B&Q love it or hate it

[albyshellshear]

I know a lot of you hate B&Q but I have to say I love the place I am like a big kid in a toy store, i would'nt ask for advice in there though but if you know your stuff and dont need bad advice the place is a aladins cave, a few weeks ago I was in tops looking for a bucket trowel they never had one, the guy there said why not try screwfix across the road I got all exited got the directions and shot over there to have a good a good look at all the goodies on offer, I was well disapointed to find its like argos just a few catalogues and the stuff gets brought up from the warehouse gutted, anyway decided to go to B&Q got to the section where the bucket trowel was, man there where hundreds of different trowels for different jobs i did'nt know you got so many diffrent trowels. The wife hates going there with me as much as I hate clothes shopping with her, I get lost in the world of DIY and start making mental lists of all the tools I need and all the jobs I could do, also there are bargains to be had if you know what your doing like the off the shelf bathroom and kitchen stuff, they do have the overpriced stuff too but that does not interest me and the small stuff like screws, handles, hinges, ect they overcharge for as I said you just have to know what's what with prices. I just dont understand why a lot of you guy's slate the place I supose its like the asda of DIY.....Alby

 

[mikethetile]

when i was a wet behind the ears youngster i would be sent to the local old fashioned builders merchant which had its own painting dept run by ex decorators to put my kit on the governers account

I would have the money stopped weekly from my wages

it was fantastic, they would get my kit for me and explain how to test it for quality and wouldnt sell me anything i didnt need

all the depts were the same so I could get free advice and the right materials for my private jobs

there was also a lot of independant suppliers that knew their stuff and only stocked proper materials

you would have loved it alby

B&Q killed that stone dead, they also convinced people they could do it themselves:yikes:

with a little help from B&Q of course

they have been very clever with their marketing and unfortunatly the worlds a less interesting place for it

 

[united]

I feel exactly the same, I love looking at the tools I even ask for demos in the big stores!

You can get some good deals on some of the tools but I always check online for reviews and prices before I decide if its worth it first.

Like you say I wouldn't ask for advice but most of the staff are there to re stock and don't get any training so it isn't their fault that they don't know things it's B&Qs for not investing in staff development

 

[Deleted member 9966]

lol Alby :hurray: I quite like B&Q too. It does tend to have stuff that I can't usually get anywhere else or a better range of stuff than my local Focus (just across the road from my house). Sometimes it's cheaper, sometimes its more expensive. But like you say, if you know what you're going for, you've done your homework already, then yes it can be the best place to go.

Occasionally you drop on some mad bargains. Our gas BBQ was half price in the sale and with an extra 10% one day, so we had it. It's like the one in the advert where the guy's wife says it's just for cooking on not for living in :lol:

But I do shop around now for things like timber and decking. Plus a friend works for TP so we tend to get their discount on bulk purchases.

I think it's just a case of give and take, sometimes B&Q has some great stuff, sometimes it doesn't. You just have to accept that. But not every person off the street will know what stuff is good and what is not so good, but then that's all about learning and education :yesnod:

 

[paulyoung666]

i use B&Q for a mooch and not much else , i usually buy from toolstation or screwfix to a lesser degree

 

[doug boardley]

I'm glad we don't have one in Kendal, nearest one is about 25 miles away:hurray:which means tht not many of my domestic jobs are supplied with their tiles:hurray:. I find the tools in the DIY sheds are very lightweight and don't usually stand up to the test of rigorous day in day out usage.

 

[albyshellshear]

you would have loved it alby

B&Q killed that stone dead, they also convinced people they could do it themselves:yikes:

with a little help from B&Q of course

they have been very clever with their marketing and unfortunatly the worlds a less interesting place for it[/QUOTE]
I agree Mike thats why I compared them to Asda because they did the same to the bakery and butchers trade no more high street bakers/butchers, and to add insult to injury Morrissons have made their store out to look like a high street, Asda and co killed of the small traders but I still shop there not much choice realy.:mad2:

 

[Aston]

i'm like you alby
i dont mind the place......i have a had quite a bit of work from the speke branch and there is some good deals to be had..lets put it this way, if they closed down their would be a dent in the market so i look at the positives where B+Q is concerned..

ed

 

[mikethetile]

looks like Im going to be in the minority on this one

and I dont mind

I am going to stick with the best materials and tools , do my best work and charge accordingly

tried B&Q products a few weeks ago and the job took an extra two days , which I swallowed and my client ruined his carpet when the bottom fell out of the tub of paint

lesson learnt, no B&Q for me not even if they gave me the stuff foc

 

[albyshellshear]

looks like Im going to be in the minority on this one

and I dont mind

I am going to stick with the best materials and tools , do my best work and charge accordingly

tried B&Q products a few weeks ago and the job took an extra two days , which I swallowed and my client ruined his carpet when the bottom fell out of the tub of paint

lesson learnt, no B&Q for me not even if they gave me the stuff foc

I see what your saying Mike but we all have suppliers for mats, for me its more about the hardware and choice and gardening/building stuff, I don't always buy just get the ideas then source a cheaper price on the net, but with the net you cant see the stuff in 3D, use them dont get used by them...Alby

 

[Time's Ran Out]

They really look after me on a Wednesday afternoon - Pensioners Day!!!!!!

 

[Colour Republic]

I'm not a fan of B&Q products although they sometimes do stock Branded products very cheap, there was a time when they would sell Gyprfoc Easifill cheaper than I could buy in any trade place, even with good discounts. They also had my Mashaltown plasterers trowel £7 cheaper than I paid in a local tool supplier :mad2:

But in general it's is not somewhere I shop unless forced to because they stay open later than my trade suppliers, same goes for Wickes.

It has it's uses for sure but there is only a handful of building products I would buy from them

 

[brinkley]

how many times have i got something from bnq and theres always a bit missing and when you go back to get the missing bit all they do is pinch a bit out of another pack and leave that one on the shelf . but i have to admit wickes is the worst full of workers who couldnt care less about there customers they seem to have no motivation to help but i suppose thats what you get from these huge companies no personal touch .

 

[Gazzer]

I love B&Q.....when they have closing down sales... Batteries for cordless drill £5, Dewalt router £18, Makita 9404 heavy duty belt sander in the box £40 (£160 in the shops) and various other stuff....Yay for B&Q...close down more often please

 

[Dave Ramsden]

I got a load of roller sponges for a quid from pound land the other week along with a couple of small gorilla tubs... £1.50 each. Bargain!!