On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:39:44 -0800 (PST), NT wrote:

And that might be a publicly accesible computer that shows customers
how to do various projects, how to do load calcs, insulation calcs,
all the sort of things people need to know but dont always to do a
project.

Isn't that moving a bit away from DIY to self build? Interesting idea
but would be better on the companies website so you can sit at home
and use it.

Remember one of the biggst obstacles to the general public doing
projects, and thus buying stock, is not knowing how to do it.

That's probably covered better by a leaflet you can take away, read
and easyly refer to as the project is planned and shopping lists
drawn up etc. Screen based stuff is just about OK for reading but
refering back forward between pages is PITA ona screen.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Tim W wrote:
...
Self scan that works;

Oh boy, don't get me started on those infuriating ....grrrrrr!!!

Pete Verdon wrote:
js.b1 wrote:

- Marmox in various thicknesses
- Kingspan/Celotex in various thicknesses and half-sheets

Couldn't get anything of the sort in B&Q or Wickes the other week. Most
just looked blank; one older lady at B&Q knew what I wanted but said the
nearest thing they had was plain expanded polystyrene.

I have got that stuff from companies in trading estates, and boy - does the
service suck big balls when dealing with "trade" companies. What is it with
them? Do they stretch out a simple purchase for the benefit of builders so they
can charge their clients extra time while they have a cup of coffee?

I just don't get it. You can have service or a good range of specialised
hardware. Seldom can you find both at the same time.

-- JJ

Tim W wrote:
...
But they could get rid of that awful looking recycled plastic wool (looks
like afire hazard, even if it is doused in chemicals) and start selling
sheeps wool insulation (why doesn't anyone?).

B&Q North Shields had a whole aisle of sheeps-wool insulation before Christmas.
Must have just got a job lot in; never seen it before or since.

-- JJ

Jules wrote:

Interesting. HD's my local 'big' DIY store these days, and it's true they
do some things well - but I've found plenty of staff there who have no
clue about anything, and their prices are typically quite a bit higher
than the farm supply place just down the road, and the quality generally a
little lower (HD's lumber often isn't up to much

Quite often that is down to the customers and the computer ordering
system. They buy rubbish wood and stack it up for sale.
The customer comes along and buys the best of the selection.
The worst of the selection stays on the shelf and the stock computer
say 'we have lots of wood, so don't order any more'.

and I quite often see
things on the shelves that have been trashed in transit but put out anyway).

I had a part time job at Buy and Queue for 6 months and found out that
they only sold what can only be described as crap.

If I want anything now, I go to a local independent DIY store.

Dave

Steve Walker wrote:


Trouble is, when you're short of something and your wife is out somewhere,
you've no choice but to take the kids. When you've got two young ones (we
have three, but one's just about old enough to be semi-trusted), a double
seater trolley is a blessing!

SteveW

Gaffer tape can be a big help or even cable ties.

I think Dr Spock recommended bungee cords but he probably liked children.
:-)

Tim W wrote:

"If IKEA did DIY"

They have done tools in the past. I bought a set of well-made
screwdrivers with really grippy handles. They had a demo rig with
a screw head operating a set of LEDs, and two drivers - theirs
and one with a smooth plastic handle which you could try and see
how many LEDs you could light. My set is still going strong after
at least 15 years.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

PJ
wibbled on Friday 15 January 2010 02:18

Steve Walker wrote:


Trouble is, when you're short of something and your wife is out
somewhere, you've no choice but to take the kids. When you've got two
young ones (we have three, but one's just about old enough to be
semi-trusted), a double seater trolley is a blessing!

SteveW

Gaffer tape can be a big help or even cable ties.

I think Dr Spock recommended bungee cords but he probably liked children.
:-)

More importantly, what would Mr Spock recommend?

--
Tim Watts

Icicles - nature's way of pinpointing all the leaks in your guttering...

Tim W wrote:
PJ
wibbled on Friday 15 January 2010 02:18

Steve Walker wrote:


Trouble is, when you're short of something and your wife is out
somewhere, you've no choice but to take the kids. When you've got
two young ones (we have three, but one's just about old enough to be
semi-trusted), a double seater trolley is a blessing!

SteveW

Gaffer tape can be a big help or even cable ties.

