With retail margins on gasoline so thin it takes stores full of cheap hot dogs, slushies and lottery tickets to give gas stations any income at all, it's no secret the loss-leading business is open to getting severely messed with. While warehouse stores have been in the gas business for years, the latest corporate retail giant to get involved is Home Depot. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Home Depot is entering the retail gas business, adding pumps to four stores in Nashville, Tenn. later this year. The pumps will likely be a convenience service for customers, particularly contractors, who get to skip a stop after loading up on sheetrock and scads of those yellow plastic power tools. Plus, the chain will likely be able to incorporate "free gas" into its promotions, a particularly potent come-on these days, especially for customers who haul tons of of crap in their V8-powered light trucks. [Thanks to Zerin for the tip.]

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