# B & Q



## Chippygeoff (21 Jul 2013)

I really hate going to B and Q but sometimes I must as they are the only outlet open on a Sunday. I needed to extend my bench by 2ft today and bought a piece of 18mm MDF 4ft X 2ft. It cost £16-95. If thats not a rip off I don't know what is.


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## martinka (21 Jul 2013)

Go on Wednesday, Geoff, and save 10%, but yeah, B&Q ain't cheap. £9.67 in Wickes.


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## Graham Orm (21 Jul 2013)

Chippygeoff":3l6xbuti said:


> I really hate going to B and Q but sometimes I must as they are the only outlet open on a Sunday. I needed to extend my bench by 2ft today and bought a piece of 18mm MDF 4ft X 2ft. It cost £16-95. If thats not a rip off I don't know what is.



Bonkers, that's the price for an 8x4


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## Baldhead (21 Jul 2013)

For another £3.05 you could have bought an 8x4 sheet and have them cut it to your sizes.

http://www.diy.com/nav/build/timber/she ... mm-9276268

Or if you apply for a trade card you could have an 8x4 board for just over £15.00, they also give you up to 15 cuts free.

BH
By the way, I have a trade card but still only use the place as a last resort!!!!


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## Phil Pascoe (21 Jul 2013)

Chippygeoff":34i1febe said:


> I really hate going to B and Q but sometimes I must as they are the only outlet open on a Sunday. I needed to extend my bench by 2ft today and bought a piece of 18mm MDF 4ft X 2ft. It cost £16-95. If thats not a rip off I don't know what is.


I don't like B & Q either, but a rip off is my paying £1160 for my water - there is no realistic option. That's not really a rip off - you didn't have to buy it.


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## stevebuk (21 Jul 2013)

phil.p":1k87hz4h said:


> Chippygeoff":1k87hz4h said:
> 
> 
> > I really hate going to B and Q but sometimes I must as they are the only outlet open on a Sunday. I needed to extend my bench by 2ft today and bought a piece of 18mm MDF 4ft X 2ft. It cost £16-95. If thats not a rip off I don't know what is.
> ...




and to think it hasn't even been hot today either..


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## Phil Pascoe (21 Jul 2013)

Sorry, it's true though.


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## ChrisR (22 Jul 2013)

The large DIY stores, when they started, on most products were value for money, but now they have forced a lot of the independent shops/stores out of business and have a virtual monopoly, the value for money has gone.

I never buy any ironmongery from them (screws, nuts, bolts, etc), because of their prices, but next time you are in one of these stores, just have a look at say a pack of ten, No8 x ¾, wood screws, I predict it will be around 99p, they don’t say they are gold plated, but at as near to 10p as makes no difference per screw, they ought to be. :shock: 

In comparison box of two hundred No8x¾ zp wood screws, are just £1.02, from Toolstation, I have not looked at the other outlets such as Screwfix, Ironmongery Direct, etc, but I suspect their prices are comparable, and with all of them if you buy a larger quantity, the price is even better. :lol: 

Take care.

Chris R.


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## Reggie (22 Jul 2013)

Unfortunately we lost the first hand stock knowledge that the independents had as well as the ability for them to order stock from a range of different suppliers to get what you actually wanted rather than the approximations we get today. Your local indie shop would've been able to tell you the various merits of each type of tool as a selling point rather than the finish on the handle of the tool like you get at B&Q.


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## nanscombe (22 Jul 2013)

And look what happened to Jessops when they took over the independent camera shops ...


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## Reggie (23 Jul 2013)

I went to a router 'masterclass' at a toolshow at the weekend, there was really nothing that you couldn't learn from an hour on youtube, it struck me that the thing it was actually for was promoting a brand of tool and a custom jig that they sell rather than showing us how to do it properly (someone has to construct the jig in the first place, that would've been a decent, honest masterclass).


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## Graham Orm (23 Jul 2013)

Reggie":306qzk6n said:


> I went to a router 'masterclass' at a toolshow at the weekend, there was really nothing that you couldn't learn from an hour on youtube, it struck me that the thing it was actually for was promoting a brand of tool and a custom jig that they sell rather than showing us how to do it properly (someone has to construct the jig in the first place, that would've been a decent, honest masterclass).



Did you pay for the class?


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## nadnerb (24 Jul 2013)

2 x4 9mm MDF in B&Q in Ireland = €15.99, £13.78
8 x4 9mm MDF in a local hardware 5 mins drive from B&Q, cut to size and carried out to my car €16.99, £14.62. So for less than a pound I got 3 times the amount!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now THAT'S a rip off


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## JustBen (24 Jul 2013)

IIRC Screwfix and B&Q are part of the same company. I'm not sure who own whom though.

99% of their fixings are imported from china and are of poor quality.

Slightly off topic but has anyone seen their birch faced ply? 
I saw an 18mm sheet and it had 7 layers and was as flat as the Malvern hills.
The birch I have in my workshop has 13 layers and they are all straight.

The quality of most of their products are very sub standard.


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## powertools (24 Jul 2013)

Our local B&Q is one of their largest stores and I think the fact that there is a planning application in to convert half of it into a Morrisions says a lot.


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## Graham Orm (24 Jul 2013)

benjimano":27p2208x said:


> IIRC Screwfix and B&Q are part of the same company. I'm not sure who own whom though.
> 
> 99% of their fixings are imported from china and are of poor quality.
> 
> ...



I don't buy fixings from B&Q so can't comment, but I do buy all my screws from Screwfix. They carry a lot of different brands of varying quality. I usually go for these for general fixing work http://www.screwfix.com/c/screws-na.../cat840768?cm_sp=SNF-_-Woodscrews-_-Turbogold They will screw right through and out the other side of the wood if your bit is long enough. They start in wood with barely any pressure. You'll not find better screws in my opinion.


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## wizard (24 Jul 2013)

benjimano":2066zw8o said:


> IIRC Screwfix and B&Q are part of the same company. I'm not sure who own whom though.
> 
> 99% of their fixings are imported from china and are of poor quality.
> 
> ...



http://www.kingfisher.co.uk/


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## JustBen (24 Jul 2013)

Thank you wizard. I didn't realise it was part of an even bigger group.

It's amazing how many companies are owned by bigger companies.

Compass and Volkswagen are 2 very big companies that have fingers in a lot of pies

One day there will be about 5 companies that own the world.


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