Triton @ The big green shed [Archive]

Tonyz

27th May 2012, 11:03 PM

Carbatec have it listed at $700. Perhaps you could try the Bunnings 10% off a better offer deal!

I realise you could get a very good deal maybe $630 but why? the green bag only want the whole market, give them the sale and eventually maybe Carbatec go belly up.

Ok I live in country and only get to city few times a year but detest the green snot. I;ll support local and small business when ever and wherever I can.

We are complaing about multi conglomorates eating the country and yet there is a compulshion to get the cheapest price possible.
and yes I buy regular from Ebay but only thing I cannot get in Oz.

snowyskiesau

27th May 2012, 11:24 PM

Vernonv

28th May 2012, 12:39 PM

Carbatec have it listed at $700. Perhaps you could try the Bunnings 10% off a better offer deal!I'd bet that the boxed product numbers will be different, therefore they are "different" products, hence no 10% off deal.

doug3030

28th May 2012, 01:24 PM

I'd bet that the boxed product numbers will be different, therefore they are "different" products, hence no 10% off deal.

Yep, every time I have tried the "we will beat it by 10%" they find a way to weasel out of it. Different numbers is one of their favourites.

Doug

dabbler

28th May 2012, 03:51 PM

I have a fairly low opinion of Mitre 10 stores around me. Most fall into variety store status. Especially the newer ones under 20 years old and located inside shopping malls or other retail hub. Bunnies at least has a bigger range of cheap and nasty.

There are two older Mitre 10 stores near me (surviving I guess) that cater to the building trades, but they only know and stock items in demand. That's realistic and not a criticism but it does mean you can't ask for an left handed inverted cascading widget without getting a blank stare.

As for using differences between labelling or packaging as an excuse not to price-match, retailers have been using those excuses with bedding and whitegoods since I've been buying them for myself, probably longer. I have a good friend who works for Bunnies in Special Orders. He tells me that some manufacturers simply will not sell identical items to them to protect other wholesale customers and dealers. I believe him because I knew this was common practice with genuine (ienot 3rd party) agricultural spare parts years ago.

Charleville

28th May 2012, 04:04 PM

I wonder if the people who always protest that they always buy "local" have any home brand type packaged groceries in their larder that come from Thailand or South Africa or China or whether they only buy Golden Circle or SPC, or Safcol etc.

I am a very, very, very small shareholder in Westfarmers who own Bunnings. I come from convict stock dating back to 1806 in Australia. Is that local enough for you? Why won't you buy from Bunnings which I part own? What have you got against locally owned companies like Bunnings?

As for the 10% price guarantee, I have been pleased to use it several times - on things as big as a 12" Makita SCMS. On each occasion that I have used it, the staff have been delighted to do the deal and very cheerful about it. Of course the product has to be the same exactly but that is standard retail practice going back as far as you can remember and before that.

.

dabbler

28th May 2012, 05:54 PM

I am a very, very, very small shareholder in Westfarmers who own Bunnings. I come from convict stock dating back to 1806 in Australia. Is that local enough for you? Why won't you buy from Bunnings which I part own? What have you got against locally owned companies like Bunnings?
.

A very good point Charleville.

I wonder if the people who always protest that they always buy "local" have any home brand type packaged groceries in their larder that come from Thailand or South Africa or China or whether they only buy Golden Circle or SPC, or Safcol etc.

You forgot a few. But it makes no difference - your point is worth making.

It's hard to stay 100% local in every way. You need to read labels, follow the company information trails and sometimes go to different products or even without, in order to truly stay local.

To be honest, with supermarket goods, sometimes we choose to do without when the company or product come from OS. Sometimes we just go with the flow.

Every once in a while I check labelling to see if country of origin has changed too. Occasionally they just sneak in a long term change that has nothing do do with just seasonal availability.

Back to the topic as posted .....
Does anyone know just where the two WC2000 from Bunnies and CarbaTec come from anyway ? I wonder if that goes some way towards explaining the pricing.

bpj1968

30th May 2012, 09:32 AM

I have to agree with Charleville, what is the problem with Bunnings?
They are out to make money, just like your local hardware store.
They employ locals, just like the local hardware store.
They buy in bulk, get a better price and pass some of that on, just like the local as part of Mitre 10 / Home etc.
They have a large range, just like?

