Thread: Bunnings

Never had a problem at Bunnies.

I think it all depends on how you treat them. You should not expect all the staff to know about everything.

Some have good knowledge and some barely know where to find things.

What do you expect from a hardware supermarket.

Over the years I have had a lot of help from the staff.

They are all people trying to earn a living like the rest of us.

"What do you expect from a hardware supermarket?"
I would expect knowledgable staff.
I would expect quality products.

Our local Bunny Shed lacks both. I have never seen so many people with so little knowledge. God help you if you use "Trade Speak," they just look at you blankly.

Hi sam3280

Welcome to the forum. I have personally joked on this forum about how poor some of the product knowledge is at Bunnings. I say joked because as Davidg says you shouldn't expect experts in what is effectively a hardware department store.

I love Bunnings and am there at least once a week. I love the fact that it doesn't matter where I am I can find what I need because they are almost all laid out the same way. They are rarely out of stock on anything and for the most part the staff are happy and throw a smile around here and there. If you are smart you can work out the crap from the decent product anyway.

If I really want expert opinions I just come here. It's open 24 hours a day and there is always someone who can help.

Danny

So you go to K-Mart for knowledgeable staff and quality products ???
That's the oranges with oranges comparison.

I use the two Bunnings stores near me and I don't have any problems with them. Most of the staff is knowledgeable and all are helpful and friendly.

Occasionally, maybe once a year or so, some one rubs me up the wrong way or gives me wrong advice and when that happens I make a point of complaining to the manager in person at that time.

And their claim for cheaper prices is correct most of the time especially in the plumbing section.

This week I needed a 1 1/2 " pipe joiner for which our local plumbing store wanted to charge $ 20 but was available at Bunnings for $ 10. Guess where I bought the fitting?


Peter.

Originally Posted by Sturdee

And their claim for cheaper prices is correct most of the time especially in the plumbing section

I put a pool in a couple of years ago Peter, and therefore was in the position of having to buy serious amounts of expensive high pressure pipes and fittings. I immediately went to my local Reece and was staggered at the insane prices. A 6m length of 40mm high pressure pipe was around $42! I shopped around and ended up coming across Plumbtec, who were great. The same pipe from the same supplier was around $14 from memory. Fittings were cheap too although not as much of a difference as the pipe. I looked at Bunnings at the time but they were no cheaper and a tradie customer there told me he has had issues with poor fitting pipes in the high pressure range.

Anyway long story but noticed you were in Melbourne so you should check out Plumbtec next time. (I have no association with them at all by the way)

Danny

Well we do market ourselves as having expert knowledge and most of the time if the team member doesn't know they should be able to get someone from the department who knows more, if that isnt happening head office likes to know

Originally Posted by danny.s

Anyway long story but noticed you were in Melbourne so you should check out Plumbtec next time. (I have no association with them at all by the way)

Danny

Funny that you should mention that Danny as it was a Plumtec member store that I went to. Maybe if I was a tradie it might make a difference but it was a one of to make an egg holding chuck.


Peter.

The tradie was referring to the pipe itself, apparently there can be some variation in the thickness causing issues getting a good seal on high pressure. I ended up using some Bunnings fittings as well and they were fine.

The level of service certainly depends on the store.
In Sydney, my local Bunnings was Ok as far as stock levels went but it was nearly impossible to get even the simplest of questions answered - assuming you could find a staff member to ask.
Here in Tassie, I've been to at least 2 Bunnings stores and found the service and level of product knowledge to be very high.

Originally Posted by Sturdee

And their claim for cheaper prices is correct most of the time especially in the plumbing section.

That's not really been my experience either. I can get plumbing parts from the local plumbing shop a lot cheaper than I can get them at Bunnings (and I'm not a tradie, I just ask for thier best price).

I have also found the same with our local (non franchise) builders supplies. Normally they are cheaper than Bunnings, if not on par.

I generally find Bunnings to be on a par or cheaper price wise on most general hardware.

However, it is the 7.00 - 9.00 pm weekdays and 7.00 am to 7.00 and 6.00 pm Sat and Sun where they have a huge advantage over their competitors.

Try buying any plumbing fitting on a Sunday afternoon when you have dug a hole and hit the sewerage line (dont ask) at any of the other shops. Guess what, they are shut.

I'm looking forward to when we get a Masters, so there is a little competition, but in the meantime, I'm happy to keep shopping at Bunnings.

my only issue with Bunnings is they way they hide things

I need a shelving bracket for the shed, not in the shelving section, not with sheds for some reason it's with the hinges

spring for the screen door.... not with screens, not with doors, not with door hinges (which is nowhere near doors) it's in with the padlocks

When Bunnings first opened in Mittagong some years ago, I had a bloody awful experience and swore I would never shop there again.

Never say never! Eventually I needed something and they were the only stockist in my area. I went and purchased it and could not believe the difference in attitude. It didn't seem like the same store.

Since then, I had had a few things go wrong with purchases, and a problem is never a problem. They do whatever is necessary to fix it with no fuss or complaint. They are very friendly too.

Last Sunday I had cause to send in a complaint via their website about a product being sold but not having the necessary accessories to make it work. (It wasn't cheap.) On Monday morning I received a very apologetic phone call and they went to extraordinary lengths to make it right with me.

As far as advice goes, at least they try hard. They carry a huge range of products and can't know everything about every product. A little while ago, I had a fairly obscure query about a products function and despite the sales assistant finding an expert, he could not give me a definitive answer. The result was a suggestion that I take it home, try it, and if it didn't work the way I wanted, bring it back for a full refund. Can't ask for more.

I must admit, although there is a lot of specialist stuff I can't get there, for general stuff, my local Bunnings in Mittagong is damn good.