WASHINGTON — A viral online rumor that Home Depot will begin charging customers for parking is part of another April Fools’ prank, but don’t blame the company for this one. 

The claims originated from Pro Tool Reviews, a professional tool review website. 

The outlet posted a satirical article on April 1 stating that Home Depot would begin implementing parking fees nationwide in response to rising inflation. 

“Inflation has hit us hard, from supply chain costs to labor shortages,” Tucker Lotman, a fake spokesperson quoted in the article said. 

“By implementing a modest parking fee, we can avoid passing these costs directly onto our customers through higher prices on lumber, tools, and gardening supplies.”

The article satirically claimed Home Depot would charge anywhere from “$2 for up to two hours in central Florida to $5 for a full day of parking in Los Angeles.” 

Despite a tag marking the post as an April Fools’ Day joke, and a link to a fake press release embedded in the article that redirected to a page that said “April Fools,” some readers were fooled and the claim quickly gained traction online.

Pro Tool Reviews Editor-in-Chief Kenny Koehler told USA Today that while the website does April Fools jokes every year, this was the first time it gained significant traction. 

“The idea came about as we put ourselves in the shoes of these companies and wondered what might be an over-the-top response to inflation. As we batted around brands and ideas, the idea of charging for parking came up, and that’s how Home Depot came into the story,” Koehler explained.

Home Depot ultimately shut the rumors down on its official X account, responding to several customers that tagged them in posts, writing to one, “Hi Rocky, this is an April Fools’ post from a tool review website. We do not charge for parking.”

Koehler added that “people got a chuckle out of it when they realized they’d been fooled. We hope our friends over at Home Depot were able to laugh as well.”