The numbers tell a bleak story for the installation-only contractors who work for Home Depot.
I was reading an article in another trade magazine not too long ago about Home Depot's "Expo store" in San Diego. This is an experimental facility that includes a 30,000-sq. ft. showroom area devoted to upscale kitchen and baths.
The store also offers full installation services, which they contract out to licensed contractors. A Home Depot executive explained that these contractors are entitled to no mark-up on the merchandise purchased from the store but must "learn how to make a profit on the installation."