Mighty interested to hear the replies. One would think it would be backward.

It depends - sometimes contractors get discounts that they may or may not pass on to you and they may add their own profit to the item. These days, particularly with internet sites, you can often get better deals yourself. Also, some brands like Wolf are essentially priced fix. See what price the plumber can get for you and then decide. You will need to pay to plumber to hook up the range to the gas for you.

So, the tradesman has established his fiscal integrity with any number of wholesalers, obligates his capitol, including delivery, installes the product and awaits reimbursement.

And what would you think would be a reasonable percentage or compensation? His labor? His mark-up on parts?

His accountant, let alone his family, may not think so.

Would yours?

Man, u forgot to mention his ailing mother. ;)

For the consumer, the better informed b4r u start the job the better. Because otherwise EVERYBODY wants a piece of your wallet.

What you experienced at the appliance store is commonly known as "foreplay" and is typically encountered just prior to being screwed. If you return to that appliance store I am sure they will be happy to consummate the relationship with you and will call in the plumber to help out if you request it.

"What you experienced at the appliance store is commonly known as foreplay"

I guess they have to justify the rent, electricity and the staff!

Everyone has to pay the bills... owning a store with employees isn't free so everyone needs to make a bit on the transaction. Before the internet no one seemed to worry about this, but now we expect that owners of brick and motor stores should match the price of those drop-shipping appliances via the internet.

The store may want to sell to you directly because they can charge you X and keep more of the difference in thier cost. The plumber probably gets a discount which means less for the store, he in turn adds a markup for his time and effort and that may make it higher to you. "Cutting out the middleman" can save you money. Sucks to be a middleman.

I bought my Kobe hood on-line because they have no dealers within 1,000 miles of me (no exaggeration). I bought my induction cooktop on-line because it was used and I got it at a steal. I was set to get my ovens via AJ but I may go local. The local dealer was actualy slightly cheaper before tax, but did not deliver. But they are local and it might be good to keep my money local and if there are support needs in the future. And this supports the middleman. We are all middlemen in some way or another.

I have a very good plumber. I ask him if he buying the appliances would give me a discount, he says no. That I can buy it myself and he'll pick the stuff up. It suit me just fine, because then I can buy EXACTLY what I want.

Now construction materials, tiles etc, they do give out discounts to contractors. When I bought my tiles, the lady asked if I am working with a contractor. I said yes, gave her my contractor's name and she gave me the discount!

T'was just curious. LOL at Mojavean's post.

Someone will obviously get paid for the installation one way or another, but if I'm quoted one price for my appliance which I'm told is lower than the plumber (or maybe even the GC?) can "purchase" it, I think going with the lower price makes sense for the customer. Again, if said plumber gets paid for installation, where's the screwing going on?

Thanks for the replies!

With the advent of the Internet, one can compare-shop all day without leaving the house. If u get "screwed" is because you were in a hurry.

Once I bought auto parts and told the MX shop to install them. They said fine, but no guarantee for the work, I thought that was fair. Apparently though, according to the Car Talk guys (NPR), MX don't make much in labor and they try to make up on the parts. So etiquette-wise, one shouldn't do this unless u know the MX well. Well guess what, last Winter I had an emergency fix, and the dang MX charged me $90 bux, NINETY LOUSY BUXS for a &$%^ water hose (no, this is not a specialized hose, I can buy it for $1.50 ft at Pepboys). I had no choice because I needed my car and the hose was in a trickly location. Live and learn.

Simple, ask your plumber/GC how much he can get it for and then talk to the dealer directly to get a quote including install. Then ask your GC how much he'll charge you in labor if you buy the appliance yourself. Frankly, I doubt your cheapest route will be buying it yourself and getting a contractor to install it unless that's their specialty. Appliance installation (and I found out retro window install) is a volume business. Usually your best bet is to let the plumber run the gas line if necessary and then just let the dealer install it. In the end, go with who you trust but watch for gouging.

I know someone who went to a auto mechanic for years and then found out that they tampered with the emission system so the car would fail smog next time it was brought in. As luck would have it, when the car needed to be smogged, the mechanic who tampered with the system was unavailable so my friend took it somewhere else. This other person said it failed on first pass and he found a loose be-be in the gas line. He didn't charge anything for finding and removing it so he seemed to be on the up and up.

bob, I know what you mean about the parts scam. I know someone who worked for a Honda dealership for years before opening his own shop and said that they the dealer part often has some special installation tool that could be returned to the manufacturer for a refund. The dealer charges the customer full price part that includes the tool instead of ordering the part without the tool. Then they send to tool back and pockets the money. Technically, you could ask for the tool back and they'd give it to you since you bought it but then what would you do with it?

Buyer beware.

why don't you just look at it on a "per job" cost? What's the total price for a SPECIFIC make and model appliance installed in your house by a licensed and competent contractor in a specific manner?

Why do people have the need to break out and chip away at every line item in purchase as if they are doing TQM analysis of a business?

Sure this guy's labor rate my be less than that one, and free shipping is cheaper than $62 in gas it takes to get to your cabin 317 miles roundtrip from the store, and 20 bucks off that cooktop is twenty bucks, and everyone want to screw the tax collector yet still send their kids to school and heaven forbid there's a pothole in the road on my way to work and free health care is nice for those that can afford it, and..........

But, no one has the lowest cost in every category especially on products and why we as consumers take it upon ourselves to re-tool businesses is beyond me.

"What's the total price for a SPECIFIC make and model appliance installed in your house by a licensed and competent contractor in a specific manner? "

People pass tests all the time, it doesn't automatically mean they are competent.

And THEN even if they seem competent... I jury this doctor who has degrees up to his jin-jang and sat on a panel for Ronald Reagan, AND HE MADE A MISTAKE, I mean a bad one, an un-professional one. He lost the case.

U guys in the contracting business can do better by not being so defensive, err on the side of the customer, don't TALK OVER the customer with jargons. Oh my God, some of you guys sounds like the Cordeleone Syndicate. As in any business which serves the public, a large dose of bedside manner goes a long way.

I'm not chipping away at every item. I was just curious why the appliance store receptionist said there was a difference in cost to me depending on "who purchased it" for me. I was checking on this range top at several places and this was the only one that asked me that.

Many custom cabinet shops have developed relashionships with appliance vendors, who will offer discounts as a result.
I always encourage clients to purchase their own appliances.
Because after I'm gone, they will still be paying the mortgage.

bobb - I said licensed AND competent. The "and" was meant to be a qualifier.

Why should we be surprised at contractor's or store's behavior when most of us just try to beat them up on price or terms everyday ???

I didn't get the impression the OP was criticising the store OR the contractor - it was a simple question as to what would be the rationale for the difference. Generally, it is assumed that stores offer 'trade' discounts. In this case, the store is saying the customer her/himself would get a better deal. Curiosity prompts a simple question.

No-one was suggesting anyone was trying to starve anyone: just an explanation, when one has grown accustomed to the practice of 'trade' pricing and 'customer' pricing.

tracey - I was not calling you out or criticizing you. My rant was directed at people who just seem to want the lowest price on everything and don't have the foggiest clue about economics.

I think what was being conveyed between the lines was - "don't believe everything you hear from a sales weasel". What he said may be true at that store or may not. May be true on a case by case basis. It is not universally true or false in the industry. Some contractors get better rates than customers at certain stores and sometimes they pay more because they don't have a relationship and just go in and say I want "x" and the the attendant seeing the guy is in a hurry just writes it up at "list". A teh smae store you may get a better price because you wine and dined or foreplayed a little to get more favorable treatment. At another store ,same contractor knows the owner's son at the counter, has been going there 20 years, golf's with the owner and fishes with the main supplier's rep. He'll get great pricing there and sometimes a freebie. You might be lucky to be able to have the chance to give them your money, and will never see a discount because they don't know you and aren't likely to see you again.

SO............................again the ONLY thing that matters to you is "how much is X item for ME today"? and that just requires you to ask for a few quotes and then act on the info.

I will venture a guess that the store pays a kickback or rebate to the plumber which allows him to sell at list or a little below. Rather like dealer "holdback" or Pack, The store acts as the wholesaler, lets the plumber make the sale at list or a little under, but takes the discount you would otherwise get and gives it to the plumber when they close out the books for the month.

Again, the above is a guess, only. But why not just ask the store to explain the price delta for you.

In any case, before Antss has to take a Klonopin, somebody write a post about not giving a damn what anything costs and just going in there and signing the contract like they used to do when gas cost a buck and everybody drove Lincolns. I think the 21st Century is grinding on him.