Screwfix, what an utter pain in the proverbial

[RobinBHM]

it amazes me how many people go to the counter at these stores and start asking the checkout person to advice what they need and look up the part number.

I wouldnt dream of going without knowing what I wanted

 

[RobinBHM]

Although rather sad, the days of man in brown coat who knew everything there is to know about every thing

forkandles

 

[no idea]

it amazes me how many people go to the counter at these stores and start asking the checkout person to advice what they need and look up the part number.

I wouldnt dream of going without knowing what I wanted

You mean people shouldn't ask the cashier or self service payment machine what ingredients are needed to bake a cake and how to actually bake it when shopping in Tesco??? Completely unacceptable!!!

I do find it strange when people get angry/upset with a shop/place/technique etc. when it doesn't work in the way they would expect e.g.

Screwfix are rubbish because I don't agree with their trade counter model and I won't shop there again because they didn't serve me in a way they are not set up to do,
Sharpening with xxxx method is wrong because I use this other method so your method cannot work,
You don't know what you are talking about because I disagree with you etc.

I do miss traditional ironmongers, tool shops etc. in terms of being able to get advice etc. but what I don't miss is limited choice and being sold what they want to sell you rather than what is right for you.

 

[guineafowl21]

but what I don't miss is limited choice and being sold what they want to sell you rather than what is right for you.

“Closed for lunch” ie exactly when you have time to pop out.
“Sorry, we close on Wednesday afternoons, and are not open Saturday”.

And the worst I’ve had, several times:
“We’re just out of those, I’m afraid. We can order some in for Wednesday [so can I].”
*Make a special trip in on Wednesday* - “Oh, it’s not in yet. Try again tomorrow.”

Traditional shops have many good points, but have played a part in their own decline.

 

[JimmyStartrite]

Screwfix and Toolstations business model is click and collect! infact the founder of SF sold out to B&Q and started Toolstation (cheeky), their stock is always spot on (loads better than Wickes and B&Q) and the prices are competitive because they need less floor space and staff.

Nothing more annoying when you want to pick up a £3 order to get a job finished and someones at the counter asking to "look" at things or trying to take masonry drills back because they wanted straight shank and the girl at the counter sold them SDS and they didnt "look"

I renovated a house in about 3 months using SF and TS for tools and fixings and all materials from a merchant, If I had to mill around B&Q, Wickes It would of took me a year, its about efficiency, for the retailer and customer, my local branches are always full of self employed tradesmen who cant afford to tit about at other suppliers,

 

[Chunkytfg]

Screwfix and Toolstations business model is click and collect! infact the founder of SF sold out to B&Q and started Toolstation (cheeky), their stock is always spot on (loads better than Wickes and B&Q) and the prices are competitive because they need less floor space and staff.

Nothing more annoying when you want to pick up a £3 order to get a job finished and someones at the counter asking to "look" at things or trying to take masonry drills back because they wanted straight shank and the girl at the counter sold them SDS and they didnt "look"

I renovated a house in about 3 months using SF and TS for tools and fixings and all materials from a merchant, If I had to mill around B&Q, Wickes It would of took me a year, its about efficiency, for the retailer and customer, my local branches are always full of self employed tradesmen who cant afford to tit about at other suppliers,

I've always shopped at Screwfix 'correctly' by pre ordering and on the occasions I will pop into them unexpectantly I will sit in the car and preorder then give it 5 mins and walk in and just collect.

I always find the time of day is the most critical to the whole experience. Got in mon- sat before 9 am and it'll be full of tradespeople who know exactly what they want and have mostly preordered. Go in after than time and it'll be full of home DIY-ers! Sundays are the worst!!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Screwfix and Toolstations business model is click and collect! infact the founder of SF sold out to B&Q and started Toolstation (cheeky),

His son started Toolstation.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

“Closed for lunch” ie exactly when you have time to pop out.
“Sorry, we close on Wednesday afternoons, and are not open Saturday”.

And the worst I’ve had, several times:
“We’re just out of those, I’m afraid. We can order some in for Wednesday [so can I].”
*Make a special trip in on Wednesday* - “Oh, it’s not in yet. Try again tomorrow.”

Traditional shops have many good points, but have played a part in their own decline.

I went to a place at 12.15pm and found it closed for lunch. Never mind, I thought I'll go on the second place I needed to go ................. I get there at 12.31pm and find them shut from 12.30pm to 1.00pm.