I think Dr Spock recommended bungee cords but he probably liked
children. :-)

More importantly, what would Mr Spock recommend?

Laser levels on stun....



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Jan 15, 1:01*am, Dave wrote:

Quite often that is down to the customers and the computer ordering
system. They buy rubbish wood and stack it up for sale.
The customer comes along and buys the best of the selection.
The worst of the selection stays on the shelf *and the stock computer
say 'we have lots of wood, so don't order any more'.

bad management

NT

On Jan 14, 11:13*pm, "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:
On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:39:44 -0800 (PST), NT wrote:
And that might be a publicly accesible computer that shows customers
how to do various projects, how to do load calcs, insulation calcs,
all the sort of things people need to know but dont always to do a
project.

Isn't that moving a bit away from DIY to self build? Interesting idea

I'm not sure why you say self build. There's a huge number of diy
projects and repairs people undertake - and more often dont due to
lack of knowhow or confidence.

but would be better on the companies website so you can sit at home
and use it.

Have it on both. Leisurely perusal at home is a fine thing, but there
are also many cases of 'ooh, I need to grab this, but not sure what to
get to do it.' And many people still dont have net access. Also you
get otherwise busy people having to wait outside for one reason or
another, one more selling opportunity.


Remember one of the biggst obstacles to the general public doing
projects, and thus buying stock, is not knowing how to do it.

That's probably covered better by a leaflet you can take away, read
and easyly refer to as the project is planned and shopping lists
drawn up etc. Screen based stuff is just about OK for reading but
refering back forward between pages is PITA ona screen.

I think both have their uses. The issue with paper is it takes too
much space up if you're going to stock a half decent rage of info, and
its not that good at engaging the customer in dreaming about the
products. You could replace the wallspace taken up with pamphlets with
a handful of computers with a 'print this' button, and consequently
offer far more info.

What %age of the population will diy something? Most dont, and many
would if they knew how. There's a big potential market waiting to be
captured.


NT

The Medway Handyman
wibbled on Friday 15 January 2010 08:37

Tim W wrote:
PJ
wibbled on Friday 15 January 2010 02:18

Steve Walker wrote:


Trouble is, when you're short of something and your wife is out
somewhere, you've no choice but to take the kids. When you've got
two young ones (we have three, but one's just about old enough to be
semi-trusted), a double seater trolley is a blessing!

SteveW

Gaffer tape can be a big help or even cable ties.

I think Dr Spock recommended bungee cords but he probably liked
children. :-)

More importantly, what would Mr Spock recommend?

Laser levels on stun....


Best not to ask Kirk:

"We come in peace. [Shoot to kill]"

--
Tim Watts

Icicles - nature's way of pinpointing all the leaks in your guttering...

In article ,
NT writes:
On Jan 15, 1:01*am, Dave wrote:
Quite often that is down to the customers and the computer ordering
system. They buy rubbish wood and stack it up for sale.
The customer comes along and buys the best of the selection.
The worst of the selection stays on the shelf *and the stock computer
say 'we have lots of wood, so don't order any more'.
bad management

I used to have a similar problem in Maplin trying to buy cable.
Once the staff had nicked more than about a 1/4 drum of cable,
it got into a deadly embrace with the computer not seeing any
more sales so it didn't reorder, but the store having no more
cable to sell, and the staff apparently unable to do anything
about it.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 14 Jan, 14:18, Bruce wrote:
On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:52:26 -0800 (PST), "G.Mo"

wrote:

Hey everybody,
I'm working with a big DIY retailer to create a better home
improvement store, kind of like a B&Q of the future. The question is
what's the best/worst thing about DIY stores today??

The absolute worst thing about DIY stores is when they employ idiots
like you to ask damnfool questions on Usenet newsgroups.

You are asking us (unpaid) to do your job for you (paid). *You aren't
the solution - you are the problem! *

Now **** off like a good little boy, and stop wasting everyone's time.

