I wouldn't dream of buying any fixings from any of them mind you!!
[Edited on 30/7/10 by D Beddows]
Very pleased with Homebase service over the last 10 or so visits (not something I can say about B&Q!).
Store manager always went out of his way to help, and they price matched a B&Q ladder - was same functionality, but a different brand. Even got
four guys to help load my car's roof with building materials, whereas the cashier at B&Q told me to go to the next till actually, because he
wanted to take a break!!!! :O
I tend not to ask either store for actual technical opinions or recommendations, but the general attitude of staff has been night and day between
homebase and B&Q, at least in the 6 or so stores within my radius.
Now that they price match, I can guarantee you that homebase will be getting my business every time where possible (the B&Q's around here
tend to be a bit bigger so have a wider selection of little bits).
Have I just been very lucky?
I have found the local and corporate attitude of B&Q towards the punter pretty w*nk for quite some time now.....
They often expect you to 'self serve' even when you're loaded down with heavy building stuff. One told me that i should have been in
earlier if i expected to have a till open.
I've walked out of B&Q and abandoned my goods on a couple of occasions because of the unhelpful attitude and being looked down on by gangs of
idle-arse employees who begrudge having to break up their work-dodging party to help a customer.
I don't use them unless i'm ultra desperate now
I'm of the same opinion about B&Q. I use Wickes or Homebase. B&Q disgusts me the way half the products on the shelves have been tampered with and had items removed. The other half is either missing, priced wrong or simply not there.
B&Q's are interesting.... I have three warehouse type ones within a radius of about 3 miles and they all are different: one is really good
for interior design things like wallpaper and tiles and has an excellent garden bit, another is good for timber, landscaping and trade type tools and
the third one isn't as good as either of the others at anything........ all the local Homebases are expensive, have limited stock and employees
who can't be arsed BUT when they have a sale they have some VERY decent discounts
I wouldn't dream of buying any fixings from any of them mind you!!
[Edited on 30/7/10 by D Beddows]
got a homebase near me, always disappointed by it. they never have what i need, on the rare occasion they do, its expensive, and not very good
quality.
B&Q is better, have more stock, but is about 30 minutes drive away
I buy as much as i can from independant shops, can be an aladdins cave of bargains some times. saved nearly £25 on an extension lead at an independant
shop wombourne, all HB had was a branded reel mounted extension for £30. he also sells bolts singularly and worries about the penny difference
between nylock and normal nuts
Hmmm, Last weekend I was in B&Q and had excellent service from one lad. If the kitchen we've ordered comes as expected a letter of thanks
will be going to his boss.
We asked him to help us find one part, he then checked what we where doing, explained the discounts. Instead of buying the cheap kitchen (which
we'd 95% loaded onto two trolleys) we ended up buying the much better kitchen and by adding his additional 20% discount we've got a better
kitchen for an extra hundred quid. We spent loads of time with him and nothing was too much trouble - by loads of time, probably a couple of hours in
two trips in a day.
in leeds, homebase is twice or thrice the price on some items. B&Q do trade discounts on multiple items, and with a trade card you get more back
too.
I perfer to manage stock levels with trade suppliers, but when i fail and needs lots of random stuff for work i tend to go to b&q.
I went to B&Q the t'other week and bought 3 x 25L tubs of paint for work. The hand scanner wouldn't work as it said the item must be
scanned and placed on the weigh scale. I said to the assistant that it was ridiculous expecting people to have to lift 3 heavy items once again just
to scan them. She told me there was no option. So I accidentally dropped one on the weigh scale! Anyway that was it decommissioned for the week! She
then decided to scan them in the trolley for me.
The prices have really crept up over the last couple of years so now I very rarely go. I use Toolstation more and more as the prices are superb.
Steve
I don't bother with any of them much. There are a few local hardware stores in my area, all of them are a little cheaper than HB and B&Q and
what you are buying is of much better quality.
One of the shops almost always rounds the total down to the nearest £1 when spending over a tenner. These are all small shops but they carry exactly
what you need when you need it, I don't know how they do it!
quote:
Originally posted by quinnj3
I don't bother with any of them much. There are a few local hardware stores in my area, all of them are a little cheaper than HB and B&Q and what you are buying is of much better quality.
One of the shops almost always rounds the total down to the nearest £1 when spending over a tenner. These are all small shops but they carry exactly what you need when you need it, I don't know how they do it!
quote:
Originally posted by mrwibble
quote:
Originally posted by quinnj3
I don't bother with any of them much. There are a few local hardware stores in my area, all of them are a little cheaper than HB and B&Q and what you are buying is of much better quality.
One of the shops almost always rounds the total down to the nearest £1 when spending over a tenner. These are all small shops but they carry exactly what you need when you need it, I don't know how they do it!
+1
vive le revolution!
quote:
Originally posted by deezee
B&Q disgusts me the way half the products on the shelves have been tampered with and had items removed.
quote:
Originally posted by Benzine
quote:
Originally posted by mrwibble
quote:
Originally posted by quinnj3
I don't bother with any of them much. There are a few local hardware stores in my area, all of them are a little cheaper than HB and B&Q and what you are buying is of much better quality.
One of the shops almost always rounds the total down to the nearest £1 when spending over a tenner. These are all small shops but they carry exactly what you need when you need it, I don't know how they do it!
+1
vive le revolution!
+2
I have found B&Q to be stupidly expensive, and Homebase more so.
Last week I needed to get a bell push in a hurry (new front door being fitted next dsy). In B&Q it was £8-something - it was a nice brass one -
in Homebase it was £10-something. This was for an identical item - same brand, model and packaging.