Thread: hardware salesperson

BUt someone in an allied industry would not take long to pick up on the product and be an asset to the company.
I would feel comfortable in this field and realise that it would take me a few weeks to get to know the full range of product available.
I do take your point though, but good help can be hard to find.

On a previous wet miserable winter I applied to Bunnings for a job. Its been years since I went through the process but this really opened my eyes.

After lodging my application at the store I received a phone call asking several questions, this was interview #1. Next came a 'group interview' (7 women and 2 men applicants) where we were told to stand in front of everyone and state why we wanted to work there. Then they asked how we would greet customers, then given a product and asked what it did (boy did this have the women frantically reading the label) then finally, given photographs taken within the store and had to describe what we saw. I described mine as "seeing customers searching for goods and as usual NO STAFF IN SIGHT", which in hind sight led me to being overlooked.

If successful you were started off on 'night fill' (about 10hrs/week over 5 days) and I guess if you kept in favour with your team leader you got more regular work once someone quit.

It still irks me to this day when I occasionally call in there and basically all the staff are women who in the most know jack s##t about hardware, but given all the bulls##t they go through I can see why they dont bloody care.
Jack

Haven't been in a Bunnies for months. Was last in looking for some window hardware. I went up to one of these nice polite young staff who knows how to sell, and managed to get eye contact (no mean feat, I've found!) and got as far as to say " 'scuse me, but..." when his mobile rang, so he looked right through me and started walking off towards the gardening section.
Meanwhile, my better half had found what we were looking for, but there were only 2 pieces and we needed 10. I was so annoyed with the treatmnent I'd just experienced, I stomped out of the store swearing never to return.

We went to the opposition, where a very helpful (40-something) person quickly found what we wanted and also pointed out that it came in a couple of different finishes. The boss decided she liked the satin chrome finish, but there weren't enough, so had to order in (took a week, but the job's not quite finished yet, so that was a very minor inconvenience!).
And the best bit? The price (SAME BRAND, SAME PACKAGING) was 2/3rds the Bunnies price.
I may break my vow on occasion, but I'll definitely avoid the place as much as possible in future.

I look at all these larger hardware chains much like supermarkets eg: Coles, I feel the staff are only there to ensure that the shelfs are stocked and tell us which isle to look in, there may be the odd person that knows about their products.
If I want to find out about a product I would go to a store that specializes in that particular product or do a search on the net or ask on a forum such as this.

Yeh Al B but really, any store should know about their products. How would it be say, if you went to a chemist and he said 'stuffed if I know mate take this and if it kills you, well then stop'.

Reputable paint stores (like Wattyl, Solver, Bristol and Dulux etc) have trained experts you can ask. Buy paint at Bunnies and not only are you getting ripped off, they DONT CARE how you use it!

Same when we had butchers, he would tell you how to cook/season different cuts of meat.

These chain hardware stores have a bloody lot to answer for.
Jack

It Sh#% , to go to B, never being able to find any thing, staff not knowing what a prodcut is or what they have and the price. Due to the volume of hardware we use at work we buy most items in bulk wholsale but there is always things i have to buy and it sucks,

There is a good side to B, where else can you buy hardware at 9 at night its so great when we are working nights to buy extra gear what else can you do they have saved my **** a few times.

Here in perth, on Leach Hwy there's a place called 'early bird hardware'. IT opens at 5am and hte carpark is always full of utes/vans at 630am whe I drive past. Not even bunnies is open then!

Well Sandown Bunnies must be different .. it seems to have mainly older guys (and gals) and generally they are helpful. I've seen patience and helpfulness in staff and generally had some good help. Sandown is a distinct contrast to another Bunnies nearby where the experiences expressed in this thread are lived out regularly!

- sound work experience in retail
- good rapport with people
- knowledge of retail hardware products WOULD BE DESIRABLE

As I read most of the complaints the problem people have is with the 1st and 2nd thing anyway.
For a trainee you want someone with the right attitude, if they have that they will pick up the product knowledge over time and turn into the older guy that the newbies send all the tricky questions to. In the meantime they will be friendly and point you in the general direction of someone that does know.
It's a hardware supermarket isn't it. We dont have Bunnings here, but the bigger cities have the local equivalent, and I see the more successfull local franchise stores going that way. 9 times out of 10 I know what I want to buy anyway.. if I dont I research online and browse around to see what matches up.

thats my ramble anyway

Ian

It is sort of a supermarket, the company also deals in agricultural stuff and bathroom stuff and the service is generally crap. Maybe they are looking for people who are friendly to tip the balance and get the customer service up to scratch.

We are getting a Bunnings here soon so maybe the competition will improve things overall.

Forget the listed criteria... that's all just there to give someone in admin something to do

The real criteria they care about is as follows:

1. Will this applicant work for less than $10 an hour?
2. How good are they at saying "Security acknowledged" over a P.A. system?
3. How well can they pretend to know stuff and make themselves sound convincing, even if wrong?

In all fairness though, It seems some employees of even the *real* woodworking stores have been selected on this criteria also :eek: