B&Q trade point counter rant

[tsb]

This is what happened to me, at my local B&Q today.

I needed a toilet siphon and found one in the trade point catalogue for £4.25 +vat. I went into the store, picked one up off the shelf (there was approx. 2 dozen in stock) but they were priced at £14.95. I went to the trade counter with my trade card in hand, and was told the price was £14.95. I pointed out to the cashier, on the laminated trade catalogue on the counter, the price of the said item was £4.25 +vat. "Oh" he replied "If you want that one, you have to order it and we'll get it in for tomorrow". I pointed out that the one in my hand was exactly the same, same make, same model and there was about 2 dozen on the shelf. Sensing that I wasn't satisfied with the stupidity of the situation, he called a manager over who proceeded to repeat the policy that if I wanted the 'trade counter priced' siphon, I would have to order for collection tomorrow. To which I replied "So what you are telling me is that if I want to purchase a siphon that is the same make and model as the one in my hand at the trade counter price, then I would have to pay up front for it, come back tomorrow and collect the same siphon which would be in a different packet, with a different barcode on, which you would have had specially delivered into store overnight". "Yes" was the reply.

Now has the world gone completely mad, or is it me? Does this make any sense to anyone?

By the way, I put the siphon back on the counter, shook my head in despair and left the store having told them to "stuff it"

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Its stupid! should have gone straight to Toolstation first!

I blame you for shopping at a place nicknamed b&poo hehe

 

[Jamesc]

I personally would like to boycott them altogether, sadly practicality means that they are local and means that I can get the job done.

Mind you if I am not in a blazing hurry I will walk out if I have to use the ***!!!??**(substitute your favorite expletive) automated checkouts. What complete numpty came up with that idea, they never work properly. We normally have 4 staff trouble shooting the automated checkouts whilst the staffed ones are left empty. (hammer)

James

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Them automated checkouts are a pain in supermarkets to. I hate them.

 

[whacky]

I think I may have purchased the one for £14 and ordered the cheaper one and then come back and got my £14 refunded a couple of days later.

Beat them at their own game silly ruled game

 

[chrisjufootdo]

B&Q should be investigated, some products in the trade book have no discount, when you point it out they tell you not everything in the trade book is trade.

Chris

 

[worn thumbs]

I don't have their trade card.I also regard them as the supplier of last resort,partly for the reasons above.

 

[blackrodd]

I think I may have purchased the one for £14 and ordered the cheaper one and then come back and got my £14 refunded a couple of days later.

Beat them at their own game silly ruled game

+1 For the above, I like you're sneaky thinking!
Rodders

 

[sitefive]

have to agree that store is just terrible, but they sometimes do have some decent offers, just last week I picked up laminate for £3m2 on clearance which turned out to be probably worth at least £6m2 in other stores, along they had some paint & paint sample clearance, picked up 10 samples for total of £1 and in the end got the perfect colour for another £10.

The ''trade'' center they have is just riddicilous tho, why would I waste my time with them when I can pickup the same stuff at toolstation for even less without any messing around.

85% of my shopping is done at toolstation/10% at screwfix and 5% at B&Q for the stuff that others don't stock

 

[NazNomad]

The B&Q in Aberystwyth is finally closing down ... and good riddance to 'em.

 

[Monkey Mark]

I try to avoid b&poo though i do use screwfix which is the same company.
Toolstation is often cheaper but screwfix is right on my doorstep.

 

[RogerS]

Them automated checkouts are a pain in supermarkets to. I hate them.

Oooh, I dunno. I like to play what I call the Nanny Nag game at Waitrose's. You know...Nanny Nag...'Please put your item in the bag' 'Please scan your next item'. The aim of the game is to get through the entire transaction without Nanny Nag uttering a single word. It's tricky. You have to plan ahead with military precision. One false step and up she pops. But the sense of achievement when you manage it!

 

[NickWelford]

I didn't think waitrose had those automated self scanning checkouts. I thought they had the self scan handsets that they trust you to scan everything. Much more civilised.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I suppose I'm lucky - within a few miles I've a good builder's merchant, a very good plumber's merchant, three electrical wholesalers, a Screwfix - and three independent retailers all of whom are better than those. A few miles the other direction is a Toolstation, a Wickes, a Homebase, a Travis Perkins. A mile up the road is a timber merchant that's excellent for structural stuff. B&Q comes pretty low down the list ... so low, in fact, that it doesn't even get on it.

 

[t8hants]

I shall long treasure my wife's first encounter with the DIY checkout, when suggest she use the facility her reply was "I came here for service, not to be an unpaid part-time employee"

 

[RogerS]

I didn't think waitrose had those automated self scanning checkouts. I thought they had the self scan handsets that they trust you to scan everything. Much more civilised.

It depends on the branch. Quick Check (which is the system you're referring to) is only available in some branches. As are the self-scan ones we're talking about. A bit miffed that they changed the Quick Check end-point terminals a while back. So now, if you are buying booze then you have to wait for an assistant to come along to check your birth certificate and dog licence.

 

[lurker]

Them automated checkouts are a pain in supermarkets to. I hate them.

I refuse to use them
If everyone did the same they would soon disappear
However the retailer's know most of the population are a bunch of sheep

 

[RogerS]

Them automated checkouts are a pain in supermarkets to. I hate them.

I refuse to use them
If everyone did the same they would soon disappear
However the retailer's know most of the population are a bunch of sheep

Not necessarily. If it's a toss-up between me being in and out quickly as opposed to waiting in a queue for an extra ten minutes then I'll go the self-scan route. And as I said...I play the Nanny Nag game.

 

[Harbo]

We use the self scanning hand sets at Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose - saves a lot of time and hassle especially as you don't have to repack.
Downside is when you get pulled in for a rescan but that happens very rarely.
I do hate the self scanning terminals though - most places only allow that for basket loads?

Rod

 

[DiscoStu]

I think you hit the issue with the original post. The bar code would be different. If they sold that to you as the trade item it would screw the stock control. You won't get that issue in a small shop, but I can understand it. I can also understand the frustration.

However it's not always big shops that are bizzare. I recently went for breakfast with a few friends. We were at a coffee shop / cafe that was on a small farm. We had breakfast and decide to go to one of the friends houses. On the counter they had cake slides for sale. I asked them how much it would be for a whole cake. The young girl went off to speak to someone and came back and said that they couldn't sell the whole cake because they would have nothing left for anyone else that wanted to buy it!