It's amazing how many poo poo Bunnings and then claim how wonderful Aldi is because they are taking on the majors.
Aldi are foreign owned, only sell high turnover products, so they don't have stock sitting idle. Are mostly home branded and therefore squeezing local manufacturers because if they can;t make it cheaper someone else will.

Charleville

30th May 2012, 09:47 AM

I have taken this thread off topic so my apologies for that but I shall add just one more really good thing about Bunnings.

Have you ever noticed the age of the staff?

Yes - they are one of the few employers in Australia who seem to embrace the hiring of older experienced workers.

At my local Bunnings, there was a very old frail looking lady named Joan whose hair changed colour from blue of pinkish-orange every now and then. However, if ever you wanted to know something about her area of speciality then Joan was the staffer that you wanted to talk to - if you had the time to stand in the queue to get to her. Her knowledge of hardware was superb.

A few months ago, I had not seen her for a while and mentioned that to the meeter and greeter at the front of the store and was told that Joan had retired. The meeter and greeter also mentioned that Bunnings actually have staff in their eighties employed in the company somewhere.

It seems to me that Bunnings is a business with a social conscience and we ought to support them accordingly.

[Apart from owning a few shares in Wesfarmers, I have no links with Bunnings.]

.

I_wanna_Shed

30th May 2012, 09:55 PM

I have taken this thread off topic so my apologies for that but I shall add just one more really good thing about Bunnings.

[Apart from owning a few shares in Wesfarmers, I have no links with Bunnings.]

.

I'll take it even further off topic! :doh:

When the Coles group was up for sale, Wesfarmers was in a consortium with two other overseas bidders. When those other two pulled out due to the GFC, Wesfarmers continued alone and won. If it wasn't for the Wesfarmers bid, Coles, Officeworks, Liquorland, Vintage Cellars, Kmart, and Target would now all be owned by one of the other bidders; all of which were foreign companies. Imagine how much overseas product would be in Coles then, and how much money would potentially be going out of Australia.

I am a Wesfarmers employee, like nearly 300,000 other Australians.

Sorry, back on topic. :B

htou

30th May 2012, 10:22 PM

Carbatec have it listed at $700. Perhaps you could try the Bunnings 10% off a better offer deal!

I can confirm that bunnings will honour the 10% discount because I just purchased a workcentre last week. Bunnings special ordered via kincrome who had it priced at over $1k. Paid $630, delivered to store in 3 days for pickup.

I_wanna_Shed

1st June 2012, 10:43 PM

I can confirm that bunnings will honour the 10% discount because I just purchased a workcentre last week. Bunnings special ordered via kincrome who had it priced at over $1k. Paid $630, delivered to store in 3 days for pickup.

Over $1000 for a Workcentre. Add a circular saw and you are well in table saw territory. Crazy!

doug3030

2nd June 2012, 12:04 AM

I can confirm that bunnings will honour the 10% discount because I just purchased a workcentre last week. Bunnings special ordered via kincrome who had it priced at over $1k. Paid $630, delivered to store in 3 days for pickup.

I bet its only a matter of time before bunnings tells kinchrome that they need a separate stock number for a wc2000 than what they supply to other retailers so that they dont have to price match

Onezero

2nd June 2012, 08:08 AM

Didn't think this would turn into a Bunnings rant thread! The tool shop manager told me his boss didn't realize the cost of the item before they ordered it, got a shock when they saw the invoice though. I reckon they are happy to honor the 10% thing to get rid of them.
Bunnings is what it is. People must recognize its faults and strengths.

Mongrel85

2nd June 2012, 10:06 AM

Maybe look at a business who is kind enough to sponsor the forum and carries Triton in stock as a Premium dealer? I have dealt with David at Timberbits and have found him extremely competitive and helpful!!!

The premium dealers in anything will always be better than the 'special order' crowd - when I bought my new TV I went somewhere that carried the range so I knew I would get the service, not look at pics in a book and see if they could order it possibly.