Shame you're taking it so badly, I'm trying to understand what issues
need to be addressed from who works with this stuff every day rather
than make stuff up that is of no use to anyone. Anyway, thanks for
taking the time, even if it was just to insult! :-)

Andrew Gabriel
wibbled on Friday 15 January 2010 09:46

In article
, NT
writes:
On Jan 15, 1:01 am, Dave wrote:
Quite often that is down to the customers and the computer ordering
system. They buy rubbish wood and stack it up for sale.
The customer comes along and buys the best of the selection.
The worst of the selection stays on the shelf and the stock computer
say 'we have lots of wood, so don't order any more'.
bad management

I used to have a similar problem in Maplin trying to buy cable.
Once the staff had nicked more than about a 1/4 drum of cable,
it got into a deadly embrace with the computer not seeing any
more sales so it didn't reorder, but the store having no more
cable to sell, and the staff apparently unable to do anything
about it.


Don't they have a stocktake function to tell the computer how much/many of a
line really exists? Feeble programming if the don't.

--
Tim Watts

Icicles - nature's way of pinpointing all the leaks in your guttering...

NT wrote:
On Jan 15, 1:01 am, Dave wrote:

Quite often that is down to the customers and the computer ordering
system. They buy rubbish wood and stack it up for sale.
The customer comes along and buys the best of the selection.
The worst of the selection stays on the shelf and the stock computer
say 'we have lots of wood, so don't order any more'.

bad management

NT

The sheds have a particular problem with timber, mainly because it needs
to be stored outdoors, but under cover. Without major structural changes
it's never going to be the ideal place to buy timber.

On 15 Jan, 10:33, (Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

It has been highlighted elsewhere that there's a big divide around
about age 40-50, with very few people below that age being confident
in doing DIY, whilst many people above that age have always done DIY.

I've just given my spare table saw to a mate's niece (20 ish), as
she's decided to take up joinery. This seems like such a rarity these
days I thought it ought to be encourgaed.

In article ,
Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,

I used to have a similar problem in Maplin trying to buy cable.
Once the staff had nicked more than about a 1/4 drum of cable,
it got into a deadly embrace with the computer not seeing any
more sales so it didn't reorder, but the store having no more
cable to sell, and the staff apparently unable to do anything
about it.


A couple of years ago, helping a friend change the brake pads on his
ford focus we discovered the discs were minimum thinkness. Sat pm, nipped
into Halfords on the off chance. Yep, they had one...

"But you need to replace them in pairs"
"Yes. But we only have one and we can't order more until it's sold"
"That's useless. Why do you only have one in stock?"
"We don't sell many - so we only get individual ones sent to us"

....

We did the job the next weekend instead

Darren

In article ,
Dave wrote:

Quite often that is down to the customers and the computer ordering
system. They buy rubbish wood and stack it up for sale.
The customer comes along and buys the best of the selection.
The worst of the selection stays on the shelf and the stock computer
say 'we have lots of wood, so don't order any more'.

Our local wickes always seems "ok" for wood. The other night they appeared
to have someone looking through the odds and ends and taking out any that
were too twisted or warped.

I assumed they were binning them (of course, could have been picking a
customer order I guess ;-))

Darren

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:48:49 -0800 (PST), "G.Mo"
wrote:

On 14 Jan, 14:18, Bruce wrote:
On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:52:26 -0800 (PST), "G.Mo"

wrote:

Hey everybody,
I'm working with a big DIY retailer to create a better home
improvement store, kind of like a B&Q of the future. The question is
what's the best/worst thing about DIY stores today??

The absolute worst thing about DIY stores is when they employ idiots
like you to ask damnfool questions on Usenet newsgroups.

You are asking us (unpaid) to do your job for you (paid). *You aren't
the solution - you are the problem! *

Now **** off like a good little boy, and stop wasting everyone's time.

Shame you're taking it so badly, I'm trying to understand what issues
need to be addressed from who works with this stuff every day rather
than make stuff up that is of no use to anyone. Anyway, thanks for
taking the time, even if it was just to insult! :-)


The reason so many UK retail outlets (of all kinds) so badly fail to
serve their customers is that they involve wet-behind-the-ears people
like you in their future planning.

You really are a complete waste of space, time and the company's
money. Have a nice day. ;-)

On 15 Jan, 11:52, dmc@puffin. (D.M.Chapman) wrote:

Our local wickes always seems "ok" for wood. The other night they appeared
to have someone looking through the odds and ends and taking out any that
were too twisted or warped.

