Thread: Dumbing down of Buunnings

l work in a tool shop its funny realy some of you are just like the custmers that yell and sream that they never going shop here again see them again in a few days time if you dont like shopping there dont come in

A question for every one of you.

Bunning's current advertising campaign depicts staff as ... well ... not the brightest of creatures. I guess some advertising guru thought this was cute or something.

Ask yourselves, how has this campaign affected your mental image of the shop. As someone who hasn't been in Bunnies for yonks (and who avoids it because I always spend money I don't really have free), it has made it easy to accept Ding's assertion that Bunnies are dumbing down ... yet I can't honestly say I have any evidence to support it.

Valid thought?
Should I have another cup of tea?

Richard

Bunnings is owned by Wesfarmers. Say no more.

I used to work in a timber and hardware store in rthe early 80's. It was a family owned company and the old guys in the family used to come in and chew the fat with the staff wander around checking that all was well. You'd often hear regular customers call "G'day Jack" or "how are you today Charles" the two elder Directors of the company. They'd wander into the lunch room talk WITH the staff not at them. Listen to our comments and generally wander off with a nod of approval. The company spared no expense making sure their staff were well trained in any new tool that came on the market and that we all knew everything about tasmanian timber necessary to service the core clients, builders, hundreds of the buggers. And we got paid to do the training too and they put on a meal after work. The company existed as timber merchants, harvesters, millers and later hardware retailers for over 130 years. I loved the place and old Jack who was a foundation member of the Hoo Hoo Club (timber industry people who did things quietly for charity).
One day Charles died then Old Jack, real gentlemen both. Old Jack was also a real knockabout bloke and what he didn't know about timber you could write on your small fingernail in large print.
Then the whizz kid idiot sons took over. Decided it was time to enter the DIY market which as most will remember really took off in the mid 80's. Bought in a slick marketing guru from Sydney (never been south of Melbourne before) who convinced the board to realign the corporate strategy, move away from the building trade get in to DIY and go 8AM to 8PM 7 days in a new whizz bang warehouse type configuration. One of the idiot sons announced to all staff without any consultation that henceforth the company was selling its state of the art sawmill, building an enormous DIY Centre and we'd be open 7days a week and we'd be "expected to volunteer to work saturdays and sundays week about. I stood up and quit on the spot. As did about 7 others. The timber workers union back then was gutless so the others were too shlt scared to say boo.
The next day the idiot son called me up to his office and offered me 2600 extra a year to stay. $50 a week. Told him no and left the following week.
A couple years later the big DIY Centre closed down and became the new ultra modern sales and service centre for a Toyota dealership. So thanks to the idiot sons (one of whom is now dead - at a young age sadly) this company, a scion of the Tasmanian Timber Industry for over a century just fell off the map. I still see some of my former workmates working in other non-DIY timber/hardware stores though one of my former bosses now manages a Bunnings store near where I live. And I have to say, his staff are very well versed in the stock they carry. One guy is an Oz born of Asian heritage with red, green and purple striped hair and if you ask him for a flingle tatcher with a dorfner on the left strewfiz he can take you straight to it. When I walk in the door theres always a couple of staff standing there and they ask what do you need today sir (or mate if you're a regular like me). On the other hand, the staff at the hugely impersonal Bunnings Warehouse across the river are 7 shades worse than hopeless. The only thing they do well is sausage sizzles. The last time I went there all the Triton equipment was up the back of the tool section with the leather aprons and water pressure cleaners. Last year when I wanted same spare parts for my triton WC2000 one guy ther bent over backwards trying to get the parts. They eventually arrived thanks to our man in Japan. When I asked to see the manager so I could put a good word in for the young bloke who tried so hard (without success) to get my parts, the guy I spoke to just wasn't interested. As I was walking down the stairs from his office the young passed me going up. He was summonsed (i found out later when I asked him) and given a warning for wasting so much time on a customer who only wanted 25 bucks worth.

No, Bunnings hasn't been dumbed down. The industry has been that way for about 20 years and only wants ignorant DIYers as customers.
My 2 cents worth and I empathise with you totally Ding..
Rant off.
CHeers

Bunnings owned by Westfarmers?
In that case I'm glad that Bunnings are doing what they are doing as I part own Westfarmers (shareholder) and fully expect them to make the best commercial decisions for my financial benefit.

The days of people choosing to pay higher prices for purchases, to support businesses that provide a high level of service and staff knoweldge, are long gone. People are not willing to pay for that service.

