Thread: Dumbing down of Buunnings

Originally Posted by BobL

A few weeks ago I bought a 2 m length of 25 mm SHS steel at Bunnings for $30 and was bemoaning the price with the lads at work and one of them told me about a medium size local hardware (500m down the road from the same Bunnings) where they had the same piece of steel for $17. .

If your not a tradie with an account, let Bunnies know and you will get it 10% less the $17. Your mistake was not knowing the price to start with and you ripped your self off. Dont blame them

Originally Posted by Lignum

If your not a tradie with an account, let Bunnies know and you will get it 10% less the $17. Your mistake was not knowing the price to start with and you ripped your self off. Dont blame them

Err . . mistake . . . implies I did something wrong. No one has done anything wrong here, Bunnings are trying to make a quid and I'm trying to save money. If you read my post again you will see I have not blamed Bunnings for anything. All I said is they simply don't have the lowest up front prices. As for the 10% cheaper drivel, I'm not into driving around wasting petrol and time to save $1.70 on a piece of steel.

Originally Posted by BobL

All I said is they simply don't have the lowest up front prices. As for the 10% cheaper drivel, I'm not into driving around wasting petrol and time to save $1.70 on a piece of steel.

But you found out the mob down the road have it for $17 and you paid $30. If you pointed that out bunnies, they would have rang and checked and woulld have sold it to you for $17 minus 10% = $15.30. You would have saved $14.70. Its not drivel, customers just dont realise how they can save by comparing prices. But it dosnt apply to trade prices.

Good example is Bunnies Moorabbin sells full extention runners for $30 a pair, walk out the door turn right and walk into Nikpol and get the same for $6.50 a pair But Nikpol is trade (open to all public) so bunnies wont match.

Originally Posted by Lignum

But you found out the mob down the road have it for $17 and you paid $30. If you pointed that out bunnies, they would have rang and checked and woulld have sold it to you for $17 minus 10% = $15.30. You would have saved $14.70. Its not drivel, customers just dont realise how they can save by comparing prices. But it dosnt apply to trade prices.

Sure, but that is all after the event. When I first bought the steel I did shop around. I rang 3 places, the cheapest I found was $13/m but you had to buy 6.5 m, and the other two were $15/m, so I though I might as well get it from Bunnings because I was going over there anyway.

Now I know I can get it from the mob down the road for $8.50/m I will go straight there. I won't be going to Bunnings and doing a 10% less because if I do that it will eventually do the little guy out of business and then I'll be back to $15/m.

Bunnings dont match trade prices. I have an account with Bunnings and buy none of the builders hardware from them. They are a convenience store that I can shop at after hours.

Prime example. Ramset 60mm metal anchors. Bunnings $90 (I get a whopping 5% off). Coventry Fasteners $30 ($44 non trade). Identical product, huge difference.

You can always buy better as a tradesperson elsewhere, but you will not find it all at the one spot. On some items they compete extremely well. Its called loss leading. Get them in on the common stuff and sell the high margin items at the same time. Virtually all businesses run this way.

I have a large Mitre10 a few hundred metres from Bunnings and as far as my experience with them is concerned, they are no different.

Im glad Bunnings is around and I have found most of their staff to be polite sales assistants. That's all I ever expect.

As an aside, why would a tradesman, who could earn $300 -$400 a day on wages want to work at Bunnings for $800 a week?

Further, what do you really think of those successful tradies who have managed to make it through the HR crap and work for Bunnies? Better to use google I think.

Try living in a small town we only got Thriftylink and Homeharware and 1 semi independent(the best shop)... I've checked the prices of there shops elsewhere's theres some competion and all the real products that we need are cheaper by far. I can understand a few extra cents per bolt for transport but 2~3 times the price NOT!

Thats if they have it, I needed some M8/30mm hex bolts the otherday you think I could find any... but we got 3 car supermarkets 3 supposed harware shops and 2 metal work shops... not 1 lousy M8 30mm! Now try get some wood... city folk dont realise how easy they got it in this situation.

All my woodwork gear now is ordered on the net, because here I pay 2~3 times the price for a inferior product, thank god for Elraco's online shop!
One thing I must add most of the employees here are not blow thru's, most do have a good general knowledge purely based on experience.

I gotta agree with Harry.
All you whingers have access to a local bunnies so you can deal there or not.
We only just got bunnies so we didn't have that choice.
Now we do. And its my first port of call if I want something.

Anyone who seeks techno advice is a twit, you need to ask a tradesman not a counter jockey. The same applies to anyone who totally believes advertising blurb, you gotta shop around.

Originally Posted by echnidna

I gotta agree with Harry.
All you whingers have access to a local bunnies so you can deal there or not.
We only just got bunnies so we didn't have that choice.
Now we do. And its my first port of call if I want something.

Anyone who seeks techno advice is a twit, you need to ask a tradesman not a counter jockey. The same applies to anyone who totally believes advertising blurb, you gotta shop around.

Hi Bob

How long has yours been there. If less than a year or so do a little experiment and watch to see if there are any changes.

Interested to see if things drop off.

cheers

Well of course we have our own crosses to bear, called Home Depot and Lowes. But there was never any question of them dumbing down, because they were never up.

