Why is it that consumers go to home improvement centers when..?

Why is it that consumers go to home improvement centers like home depot or lowe's when the home improvement centers just subcontract their work out to local contractors. Are we not smart enough to know that these home improvement centers put an upcharge on labor etc.. Why don't we use yahoo locals to find our local contractors ourselves and save ourselves some money and help the smaller business's in our communities?

I think its always best to go with your local contractor. keep big corp. out of it.

Your very intelligent my friend and thanks for giving them all some good thought!!! I wish you all the best.

Actually going to lowes or homedepot does help small business, my brother law was a subcontractor for them and made good money for it, he also said it was the easiest job he ever had. Also, most contractors sub contract so lowes and homedepot aren't doing anything that the local business aren't already doing, either way your paying someone to pay someone else to do the job for you. I say just put your own windows and flooring in, its not like the large home improvement chains are installing anything that can't be done by a regular joe or jane.

I believe that a lot of consumers use the mega stores because of simple convenience. Everyone seems pressed for time and the mega stores extended hours allow them to pursue home improvement projects after hours. I suppose that many consumers justify the additional expense because it allows them to utilize their personal time in the manner that they choose. Plus, they have the perception that a major corporation would be more likely to address any discrepancies in the work since the people they are dealing with don't have to pay for any additional expense to make the job right. That is my take anyhow.

Because some people aren't as smart as others and some people don't care and just don't want to deal with it...

im a contractor .im sure these subs fromhomecenters r not all yahoos. but stop and think they under cut every 1 part due 2 there buying power.they still get a piece of the action probably like 20% or more .the only thing left is speed not quality

Lowe's and Home Depot have very good prices on the materials however what they charge for installation is outrageous. As an example I can buy a 50 gallon electric water heater for around $200 but they will charge you $250 for a standard installation which basically means they don't have to do anything except disconnect the old one and put the new one in it's place with no alterations. IF there has to be alterations the price goes up again.

I charge about $100 to personally install a water heater (for a basic installation which most are at worst there are a few extra fittings or piping) it rarely if ever takes me more than an hour or so. So the Lowes contractor gets his cut, and then Lowe's gets theirs too. Kinda offsets the low price eh?

You know what's funny? Home Depot has had a lot of complaints about their sub-contractors doing shoddy work. Then if you wanted to sue them, they would make you go after the sub-contractor instead of them.......What kind of crap is that......