Bunnings' business model is a response to the commercial/economic reality, i.e. a business follows a particular path in order to maximise corporate/shareholder profit.... which is an obligation that the Board of Directors has to the company owners. The company owners will sack them if they don't do this.

If the customer base that Bunnings service changes, I expect that Bunnings will change, in a timely fashion, to ensure that they keep maximising profits.

So, for me the question isn't "Is Bunnings dumbing down?", but rather "Has Bunnings the best business model for the current market environment?"
As Bunnings are the most successful business in their particular market, the answer would have to be a resounding "Yes".

So while I'm happy with Bunnings, I still go to the smaller, individually/family owned, stores.... as they best suit my my needs, and I'm happy to pay the higher cost and never ask for a Bunnings price match.

So, Bunnings offer the service that the majority of their market wants.... and I'm free to go elsewhere.

Originally Posted by SPIRIT

l work in a tool shop its funny realy some of you are just like the custmers that yell and sream that they never going shop here again see them again in a few days time if you dont like shopping there dont come in

Hi Spirit,

Is it the tools section within said retail chain or another

cheers

Originally Posted by Daddles

Bunning's current advertising campaign depicts staff as ... well ... not the brightest of creatures. I guess some advertising guru thought this was cute or something.
Richard

I have it from a good source that the staff are asked to do the adds unpaid on their days off . It is all scripted so perhaps they aren't as daft as they appear. The one that I love is the girl at the register who is often surprised by what Bunnies sell. The only way she knows what the store sells is what she puts through the register. Perhaps a better spin would have been that she knows what they stock as part of her extensive training.

Originally Posted by DavidG

Do you expect Woolworths staff to be able to tell you how to prepare a banquet.
Why would Bunnies staff know anything about what they sell?
They are a tool supermarket.

Do Woolworths advertise that they employ ex-chefs to main the isles to assist staff?

Originally Posted by boban

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.

Has more to do with tradies that have reached the end of the road (physically). There a lot of them out there in the late forties and on that just don't have it in them to beat themselves up everyday like the twenty somethings do. That's one thing I've noticed since I moved here. Construction is much harder on the body here than in Canada.

Originally Posted by dazzler

Hi Spirit,

Is it the tools section within said retail chain or another

cheers

yes we are in redand as this comming to end from somebody who knows the facts yes they ar hiring more young people on the floor but the kids that get a job on the floor are bright one and it dosn't take long to pick things up .in the store l work at over 75% know their stuff maybe they don't know as much as you guys but then who does .You can't be a "expert"in everthing, if a l get a question l cant answer most of the time there is somebody in the store that can ,,,cut backs hit us all even more if you work there .as a ex tradie its fun and enjoyable to work there most of the time .one thing they do better than anybody else they don't hire people that are going to be a pain in the ars to work with .so there

Thanks spirit

Just so I have this right and don't go off half cocked or whinge about things I dont understand, can you shed light on the following.

If I am in the tool section, is it correct to expect that the member in the tool section may not have knowledge of the products within the tool section.
Why would that be?

Is there a regime in place for trainees to learn the ropes?

A buddy system perhaps while they learn the ropes?

If there is a buddy system where is the buddy? Nearby, contactable by phone/radio or similar?

You mention cutbacks. Have they cut back numbers or quality/training of staff?

If you join the store are you attached to one section or many?

Do ex tradie plumbers work in the electrical section for example?

Have the amount of ex-tradies, who the company used to put forward as experts there to help you, slowly been eroded so they are in the minority?
In your section what is the ratio of ex-tradies to non ex-tradies.

Sorry to go on but seeing as you are in the box seat so to speak we could all learn something from you.

kind regards

the non whinging, ready to learn Dazzler

In line with my new self proclaimed status of "the great grouchinator" I say the following to one an all so listen up yer bunch of yobbos!

First
Thanks to all for contributing... some great posts

Second
Im appreciative of the positive posts some have made about Bunnings and their staff

Thats enough of the namby pamby nice shyte

Third
Im a bit flamin fed up with the mob that take the view that any thread that has an even minor negative slant is in their view done by a whinger or someone with a chip on their shoulder this is pure crap

If someone posts good reviews of a company or product its "you bloody beauty" but the same cant be said when its of a negative experience of a company or product its "Im sick of all this whinging" quite simply the bloody minded hypocracy of that is so much horse manure... If you have a poor experience of a company or their staff that caters in any way to wood working then its not bloody whinging to stand up and say something! Id personally rather people come out and say so an so are a bunch of flamin total idiots cause they did this to me am I the only one?" than say nothing!

