daft retailing - Home base.

[matty40s]

I'm relaying a floor with existing old machined oak but needed a bit more as some of the units previously existing have now gone.

So went everywhere a couple of weeks ago to try to match the boards, impossible, but an almost match ( slightly narrower and slightly different click profile) with a Hygiena batch at home base. £47 a pack. Fitted almost perfectly with some careful planing.

Yesterday I found out that I needed an additional 4 boards, just for an inch edge, a pack contains 8.

Pack price now £104 !!!!!

 

Spotted a hole below that said sample boards £8. Sorted. A pack bought singly would be £64.

Took 4 boards to the till.

Till operator.." you can only have one sample from each type in a sale"

 

4 trips to till/car later, I have the 4 boards I need to complete the job.

Ridiculous price hike and daft policy.

[OldGoat]

It's all about maintaining profitability

i.e screw the customer.

[nicknorman]

Well you could look at it one of 2 ways, either the £47 was a bargain, or the £104 is a rip-off. I guess with the samples being £8 one has to presume the latter, but perhaps it's just a pricing error. Or like in the supermarkets where a multipack is in fact more expensive than buying the same items singly!

[MtB]

Customer of mine worked at Homebase for a while, she said the whole operation was like a headless chicken. No-one seemed to be in charge, managers had no accountability, stockroom like a junkyard. She left in the end as it was a horrid place to work. Reading branch about ten years ago. May have improved since then!

[OldGoat]

Customer of mine worked at Homebase for a while, she said the whole operation was like a headless chicken. No-one seemed to be in charge, managers had no accountability, stockroom like a junkyard. She left in the end as it was a horrid place to work. Reading branch about ten years ago. May have improved since then!

I've avoided HB since Sainsbury's sold the business some years ago. Local branch (Hove Actually) is equal to Reading as stated.

Took a wrong road in Windsor recently and ended up on the Sluff trading estate. Adjusted navigation to Marlow and came un the Slough Homebase. Not only did they have what I wanted (high grab adhesive in a plastic pack), but the store was tidy, well lit and I could find the product easily. unusually for HB, it was cheaper than other stores offerings.

Usual problem with sheds - only one checkout in operation and big queue on customer service desks.....

 

As with supermarkets, it pays to shop around...

[ditchcrawler]

Read that as "Draft retailing" and expected a post about a beer boat

[bigcol]

I've got same problem, matching up or finding the flooring that I need where the log burner had been.

 

At the moment I'm stuffed, still searching though I'm 4 x short 125 x 12mm

 

Col

[Machpoint005]

>> Usual problem with sheds - only one checkout in operation and big queue on customer service desks <<

 

...which is why my daughter christened B&Q 'Queue Shop' when she was about 4 or 5.

It's still universally known as Queue Shop throughout the family, nearly 30 years later.

[Murflynn]

I have bought several tools branded 'WORX' which I believe is effectively a Homebase own brand. Excellent products.

[cuthound]

...which is why my daughter christened B&Q 'Queue Shop' when she was about 4 or 5.

It's still universally known as Queue Shop throughout the family, nearly 30 years later.

Your post reminded me of when my eldest son called Marks & Spencers "Marks & Spensive" when he was about 4. As they "out of the mouths of babes..."

[Barry]

I have bought several tools branded 'WORX' which I believe is effectively a Homebase own brand. Excellent products.

 

However I had a B&Q assistant (tools specialist) advise me not to buy WORX because new blades were very hard to get and spares were impossible. I believed him

[Poster girl]

Worx aren't a Homebase brand, they are owned by a chinese company and are sold in several retail outlets and yes spares are difficult to get hold of but they are excellent value for money.