Anyone else find B&Q expensive?

jc808

booty40uk wrote: »

...i have yet to meet one of their "experts" that actually knows anything.

Andy

Tell me about it, I went in for a 45A Shower Switch and the "electrician" tried to sell me a lightswitch!!!!

Leif

As said earlier, B&Q rip you off for things like screws and washers, and some of the stuff, such as brushes and most roller sleeves, is rubbish. Local hardware stores are good, and local builders merchants can be good. One local one, Coomers, is incredibly expensive. I think they heavily discount to the trade, and fleece non trade. I know a local tile shop sell adhesive at £40 to non trade, and £20 to trade. I won't mention the name as the staff were very very helpful when I had a problem.

ian_w_4

I got a 'trade point' card as I'm self employed, it was easy, no questions asked. Just need a business card and a letterhead that anyone could make up for a couple of quid, judging by some cards I've received from genuine builders.

Discounts vary, some stuff none at all (like a TV aerial bracket) but commonly used fittings/fixings like screws, plumbing, wiring, switches, building materials etc. have pretty big reductions to the price on the shop floor.

rustyboy21

Leif wrote: »

One local one, Coomers, is incredibly expensive. I think they heavily discount to the trade, and fleece non trade. I know a local tile shop sell adhesive at £40 to non trade, and £20 to trade. I won't mention the name as the staff were very very helpful when I had a problem.

They will do tis though.

The bulk of their business will be to the local tradesperson, who is doing a job, say in your home. He will want to make a margin on the materials he uses in your house. It is exactly the same in B&Q. Their trade counters will sell cheaper to the trade than you can buy for.

For the people complaining of having to use the self checkouts, you are awar are you not that the scanners on them are removeable ( they are in my 2 local ones ) so you dont have to lift up bulky/heavy objects to scan them. The checkout staff member is always there in the local ones I go to, any issues and they will help you.

Also B&Q have always had the scheme were you ask for a bag. I have never had one given to me without asking, or being asked do I need one.

Finally, if you are parked near the trade section in the car park, you are parked in the wrong car park. I wouldn't suggest parking there at all, as you wil most likely be hit by a trades van, who are normally considerably bigger than you are.

Dangerous territory.

panchenlama

i have a discount card and don't shop there because the prices are laughably too high.

no competition for them now though is there....?? have the DIY market cornered off very nicely thank you.

I suspect they are operating with an overall gross margin of 45 - 50 % and net of 11 - 15% depending on costs and losses. Very high when compared to other retailers.

buy some shares and soak up the dividends until the US retailers come here and get them in about 20 years..

capeverde

Like a few have said, B&Q may be cheap on some headline items but they really have your legs in the air on smaller things. I have a timber company and I occasionally venture in there if I run out of something or need a one off item. Remember leaving some bolts on the sales desk a few months ago as I wasnt prepared to pay about 10 times what I would normally pay when i buy in bulk. Same as jigsaw blades, twice what I normally pay for the makita ones. Having said that, the likes of jewson and travis are just as bad. I normally buy from a large local timber mill and spend around 10k a week so I obviously command good prices. If I do go into one of the nationals I have to make a point of asking for the appropriate discounts as otherwise I would estimate the prices are around double what I would expect to pay.

Mankysteve

phill99 wrote: »

There building basics (sand, cement etc) are pretty competitively priced.

They make a loss on every bag of cement they sell. I used to work for them the mark ups on some products go up to 3000% I kid you not.

Owain_Moneysaver

Fluorescent light bulb. £7.98 in B&Q. £5.50 for 2 on ebay, free postage.

Leif

Mankysteve wrote: »

They make a loss on every bag of cement they sell. I used to work for them the mark ups on some products go up to 3000% I kid you not.

A small bag of washers is £5. The local hardware shop does them for about 10 pence each, equivalent to about £1 a bag.

baldelectrician

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Fluorescent light bulb. £7.98 in B&Q. £5.50 for 2 on ebay, free postage.

£2.80 (+ VAT) at local wholesaler

I find B&Q terrible now.

If there are no checkouts open (other than self scan) I will leave the item and shop elsewhere

I find toolstation good, but as an electrician I don't buy electrical stuff there as I buy better quality stuff at my wholesaler- who know me by name and give excelent service