the other
side starts coming in.

4. We asked some of the guys what they work for and most of their answers
were that they work for their family and to have clothes on their backs.

5. Waiting for work.
They are
allowed to go
into Home
Depot and
use the
restrooms,
get food and
or drinks.

6. These were some possible work
opportunities for them where they all
run to the trucks and depending on
what kind of work they specialize in they
might or might not get chosen for the
job.

7. An example of what it is like to try and get chosen for work.

8. Interview with Anonymous
Q & A:
1)What would you consider this kind of work?
-Labor
2) Why do you do this?
-Gives me work and shows me how to respect. I also do it for my wife and 3 kids and to
buy clothes to have and wear.
3) How often do you find work and how much do you get paid?
-On good days like about every 2 to 3 hours and I get paid maybe about $80.
4) What ethnicity pays most and which pays least?
-Americans (white people) pay more and Armenians and Hindus pay the least.
5) What kind of work do you specialize in?
-Dry wall, framing, and roofing.
6)What do you while you wait for work?
-Most of the time relax, but sometimes I also play games and bet with a little of what I’ve
earned. I also hang out with some friends I made here.
7) How often do you work?
-I work almost everyday. I get here as early as 5:30am and leave at 8 pm.
8) How long have you lived in the U.S. and how long have you been doing this?
-Ive lived here for 14 years and I’ve been doing this for about 8 years now.

9. Extra Info. On Anonymous
-Takes pride in L.A.
-Hates the Angels and likes the dodgers.
-He is Guatemalan
-Says that security focuses to much on them and
when they aren’t doing anything wrong while they
don’t pay attention to others that are actually doing
something wrong.
-Likes to drink 1 beer in between work.
-Hates people with tattoos.
-Some people give them food and drinks.
-Gets about $300 a day from working.
-Says that there used to be a lot more work in the
past.

10. A big thanks to these guys for
helping us understand what
goes on at Home Depot and
the purpose of their use of
this space.