I assumed they were binning them (of course, could have been picking a
customer order I guess ;-))

Darren

Our local farmer's auction (Stennet's) often seems to have Wickes
misshapen wood. Cheap and OK for some jobs. So it looks like they do
dispose of the twisted bits from time to time.

Pete

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:52:26 -0800 (PST)
"G.Mo" wrote:

Hey everybody,
I'm working with a big DIY retailer to create a better home
improvement store, kind of like a B&Q of the future. The question is
what's the best/worst thing about DIY stores today?? Expert advice and
guidance seems the first thing for the public DIY-ers but what about
people that work in the industry?

You are going to get a wide range of views because there are a wide
range of people here.

Me, I will never buy anything that I can make/repair myself in a
reasonable time/cost - this isn't a matter of money or convenience,
it's almost a religion. I am not a tradesman, but I respect some of them
greatly, in fact I'm a retired IT company director. I spent over 10k
last year on materials.

I live in the wilds of Cumbria, so I will probably not be visiting a
store for most things, Internet ordering with speedy delivery is the
key to getting my business. I am extremely disloyal, so a single bad
experience will damn you for a long time - that having been said, I do
have some favourite on-line suppliers, specialists like BES for
plumbing, and TLC for electrics, and generalists like Toolstation,
Amazon and Screwfix - these are all companies who have either got me
stuff fast regularly, or when things have gone wrong, gone out of their
way to put it right. There are things I don't like about on-line
buying, often the dimensions/size and weights are not clear, and there
are insufficient photographs - Toolstation, who I like otherwise, come
to mind here. I also like to be able to read the installation
instruction BEFORE ordering - mostly Screwfix allows this - it builds
confidence and reduces returns under DSR.

B&Q gets visited IFF I'm in the area anyway (my nearest is 25 miles
away), but I never make a journey just for that. At the moment my pet
hate at B&Q is the checkout automation, it works but ever so slowly,
and the creepy hovering staff waiting to jump in and offer inane advice
does not help. The other so called DIY outlets aren't, so I don't.

Oh, yes, and I don't watch Dork-it-Yourself programs on TV, nor TV
adverts (record and filter). I don't like telephones so you communicate
with me by real email or not at all (a webpage email service isn't
one, unless it sends me a copy of everything, and the follow-up is all
by real email)

My firm advice is to get your on-line store working well, then add
physical outlets. This model gets you revenue early-in-cycle, and you
can tune your physical outlets to where your customers are. There is a
space for an on-line supplier where everything is well priced, easy to
find, and all under one roof, with well managed and cost effective
delivery.

R.

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:33:10 +0000
Tim W wrote:

Owain
wibbled on Thursday 14 January 2010 19:48

But would you buy a power tool called a "Yørgalwånk"...


You bet ya! I'd also leave it on the Coffee Table!

On 15/01/2010 10:42, G.Mo wrote:
Anyway, I'll definitely follow your advice to follow the group to get
a better sense of the issues a pro can have, which is how I found the
site in the first place!:-)

Find out from your IT guys about proper newsgroup access, and come off
the google blanket. This is not a 'site', it's beyond that

--
Adrian C

Adrian C
wibbled on Friday 15 January 2010 12:58

On 15/01/2010 10:42, G.Mo wrote:
Anyway, I'll definitely follow your advice to follow the group to get
a better sense of the issues a pro can have, which is how I found the
site in the first place!:-)

Find out from your IT guys about proper newsgroup access, and come off
the google blanket. This is not a 'site', it's beyond that


www.eternal-september.org

Free NNTP/USENET access, simple sign up and I'm using it right now.


--
Tim Watts

Icicles - nature's way of pinpointing all the leaks in your guttering...

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:42:11 +0000, TheOldFellow wrote:

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:33:10 +0000
Tim W wrote:

Owain
wibbled on Thursday 14 January 2010 19:48

But would you buy a power tool called a "Yørgalwånk"...


You bet ya! I'd also leave it on the Coffee Table!

On a cushion, I hope.
--
Peter.
2x4 - thick plank; 4x4 - two of 'em.

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:12:03 +0000, The Medway Handyman wrote:
Went to IKEA last week. They now sell a 12v driver for £12. Don't racall
the name :-)

Does it come with self-assembly instructions and the need to buy a 12v
driver to put it together?