A Duke

2nd June 2012, 11:39 AM

Back in the days pre GMC the Bunnings version of the WC2000 was packaged with the hight winder included and the Mitre 10 version had a bomber jacket included, every one else just had the work centre.
Regards

Onezero

2nd June 2012, 01:04 PM

Mongrel85

4th June 2012, 02:52 PM

To be completely honest it wasn't aimed at anyone at all, just a comment on the comments. The 'beat it by 10%' thing is annoying because you undervalue the stockist who invests in product and training and it lets the vultures swoop in and get the benefit. My mum had a Singer sewing machine franchise, paid for stock, insurance, rent, wages etc only for the big chains to smash her on price - she was a branded outlet and couldn't be competitive so I am a little sensitive on the subject.

"The place we love to hate' will be the only one around if we don't support the little guy! I only looked at this thread as I was interested but standing back saw it from a different light...

No offence meant to anyone

Charleville

4th June 2012, 03:30 PM

It is the way that market economies work. The ACCC is set up to stop the shonks but other than that retailers of all sorts need to follow the adage, "Get big, get small or get out."

So the small guy will never be able to compete with Bunnings; that is what Masters are set up to do, albeit I have not found Masters to be cheaper nor better than Bunnings in many aspects of their business. (Except the cleaniness and presentation of their toilets, that is. :wink: )

On the other hand, getting small for the little guy in this millennium is as much about going online and selling from home as anything.

eg I get my welding materials from "Bob the Welder" which is a home based online seller in Ballina. I buy hard-to-get parts from my old Briggs and Stratton mower engine from "Pig Iron Parts", a home based seller of spare parts for old engines in upstate New York. Until the floods wiped him out last year, I bought some tools from an online seller at Burpengary, north of Brisbane.

There is a place for the little guy but not in competition with the big guys. The little guy needs to specialise. Who of us does all our grocery shopping at a corner store?

.

Mongrel85

4th June 2012, 03:59 PM

dabbler

4th June 2012, 04:21 PM

timberbits

4th June 2012, 10:18 PM

Hi Guys

I just came back from a conference looking at this exact issue.

It looks like the strategies are either go niche and be small with low overheads or go full out like the big green box. The big players have a tendency to squeeze out other big, medium and smaller player until there is only one dominant player in the market. Eventually the big gets so big and cumbersome
that they eventually get hit back by some smaller more nimble player in the market.

Harvey Normans and other traditional retailer are experiencing that at the moment. Its going to be interesting to see how Masters and Bunnings duel it out. The duel between the two is going to have unintended results like, what will happen to the Thrifty Link/Danks and Mitre 10 brands.

It's exciting times for a clicks and mortar retailer like me.

Bunnings is very good at what it does but fall very short once you need something outside the standard deviation. Most people also don't like going to teenagers for advice.

Hopefully there will be always be a place for small niche players like me, but the day that Bunnings or master starts to sell pen kits and clock movements, I think that time for me to seriously have a long hard look at my business model.

Timberbits

It is the way that market economies work. The ACCC is set up to stop the shonks but other than that retailers of all sorts need to follow the adage, "Get big, get small or get out."

So the small guy will never be able to compete with Bunnings; that is what Masters are set up to do, albeit I have not found Masters to be cheaper nor better than Bunnings in many aspects of their business. (Except the cleaniness and presentation of their toilets, that is. :wink: )

On the other hand, getting small for the little guy in this millennium is as much about going online and selling from home as anything.

eg I get my welding materials from "Bob the Welder" which is a home based online seller in Ballina. I buy hard-to-get parts from my old Briggs and Stratton mower engine from "Pig Iron Parts", a home based seller of spare parts for old engines in upstate New York. Until the floods wiped him out last year, I bought some tools from an online seller at Burpengary, north of Brisbane.

There is a place for the little guy but not in competition with the big guys. The little guy needs to specialise. Who of us does all our grocery shopping at a corner store?

.

Charleville

5th June 2012, 10:38 AM

Service isn't dead and that's what I factor into my shopping. If WE CHOOSE to let them beat our local stores by 10% then we have no right to complain later. But we will anyway... Back to my TV story, the good guys offered to beat my best price and I refused to let them. I will not undervalue someone's offer who was genuinely cheaper, it's not fair and I like to sleep at night.