 

[guineafowl21]

I went to a place at 12.15pm and found it closed for lunch. Never mind, I thought I'll go on the second place I needed to go ................. I get there at 12.31pm and find them shut from 12.30pm to 1.00pm.

Almost enough to send you to Screwfix, where they somehow manage to stagger their lunchbreaks...

 

[Richard_C]

I ordered some gutter and fittings from Screwfix a couple of weeks ago - on a Friday. Not especially urgent. 2 boxes of fittimgs arrived Saturday before I got up. Gutter didn't arrive, online tracking said 2 of 3 delivered. Waited over the weekend, called, 'oh dear, despatched same time as the other bits, looks like its gone missing, will send some more'. Arrived next day, no hassle, no 'prove you didn't get it', just plain excellent and trusting customer service. What's not to like?*

* the only not to like for me is the 'highest first' default sort on reviews. I always change it to most recent first. You always get some bad reviews, I look for the 'mix'' - if they are all bad maybe avoid, a few bad ones to be expected. Some are just plain silly: along the lines of "wouldn't fit my 10cm hole, one star...so why did you order a 15cm item I ask myself"

 

[Myfordman]

Screwfix service is little short of excellent. Sunday Morning a tenant sent a text to say the pull switch in the bathroom has disintegrated half on the ceiling half dangling. I could see it was fubar from the photo and I arranged to call round at 13:30.
Looked on SF site chose one and ordered it £2.99 left home about 13:00 picked it up, drove to the tenants, fitted it and back home by 14:30.
Nowhere could have been simpler to use and enables me to give my tenants a fast response service.
Anyone who find them difficult to use needs a bit of self examination of their expectations.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

* the only not to like for me is the 'highest first' default sort on reviews. I always change it to most recent first. You always get some bad reviews, I look for the 'mix'' - if they are all bad maybe avoid, a few bad ones to be expected. Some are just plain silly: along the lines of "wouldn't fit my 10cm hole, one star...so why did you order a 15cm item I ask myself"

The daftest I saw was a very good chainsaw slated and given one star ........................... because it didn't come with petrol or chain oil in it. The ones that really irritate are the one stars where the issue is with the delivery, not the item.

 

[SamG340]

it amazes me how many people go to the counter at these stores and start asking the checkout person to advice what they need and look up the part number.

I wouldnt dream of going without knowing what I wanted

I almost always have the item numbers ready

 

[Pallet Fancier]

Took me 5 mins to describe to the bloke on the counter what exactly brads were and he spent another 10 minutes looking on his slow as a pentium 3 computer and in the end found they had nothing, for tacwise

Pentium? Luxury! My local is still using 486's!

 

[mikej460]

I am a regular customer at our local (Daventry) Screwfix and the service has always been excellent. As an aside I went to Screwfix Live last week and had a great time (sadly Festool weren't there so also going to D&M show next week as I'm after a good deal on a Kapex KS60 as a treat to myself to dull the pain of becoming an old age pensioner). For a free registration and entry I got a free bag of goodies plus a few more from exhibitors:

 

[Ollie78]

I must admit Screwfix have annoyed me lately with the stupid new tablets and no more easy to use books.
So now I always check the Toolstation first, if I do go to screwfix I order first.

This thread does make me slightly nostalgic for proper hardware stores with a knowlegable chap who would shuffle through the boxes and shelves and produce the exact thing you had vaguely described.
There is a specialist fastenings shop I go in sometimes that still has this vibe and a good tools and hardware shop in Eynsham I always go in when I pass, you can rummage through the shelves of ironmongery, they will cut you lead off the bars for your sash windows and repair your tools.
Oddly, electrical suppliers are a bit more old school with a more expert person on the desk.

Anyway the point I was getting to was try Machine mart for brads and staples.

Ollie

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Oddly, electrical suppliers are a bit more old school with a more expert person on the desk.

Ollie

I found the opposite. I tried to get something I knew was necessary from a major supplier and explained that I wasn't doing the work, I was employing someone to do it but just wanted to ensure he wasn't held up when there (a small job on a motor) and they said they couldn't possibly help as I was unqualified.

 

[Spectric]

Screwfix is for unplaned requirements needed now, for planed work there are better and cheaper suppliers.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

There is for planned work as well.

 

[MikeJhn]

I found the opposite. I tried to get something I knew was necessary from a major supplier and explained that I wasn't doing the work, I was employing someone to do it but just wanted to ensure he wasn't held up when there (a small job on a motor) and they said they couldn't possibly help as I was unqualified.

That's where you went wrong, you gave them too much information, if you had just gone in and ordered without preamble they would have supplied you.