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 10:33:24 +0000, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
It has been highlighted elsewhere that there's a big divide around
about age 40-50, with very few people below that age being confident
in doing DIY, whilst many people above that age have always done DIY.
This age barrier is increasing as people age - it's not a case of
lots of people in middle-age suddenly learning how to do DIY, but
more a case (for whatever reason) that people suddenly stopped being
taught how to do it by their parents or at school some 20-30 years
ago.

I think that'll change. At the moment I think the skills aren't there in
the younger generation because they expect to be able to simply buy their
way out of any problems - but society seems to be moving slowly back
toward being a bit more frugal with the pennies, and folk are going to
want to do more and more stuff themselves as they can't afford to
pay for someone else to do it for them.

The only thing that might hinder that is if there are just too many rules
and regulations forbidding people from doing their own work within their
own homes...

There may be some mileage in finding out if there is any demand
from 20-30 year olds to learn what their parents/schools didn't teach
them, and to become DIY enthusiasts. Years ago, I recall some DIY
stores doing classes in using various power tools. That sort of thing
no longer goes on as far as I know.

It does this side of the Pond - I've seen things like tiling and plumbing
and carpet-laying workshops advertised in the big sheds. They keep doing
them, so they must be popular.

They do similar free workshops for the kiddies, too, letting them put
stuff together just using hand tools. Seems to be typically one day a
month.

cheers

Jules

On Jan 15, 12:32*pm, TheOldFellow wrote:
On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:52:26 -0800 (PST)

"G.Mo" wrote:
Hey everybody,
I'm working with a big DIY retailer to create a better home
improvement store, kind of like a B&Q of the future. The question is
what's the best/worst thing about DIY stores today?? Expert advice and
guidance seems the first thing for the public DIY-ers but what about
people that work in the industry?

You are going to get a wide range of views because there are a wide
range of people here.

Me, I will never buy anything that I can make/repair myself in a
reasonable time/cost - this isn't a matter of money or convenience,
it's almost a religion. I am not a tradesman, but I respect some of them
greatly, in fact I'm a retired IT company director. I spent over 10k
last year on materials.

I live in the wilds of Cumbria, so I will probably not be visiting a
store for most things, Internet ordering with speedy delivery is the
key to getting my business. *I am extremely disloyal, so a single bad
experience will damn you for a long time - that having been said, I do
have some favourite on-line suppliers, specialists like BES for
plumbing, and TLC for electrics, and generalists like Toolstation,
Amazon and Screwfix - these are all companies who have either got me
stuff fast regularly, or when things have gone wrong, gone out of their
way to put it right. *There are things I don't like about on-line
buying, often the dimensions/size and weights are not clear, and there
are insufficient photographs - Toolstation, who I like otherwise, come
to mind here. *I also like to be able to read the installation
instruction BEFORE ordering - mostly Screwfix allows this - it builds
confidence and reduces returns under DSR.

B&Q gets visited IFF I'm in the area anyway (my nearest is 25 miles
away), but I never make a journey just for that. *At the moment my pet
hate at B&Q is the checkout automation, it works but ever so slowly,
and the creepy hovering staff waiting to jump in and offer inane advice
does not help. The other so called DIY outlets aren't, so I don't.

Oh, yes, and I don't watch Dork-it-Yourself programs on TV, nor TV
adverts (record and filter). *I don't like telephones so you communicate
with me by real email or not at all (a webpage email service isn't
one, unless it sends me a copy of everything, and the follow-up is all
by real email)

My firm advice is to get your on-line store working well, then add
physical outlets. *This model gets you revenue early-in-cycle, and you
can tune your physical outlets to where your customers are. *There is a
space for an on-line supplier where everything is well priced, easy to
find, and all under one roof, with well managed and cost effective
delivery.

R.


The reason I shied away from suggesting that is that you cant have it
all. If customer treatment is good, that costs something. If delivery
is good, that costs something. If stock range is wide, that costs
something. If you have all that you get high prices, and no-one buys

You can however do a lot better by picking at least one member of
staff that has a clue in each area.