I think that we all would understand your emotional commitment but at the other end of the argument, where is the sense in promoting mediocrity and inefficient markets through loyalty to some bumbling, lazy, inefficient, local retailer simply because he is there?

Competition is good for all. Let the best retailer win whether it be by price or quality.

Why is the Apple computer company so rich compared with all of the other computer manufacturers? It sure ain't because of price.

The local guy will also win when he proves that he can differentiate his product a worthy margin. If he is just handling the same boxed products made in an overseas factory as the big guy and not adding any extra value, why should he get a better price? It makes no sense.

Where I share your sentiment is in relation to tradesmen. As a senior, I can get discounts on services offered by tradies. However, I regard it as being unfair to effectively take the food off a tradie's children's table by underpaying him 5% or 10% for his labour so I never ask for these offered discounts.

It is different when all the retailer does is handle some paperwork and the sale is done.

.

Vernonv

5th June 2012, 03:32 PM

Competition is good for all.I would agree with that, however I reckon the "beat it by 10%" is anything but competitive.

You could have retailer try hard to offer you a product at the best possible price and then Bunnings will automatically discount their price to beat them. Bunnings won't/doesn't offer you the best possible price unless you could be bothered chasing up a better one.

Sorry but that is not competitive, it's predatory.

doug3030

5th June 2012, 09:09 PM

As a senior, I can get discounts on services offered by tradies. However, I regard it as being unfair to effectively take the food off a tradie's children's table by underpaying him 5% or 10% for his labour so I never ask for these offered discounts..

It is refreshing to see someone who looks past their own potential saving to see that it all comes out of the Tradie's pocket. I owned and operated a concrete garden edging business for 10 years until my back went and I had to change career paths.

Quite often when we were doing a job I would be approached by a neighbour or passer-by to come and do a quote for them. On this particular occasion it was in an area of 2 acre blocks and the potential customer was directly across the road from the job. I handed him the quote for what he wanted and this approx 50 year old pulled out a STUDENT card and asked for a discount.

As luck would have it the more quick-witted of my employees was on the street, loading something into my equipment trailer close to where I was standing with the Student. I called out "Hey Brett, this bloke has a student card and he wants a discount. Do you think you and Damien could work for half your normal wages if we get the job?"

Brett replied: "No way, I have a family to support and bills to pay!"

So I said to the student: " Ok, they wont help out, lets call my supplier and see if I can get the sand and cement cheaper for you," to which he replied: "Dont bother, I can see where this is going, When can you do the job, I will pay the price you quoted."

Well I was floored that he got it so quick. I didnt even have to tell him that if the service station wouldnt give me a free tank of fuel so that I could give him a discount it would all come out of my pocket and I would be better off doing a job for someone else on the day instead of doing his for a discount.

Dont even get me started on discount cards where you pay the company $5000 for the privelige of giving a 10% discount to customers who have paid $50 to the same company. When I was approached by them and there are many of them and I was approached frequently I told them that if I wanted to, I could give their members and anyone else I wanted a 10% discount without having to pay them or anyone else any money at all, let alone $5000.

Doug

TORB

6th June 2012, 06:53 PM

This is one of the best threads I have read in a long time.

Many excellent points have been made and it shows there are a number of people here who really understand the retail market and where it is heading.

One of the best comments was Bunnings "we beat prices by 10%" policy was predatory pricing. Could not agree more, however be it right or be it wrong, that's the way of publicly listed companies today. Long gone is the social corporate consciences, despite the PR that companies put out.

Its all about one thing. Profit. That equals return to shareholders. Companies are behaving in this manner because shareholder demand it. So who are these 'greedy' shareholders? Superannuation funds, investment funds, retirees, moms and pops, and a myriad of other people.

Like it or not, that's the way society is today. The "we want the lowest price" mentality by a huge percentage of the population falls into the same category.

So, as others have said, when it comes to retail, its either get big and sell on price, be a niche player, or add value. Retail business are not successful at one of these three strategies will not survive.

