Bed & Bath, a retailing company, has two departmentsHardware and Linens. The company's most recent monthly contribution format income statement follows:

Department Total Hardware Linens

Sales $4,060,000 $3,000,000 $1,060,000

Variable expenses 1,336,000 918,000 418,000

Contribution margin 2,724,000 2,082,000 642,000

Fixed expenses 2,160,000 1,330,000 830,000

Net operating income (loss) $564,000 $752,000 $(188,000)

A study indicates that $379,000 of the fixed expenses being charged to Linens are sunk costs or allocated costs that will continue even if the Linens Department is dropped. In addition, the elimination of the Linens Department will result in a 17% decrease in the sales of the Hardware Department.

Required:

What is the financial advantage (disadvantage) of discontinuing the Linens Department?