Thread: Masters Superstore

Good to hear about the range of types of timbers. I have noticed that different Bunnings stock different sizes of boards.
I wonder if they are trying to be a white goods store as well as a hardware store.
No doubt the next incarnation will be bigger with a Woolworths on one side and a Big W on the other and Dick Smith out the back and just for the grown ups Dan Murpy on the way out!

Going to see the outlaws tomorrow, who just happen to live about a 3 minute walk form Masters in Braybrook. Who'd imagine that!!



Ron

Good one Ron. You will need it too. I was turned away as the massive car park was full. I had to park in the street!

There is another one further up "Ballarat Road" through Deer Park, right across the road for the new Bunnings in Caroline Springs/Burnside, looks like it is still a few months off opening though,



Ron

Originally Posted by metester

I took a drive to checkout the new Masters store in Braybrook. It is huge! It appeared bigger than Bunnings Vermont.

Some noticeable things were:
......
- a more family friendly environment including fully equipped change facilities etc.
.......

You can change your family? Now that is impressive.

Originally Posted by rotten_66

Going to see the outlaws tomorrow, who just happen to live about a 3 minute walk form Masters in Braybrook. Who'd imagine that!!



Ron

Ron,

Enjoy your 3 hour walk......

WOT!?

you can buy a beer fridge for the shed in the same place you can buy your woodworking tools!!??

Sounds like a good place!

Yep, I had my first visit to Masters in Braybrook today, and I have mixed opinions.

First impressions were very good. It is much cleaner than Bunnings, with polished concrete floors and neater racks. Maybe it's because it is all brand new, but overall much more pleasant. Also had a McDonalds cafe in there!

I obviously didn't know where anything was, so I just wandered the aisles exploring. Lots of staff came to offer help. Even though most were youngs kids, they seemed knowledgable (for young kids), which seems a credit to their staff training. In this regard, much better than Bunnings (although they seem to be trying to correct that based on my recent trips).

The guy who helped me in electrical was an electrician, and he was able to explain the light switch I was looking at would not work on my 2 way circuit because it wasn't a double throw, which impressed me.

Tool range was ok. They had "Worx", which was funny because i thought that was an exclusive Thrifty Link brand, but i guess not. They also had the "909" GMC clone brand. Big range of bosch blades. Lots of the range was identical to Bunnings - e.g. sutton drill bits.

But did they have a bigger range than bunnings? I didn't think so. Sure they have things like whitegoods, but I think this means they don't end up stocking other things. e.g. they didn't have heavy duty hooks for in the garage, didn't have thick foam door seals, and had a more limited range of step ladders.

So overall it was a little bit different, but not hugely better.

Originally Posted by John G

Tool range was ok. They had "Worx", which was funny because i thought that was an exclusive Thrifty Link brand, but i guess not.

When first getting in to the hardware market, after passing the opportunity to purchase Mitre 10, Woolworths bought Danks. Danks in turn own Thrifty Link, along with Home Hardware and also Plants Plus.

Yep, everyone is in bed with each, just about.

Hi everyone

I went to Masters for the second time today. The first time was between work meetings in the area and I didn't have much time to look around. I gotta say I'm a little underwhelmed. I took the good lady wife and the boys and we had a good look around a spent a little bit of money. Parts of the store are great. Outsourcing the cafe to maccas is brilliant. I doubt any Bunnings actually makes a profit from their cafes and Masters has seemed to be able to simply rent out this space which will no doubt cover their costs if not better. The range was targeted more towards women with a good showing of home improvement items like bathroom, kitchen, blinds and storage.

The tools section wasn't that impressive with prices more or less in line with Bunnings. Unfortunately for me I discovered that their kitchen sinks are very well priced. Last week we decided on a Clark Monaco sink for the new kitchen. Saw it at Bunnings for $583. Being the tight wad that I am I called Mitre 10 mega in Pakenham ($613) and Reece Plumbing Emerald ($549). No one had it in stock so it had to be ordered. I was surprised that the normally expensive Reece were the cheapest so ordered one and put it in yesterday. I was very happy with myself until I went to Masters today to find it in stock and only $440! It will take me a while to get over this and any comments on how the $130 sinks are made from the same stainless as the expensive ones will not help me at all This is the one the missus wanted so any discussion on other sinks is simply an exercise in futility.

We picked up some Christmas decorations at a good price and thought the service as we wandered around was pretty good.

Now here's what I really hated about the place. THE SELF SERVE REGISTERS!!. Ok let me start by saying that I am 40 years old and quite apt at handling technology and automation. I use self serve registers at Bunnings and Wollies when I have a few little items that can be handled easily. The problem with Masters is the there is no choice - they only have self serve counters. So we front up with our trolley of random items and start the process. We scan our items and place them on the weighing tray. The weighing tray gets full so we start to load already scanned items back in the trolley and get told off by the machine for taking items off the tray (these machines monitor the total weight of the tray and compare it to the items scanned to make sure you pay for everything). No bar code on the 2m of bird netting we bought so we wait for assistance. Then we wait for assistance again when the eftpos asks for a signature on a savings account transaction. Then we wait for assistance again for some other random reason. Then we get charged 5c each for the bags we used even though there was no prior warning that we had to pay for bags. As we leave we bailed up by the door greeter to check our receipt to make sure we paid for everything. SIGH! Sometimes there is simply no replacement for a human. Why on earth do they not have normal registers as well. When I am in Wollies or Bunnings I have a choice. I can use the human operated register when I want to or the self serve register when I want to. If I have a large trolley full of stuff and 20 different veges to work out I go to a register. When I have just a couple of items I might use the self serve register. We managed today although it was frustrating. I can't quite work out though how it would work when I show up at the little self serve register with a whole heap of timber, 100kgs of pool salt and 30 conifers! Seriously Masters - pay for some register staff!

Wow that feels better.

Anyway we headed off and my lovely wife commented that she much prefers Bunnings - bit of a miss there Masters.

Danny

I note, with some trepidation, that our local rabbit hutch now has self service cash registers.

But I trust they still have normal human operated registers as well?

Well I have some positives for Masters and I have no connection what so ever with them or their parent owners. I like the fact I can buy bessy clamps and have a good choice of them, let alone I can now afford them without paying for post. I like the fact I can buy Hitachi and Panasonic power tools without going to trade tools direct, as well I can choose from a good selection from Bosch if I want. I like the much bigger selection of shellac and other finishes available but most of all I like the fact I can buy popular timber that is straight and not bent as it always is at the big green shed. I also like that I can buy some tools that I don't see in the big green shed. I now have some competetion and not just the big green shed.

SB

Yep, competition is here. unfortunately for the mass of us, it is, and will be for some considerable time, only available in selected areas and will be a long time coming to the wider community. A peek at their roll out programme confirms this, obviously targetting the areas where Bunnings have a larger warehouse facility.

i have to say though, that all things considered I still hanker for the days of the real hardware stores and timber merchants. Hardware stores (in NSW) such as Nock and Kirby, Kell and Rigby (timber as well) and the myriad of others that provided not only the ability to sell one washer or screw and a handfull of nails, but for those needing it, sound and accurate advice on "how to do it". As well as couteous and friendly service from the knowledgable staff in all aspects of their chosen work.

Not to mention the range of timbers held in timber yards and many hardware stores, from home construction to fine cabinetry timber.

Yes those days are behind us, but are we the better for it?? I really don't think so, the bonhomie and community knowledge and spirit of those times are long gone.