Home Depot doesn't put their shelving on the sidewalk because people will take stuff. They do frequently put a gardening section in their parking lot, as well as rental trucks and equipment.

Really if this stuff was allowed there would be no big problem, even if home depot put a couple planters on the sidewalk for sale. The outside of their business reflects on them, so they probably at least try to make it sort of pretty.

I never really minded street hawkers though, or all of the window/street advertising you typically see in a large Asian city.