Thread: Ode to the neighbourhood hardware store

Dear FXST,

Great find. Sums it up from that particular (and correct) angle superbly...

Best Wishes,
Batpig.

Feel free to move it if needed not that you needed my permission

I did and that is true.

So here is how it works. some things sell faster than others because there is a higher demand. It is expensive to keep the slow moving items on the shelf. They may take up the same amount of space as items that leap off the shelves at a rapid pace.

Modern retail theory allocates space on the shelves just like renting a larger space. To maximize profits, the big box stores track what happens on their shelves and only sell those things that have the highest demand. Slow moving stuff be damned. That means that the home hardware store becomes the place of last resort. It can't sell the rapid moving items at a profit because the big box store undercuts price. So the hardware store is left selling those slow moving items that offer the least profit. And they just can't make it selling those items alone.

The sad consequence is that it is becoming very hard to get things you may want that are slightly out of the main stream. An example is a lid support that I've been able to buy in the past, but can get no longer. Not even on the net.So, what all this means is that craftsmen are having to become more resourceful and more creative, by making what we need, or go the other way and have all our stuff made boring by the use of the humdrum stuff available at the big box store.

Is there an answer? Buying stuff at the local hardware store, even when you pay more money to help keep them in business is a part of it.

Not to turn it into a B v's the rest whinge but call it national v's local

My nearest B's are about 40km/120km away - yes I have been there and experienced, as most have, the level of service which seems to deteriorate with the size of store. When they first started I was of the impression [mistakenly it seems] that they were staffed by at least one "tradie" per section - if this was indeed correct then this has obviously gone by the board. They did have a large range of gear and great variety of fixings but this appears to have diminished in the quality and variety - perhaps more obvious to me as I don't get to the stores all that often. With regards their prices - these appear to have gone up considerably compared to past experiences - possibly tied to the disappearance of local competition?

I tend to do most of my purchasing at a local Thrifty-Link, which is a national chain but is local family owned and run, Mum, Dad, son and daughter. The building is on the ground and not much bigger than an average house. The prices are certainly comparable to any of the competition for most items, some are more and many are less. There is some street parking, and space at the back of the shop for 4 cars. They are great people, have most of what I want/need and if not they can usually get it overnight - I also do not need to take a cut lunch to make a purchase of a few items. Why would you not support them?

Never known a better hardware store than Scurrs at Upper Mt. Garvatt, but that was years ago before they were bought out by Mitre 10. I still have some stuff with their stickers on, I even used an angle bracket today - still with a sticker on it.

3 floors with fairdinkum gear, and the blokes in the store knew their stuff and sold quality stuff. The countless times I went there with my Dad, up the steps we'd go, monsterias growing either sides of the steps and into what was like having Christmas anytime of the year on a Saturday.

Does that make me sound old or maybe nostalgic

here here ... I still going and walk around with the memories flooding back and use to find something to buy from the new store but it does get harder to find anything of interest. Fantastic parking

I still have a list of shops with the 50 something year old experts who always seem to remember me, help me with the right solution, and empty my wallet or fill the credit card. I never regret buying anything from them as it has all been explained how it was the best choice of the options. I only wish when you order something through them their suppliers would perform better but I guess that's not really the business they are in.