Theres getting to be what seems to be a cadre of people here who for some reason think only positive things should be said about a company or a product on this site... which is crap

IF some company be it flamin Bunnings Carbetec Woodpeckers or hell even god bless his wee bearded head Neils Ubeaut products then by god you should be able to post a thread about it without getting called a bloody whinger for doing so!

This thread started with a simple question based solely on my recent experiences at a particular company and its staff... I questioned if it was just here in the three stores I refer to in the initial post or was the problem endemic in their stores around Aussie... and yet by doing so Im called a whinger? Dazzlers called a whinger? every other poster who has responded with their own personal negative experiences is a whinger? get a bloody grip!

Maybe no one should say nothing thats not totally happy happy perfect about wvery company eh? dont say a bloody thing that may say "hey this friggin sux!" just stick your bloody head in the sand and shut up thats the one right...

If I could lock the damned thread I would... buggar it I wonder if I can bloody delete the bloody thing?

Nah, leave it Ding. Free speech is a wonderful thing. Even under a benevolent dictator...

I wouldn't say they are dumbing down in particular (that's such an American term, Dingo, you should be ashamed of yourself for using it). I was a customer of Bunnings off and on in various Sydney stores over a period of about 13 or 14 years and I found it was always very difficult to find anyone who actually knew anything. They always had checkout chicks who knew nothing about what they sold. They always had invisible 'experts' in every section who were never around when I went there. Not that you would rely on the advice they gave you anyway, even if you could find them. All I wanted to know was where they kept the thingamajigs I was looking for. Finding someone who knew a thingamajig from his backside was always the hard part.

No, they're not "dumbing down", they've always been that way as long as I can remember. You go there for the prices (and the range, if it's not out of stock), nothing more.

Wish we had one down here. I saved thousands buying stuff for the house from the Bunnies at Batemans Bay up the coast rather than the local Mitre 10. Best part was I didn't have to go there. I just rang and asked for Jodie in the building section - three days later my stuff would turn up on a truck. She was one of the rare ones who knew what was what. Every Bunnies has one, you just have to find them. And when you do, don't let them go.

Originally Posted by dazzler

Thanks spirit

Just so I have this right and don't go off half cocked or whinge about things I dont understand, can you shed light on the following.

If I am in the tool section, is it correct to expect that the member in the tool section may not have knowledge of the products within the tool section.
Why would that be?

Is there a regime in place for trainees to learn the ropes?

A buddy system perhaps while they learn the ropes?

If there is a buddy system where is the buddy? Nearby, contactable by phone/radio or similar?

You mention cutbacks. Have they cut back numbers or quality/training of staff?

If you join the store are you attached to one section or many?

Do ex tradie plumbers work in the electrical section for example?

Have the amount of ex-tradies, who the company used to put forward as experts there to help you, slowly been eroded so they are in the minority?
In your section what is the ratio of ex-tradies to non ex-tradies.

Sorry to go on but seeing as you are in the box seat so to speak we could all learn something from you.

kind regards

the non whinging, ready to learn Dazzler

try to answer your questions as best l can like l do at work .
q1. l remembered when l first started there so so many tools comming from a motor mechanic back ground there was many things to learn about even now im no "expert"on everthing we sell ,some of the time the customer know a lot more than me if this is so l listen to them so this may seem like dumbing down .we are a team not all full forwards

q2. simply no deep end stuff swim or sink

q3. sould be l have just started with 16yo kid, good kid talks realy well ,as a team it worked, looked at the roster and see he is on a shift by himself sometime because he is cheaper ,not his fault if he dosn,t know everything

q4. how long is the rope ???a few mounths few days a year ??l was always on the phone when l was looking after him

q5. numbers it is always numbers and it pisses us off more than you we have work harder put up with custmers "l have been waiting blar blar"getting stopped 10 times on your your way to the boger

q6. you are in 1 department eg tools/elec but mostly in the 1 spot but if you are on your way somewhere and get stopped you are expected to be a expert

q7. when you go though the interviews the department will pick the one that suit so yes most of the time pumbers will be working in the pumbing section

q8. this a harder one to answer in my section l think im the only extradie but we have 2 guys that ran thier oun hardware shop l bloke that has been working with tool and like to talk about tools 2 that have picked it up from working there and a few kids


sorry to anyone if l implied by my comments that any body is a whinger .

a winger is somebody that strings together a group of whinges
not somebody that has a whing

all the abave is by view on the subject so far and to answer dazzlers questions

go tigers

This thread's run its course. All three sides have had their say - yah, nay and from the inside.

Richard