SAISAY

6th June 2012, 10:19 PM

I usually buy at the local hardware store (Mitre 10) rather than Bunnings. The staff are knowledgeable and helpful and for the most part, prices are pretty close to Bunnings.
Carbatec has also gotten a lot of my money over the last couple of years :)

Yeah right.
Our local M10 has turned into a higher price giftware and kitchen ware shop instead of a hardware one :oo:

Couldn't even buy a decent router there last week and when we went this week to buy a hammer drill (sorry I forget what they are called these days) the girl there couldn't even tell us whether it was a combination hammer/rotary drill or just a hammer drill without looking in a catalogue first. So much for knowledge. There is only one guy there who knows a little bit about tools and, unfortunately, he has gone on a 4 months holiday.
Give me Bunnies any time, at least there is always one person there who knows his tools or whatever. All you have to do is ask for someone who is in the know.

M10 is local and a franchise and Bunnies is 2 hours drive away so, sorry, I do not support the locals.

Wolffie

BTW M10 also has a beat the price by 10% but only if the other retailer is within 50 k of the shop so even they do not support the locals. HAHA.

doug3030

8th June 2012, 01:22 PM

Talk about knowing their product - I went to bunnings to get a drill to drill a 5/8" hole in some steel and the best thing they could find was a wood auger. No I didnt buy it.

Doug

Charleville

8th June 2012, 01:27 PM

Talk about knowing their product - I went to bunnings to get a drill to drill a 5/8" hole in some steel and the best thing they could find was a wood auger.

That does not augur well for them. :U

.

JimM

12th June 2012, 01:59 AM

Is $630 worth it for the workcentre? By the time you put a saw in it...
Bunnings have a cheapy Makita 255mm Table Saw only $518...

bpj1968

13th June 2012, 09:39 PM

I see the we'll beat it by 10% as more about a guarantee of a cheaper price, and not a predatory thing. If you go into any Bunnings you will see tickets with reduced price so that they are the same or cheaper than the competitor, so they can avoid beating them by 10%.

I shop at Bunnings because I know if i want to buy a 130mm bolt, I can, instead of settling for a 100 or a 150 at my "local"

richmond68

13th June 2012, 10:22 PM

I shop at the big green shed, only because it's there and they've killed off virtually every local alternative. I've had some very good experiences with their staff, and found some knowledgable and helpful. That said, they've been good value for common items and frustrating as hell for other stuff - for example it annoys me that at my nearest B they sell adjustable feet with 3/8" whit thread but do not sell the corresponding T nuts, and don't even think about asking special orders for them! It's simply easier to go online to Carbatec or others and get what you need in a lot of cases, and often cheaper even with postage.

I have to say though, many specialist tool outlets are no better - they cater for mechanical trades but woodworkers are an alien species to them.Online suppliers have been a godsend - at least I've been able to source what I need at a reasonable price, and without having to explain what it is and where to get it from the very people who should know. I think we all need to be grateful that we have the likes of Bunnings who provide a wide range of commonly used stuff for us, and that they leave room for specialist suppliers who cover the stuff for people like us who do our craft for the simple joy of doing it. It'd be nice to have one place we could go to get everything at a good price, but we all live in the real world...

Have to add, my local Bunnings have never had anything from Trtion that I can recollect.... more's the pity.

VEK TOOLS

18th June 2012, 09:21 PM

Geez I hope that's not the case, or we will all be out of work!

Service isn't dead and that's what I factor into my shopping. If WE CHOOSE to let them beat our local stores by 10% then we have no right to complain later. But we will anyway... Back to my TV story, the good guys offered to beat my best price and I refused to let them. I will not undervalue someone's offer who was genuinely cheaper, it's not fair and I like to sleep at night.

Am I the only one or has everyone given up?

We built our business on service & specialising.The beat this beat attitude has been one of the major contributors to quality downgrading of some of the best brands in the market place & moves to china for manufacturing:doh:
The importer always makes the biggest chunk of profit leaving the retailer with all the problems & low margins.

All the bigger places will use the well known brands to get you into store as a LOSS LEADER, but trust me they will make it up somewhere else instore.....otherwise they wouldnt be in business....NO ONES is in business to lose money