NT

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:01:14 +0000, Dave wrote:

Jules wrote:

Interesting. HD's my local 'big' DIY store these days, and it's true they
do some things well - but I've found plenty of staff there who have no
clue about anything, and their prices are typically quite a bit higher
than the farm supply place just down the road, and the quality generally a
little lower (HD's lumber often isn't up to much

Quite often that is down to the customers and the computer ordering
system. They buy rubbish wood and stack it up for sale.
The customer comes along and buys the best of the selection.
The worst of the selection stays on the shelf and the stock computer
say 'we have lots of wood, so don't order any more'.

That made me smile... I tend to run several DIY projects at once, partly
to give me plenty of planning time, but also to allow me to assemble raw
materials. Whilst Home Depot's lumber is generally expensive, they
are very cheap for generic white pine 2x4s - but it's exactly as you say,
the quality of most of them is complete crud.

In the past, I've waited until they've just put out a fresh pile in the
store, and then I've sat there and dismantled the whole pile,
cherry-picking the 10% or so that's actually worth having. I need to put
up some walls in our basement, so I'm currently waiting to pounce again :-)

cheers

Jules

G.Mo wrote:
Hey everybody,
I'm working with a big DIY retailer to create a better home
improvement store, kind of like a B&Q of the future. The question is
what's the best/worst thing about DIY stores today??

The worst thing is that they exist and have, in many cases, displaced
proper ironmongers, paint shops, etc. If you want to build a DIY store I
would use, everything needs to be in anonomous brown boxes, with someone
at the counter who knows exactly which one contains, say a 1/2" long,
3/8" whitworth grub screw, hexagon socket and can sell me one of them.

Expert advice and
guidance seems the first thing for the public DIY-ers

Not if they know what they are doing.

but what about
people that work in the industry?

Most will buy from trade outlets at trade prices, with discounting
structures that mean they can turn a profit, even if they charge the
customer 'trade list price'.

Colin Bignell

PeterC wrote:
On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:42:11 +0000, TheOldFellow wrote:

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:33:10 +0000
Tim W wrote:

Owain
wibbled on Thursday 14 January 2010 19:48

But would you buy a power tool called a "Yørgalwånk"...


You bet ya! I'd also leave it on the Coffee Table!

On a cushion, I hope.

Only on a *named* cushion.


--
Ian White

"Tim W" wrote in message
...
pete
wibbled on Thursday 14 January 2010 15:26

On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:25:39 +0000, Tim W wrote:
G.Mo
wibbled on Thursday 14 January 2010 13:52

Hey everybody,
I'm working with a big DIY retailer to create a better home
improvement store, kind of like a B&Q of the future. The question is
what's the best/worst thing about DIY stores today?? Expert advice and
guidance seems the first thing for the public DIY-ers but what about
people that work in the industry?

Don't know about advice, but I would like:

Sensible prices[1];

Stock in the right bins and levels maintained;

Double-kiddie shopping trolleys.
Really? I didn't know you could buy kiddies in DIY stores :-)
Seriously, I don't think children have any place in a DIY store. It's
full of sharp, heavy, pointy things. Keep 'em away, so they can't hurt
themselves, or others.

Rubbish. Do you suggest I leave them at home on their own then (apart from
it being illegal)? Sometimes I have a hard time with some of the nonsense
that gets spouted here.

That is EXACTLY why I want a double kiddie trolley - so I can keep them
together and away from the pointy bits





and out from under the feet of grumpy
old gits.

You mean the staff?

Adam

On 15 Jan, 14:06, Jules
wrote:

The only thing that might hinder that is if there are just too many rules
and regulations forbidding people from doing their own work within their
own homes...

That won't stop anyone, it just makes things go underground.

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:14:04 -0800 (PST)
NT wrote:

On Jan 15, 12:32Â*pm, TheOldFellow wrote:
On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:52:26 -0800 (PST)

"G.Mo" wrote:
Hey everybody,
I'm working with a big DIY retailer to create a better home
improvement store, kind of like a B&Q of the future. The question is
what's the best/worst thing about DIY stores today?? Expert advice and
guidance seems the first thing for the public DIY-ers but what about
people that work in the industry?

You are going to get a wide range of views because there are a wide
range of people here.