But, like some have said, if you have to ask them for advice you are in trouble already. And that's the rub. I don't expect them to help me and I am seldom disappointed. But the weekender who really needs the information since he's a complete noob, I feel sorry for him. They both advertise that their staff are knowledgeable so "You can do it, we can help." But they often can't help or worse, give incorrect information.

Anyway it's true that we Forumites shouldn't whinge about them, because we ought to know better. But their ads over here are terribly misleading. And no, I wouldn't expect Woolworth's to tell me how to fix a banquet, but I might if their advertising said "Come in and we'll show you how to fix a banquet."

My 2 bob worth

At least at Bunnings you get a good day as you enter and there are sales people who give you a smile.

I find the worst store to [try to] shop at is the larger of the local branch of the national chain that advertises "We Sell Tools Not Toys".

They have order takers not sales people.

Experience #1. I stood in an aisle with my hand on a power tool - which was chained down so that I could not lift it off the shelf to get any feel for the balance etc. An order taker comes down the aisle towards me. I catch his eye. I must want to ask a question about a product. He turns abruptly and walks the other way. I walked out of the store and waved to him as I left.

Experience #2. Wanted to buy a Vernier Caliper. Walked around the shelves until I found them in a locked display counter with the price tags turned down. Stood at the counter and had order takers walked past me to serve "tradies" in overalls and with a written order form in their hand. I walked down to the service area. Finally noticed, because there were no tradies at the counter, and said that I would like to look at the Vernier Calipers that are down there in a display case. Order taker asks which one I want. I respond I am not sure, I would like to look at them and see how much they were. Huff and puff. Which one do you want. I don't know. Well that meant he had to open the case. Finally I got to see what they had. Peed off by then, so left without buying.

Experience #3. Wanted some advise about a product. Stood at sales counter. Tradies were served as they came I was ignored. I nearly got served by one order taker, but the phone rang as he got to me. He hurried off, other order takers walked past and ignored me. Finally one came to help me, by then I was turning to leave.

Experience #4. Looking to buy a lathe. Asked order taker, whom I had trapped in that area, whether the ones on display were the only ones they had. He said yes. I pointed out that the display item I was interested in had rust on it and asked again whether, if I purchased, that would be the one I received. He said yes, they would not get a new one in for me. Brought elsewhere.

I know, I am a glutton for punishment. But most of these instances have been shopping expeditions for product and price comparisions so that I could buy elsewhere. But the order takers were not to know that I did not have a pocket full of money and was hot the trot to buy.

The same business has a large stall at the Sydney Wood Show. There you can't walk past without being hassled by their order takers. Gives me great pleasure to ignore them as I walk past to deal with people who really care.

Give me Bunnings "good morning", "how are you today", "can I help you", "are you being served". The other crowd might stock "Tools Not Toys", but they certainly make no effort to sell them to the general public.

P.S. There is a much smaller branch of the "Tools not Toys" store in the local area. They don't stock the same range of products as big brother, but the staff at that store are polite and helpful, just don't have much to sell.

Understanding the disappointment that raised the "bad" comments regarding (mainly) Bunning's we should all realize that the staff come, mostly, from our local community.
I deal with Bunnies and, if needs be, will ALWAYS approach day staff who I know have been employed there for years - if I visit after normal 'day' hours it's for stuff I KNOW ABOUT.
In a community of 22000 the selection procedure is not likely to identify a physically wrecked/retired tradesman for each section of sales. My local Bunning's is staffed by very cheerful, and helpfull persons who recognize me when I visit - they don't know everything, but go out of thier way to understand my, sometimes, rambling description of what I want.

soth

Hi Girls,

If you guys win any of the Gift Vouchers and feel strongly that you should boycott Bunnies, please send then to me.

Originally Posted by baxter

P.S. There is a much smaller branch of the "Tools not Toys" store in the local area. They don't stock the same range of products as big brother, but the staff at that store are polite and helpful, just don't have much to sell.

Baxter

We must have it pretty good in Tamworth. We have one of those "Tools Not Toys" branches which has been going as long as the original one and has as the manager who was in the store when it started and runs a very tight ship and has everything they have in the main store and has staff that are very knowledgeable.

In fact in Tamworth we have a Blackwoods, Bunnings, Bearfast & Bearquip, Mitre 10, thrifty Link, Supercheap Autos, several Electrical Wholesalers, several Plumbers Suppliers, in fact we must just about have one of everything at least.

Originally Posted by dazzler

Drive into the timber area where there are three isles that will take two vehicles side by side and walking areas up each with yellow pedestrian safety lines. Very good OH&S. Sadly the place was so full of crap on the ground there was only one lane.

I can back that up always stuff in the aisles so you have to reach over and risk broken toes by sliding timber off of racks...

Originally Posted by dazzler

Next I need a 5mm hex driver to drive the hex screws into the sleepers. Go to tool section. Now once upon a time going to the tool section for me was a similar exp to walking through the cross.......oh the temptation. But now it is with dread.

I found some there recently in the tools section with all the drill bits, you'd think he would know if I do....

HH.