Me, I will never buy anything that I can make/repair myself in a
reasonable time/cost - this isn't a matter of money or convenience,
it's almost a religion. I am not a tradesman, but I respect some of them
greatly, in fact I'm a retired IT company director. I spent over 10k
last year on materials.

I live in the wilds of Cumbria, so I will probably not be visiting a
store for most things, Internet ordering with speedy delivery is the
key to getting my business. Â*I am extremely disloyal, so a single bad
experience will damn you for a long time - that having been said, I do
have some favourite on-line suppliers, specialists like BES for
plumbing, and TLC for electrics, and generalists like Toolstation,
Amazon and Screwfix - these are all companies who have either got me
stuff fast regularly, or when things have gone wrong, gone out of their
way to put it right. Â*There are things I don't like about on-line
buying, often the dimensions/size and weights are not clear, and there
are insufficient photographs - Toolstation, who I like otherwise, come
to mind here. Â*I also like to be able to read the installation
instruction BEFORE ordering - mostly Screwfix allows this - it builds
confidence and reduces returns under DSR.

B&Q gets visited IFF I'm in the area anyway (my nearest is 25 miles
away), but I never make a journey just for that. Â*At the moment my pet
hate at B&Q is the checkout automation, it works but ever so slowly,
and the creepy hovering staff waiting to jump in and offer inane advice
does not help. The other so called DIY outlets aren't, so I don't.

Oh, yes, and I don't watch Dork-it-Yourself programs on TV, nor TV
adverts (record and filter). Â*I don't like telephones so you communicate
with me by real email or not at all (a webpage email service isn't
one, unless it sends me a copy of everything, and the follow-up is all
by real email)

My firm advice is to get your on-line store working well, then add
physical outlets. Â*This model gets you revenue early-in-cycle, and you
can tune your physical outlets to where your customers are. Â*There is a
space for an on-line supplier where everything is well priced, easy to
find, and all under one roof, with well managed and cost effective
delivery.

R.


The reason I shied away from suggesting that is that you cant have it
all. If customer treatment is good, that costs something. If delivery
is good, that costs something. If stock range is wide, that costs
something. If you have all that you get high prices, and no-one buys

You can however do a lot better by picking at least one member of
staff that has a clue in each area.


NT

You may have a point. Maybe I should say: start with one good store
somewhere with big catchment, do it really well, train your staff, and
then put on-line on top before going country-wide.

I don't know how Screwfix started, but I didn't think they had stores
until later in their business development cycle. (then they got bought
by (forgot), and subtle alterations ruin things, but there you go,
way of the world - accountantitis and cost-plus-syndrome probably)

R.

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:41:02 -0800, Owain wrote:

On 14 Jan, 22:20, Tim W wrote:
Price in my local 'uge' B&Q is higher than my timber merchants who also
have
a cutting facility. Â*The B&Q cutting service involves half an hours wait
to find the blind innumerate droid who has been trained to bugger up any
possible cut.
Self service facility - that would sort the men from the boys.
Or the ham-fisted to the no-fisted...

Liability aside, wouldn't it be great to be able to rent a proper
joinery or cabinetry workshop for an hour or two?

Yes. We've got a combined DIY store / tool rental place in town, and the
rental rates are actually pretty reasonable if you want something in
lumps of a whole day - but I don't think they'll rent by the hour (and
the tools to buy are extremely expensive given that I can typically get
the same ones just down the road at the farm place for far less)

TheOldFellow
wibbled on Friday 15 January 2010 16:16


You may have a point. Maybe I should say: start with one good store
somewhere with big catchment, do it really well, train your staff, and
then put on-line on top before going country-wide.

I don't know how Screwfix started, but I didn't think they had stores
until later in their business development cycle. (then they got bought
by (forgot), and subtle alterations ruin things, but there you go,
way of the world - accountantitis and cost-plus-syndrome probably)

R.

Seen too many companies that were doing well (from nothing a few years back)
being sold for profit, then the new company ruins them.

--
Tim Watts

Icicles - nature's way of pinpointing all the leaks in your guttering...

Owain wrote:
On 14 Jan, 22:20, Tim W wrote:
Price in my local 'uge' B&Q is higher than my timber merchants who also
have
a cutting facility. The B&Q cutting service involves half an hours wait
to find the blind innumerate droid who has been trained to bugger up any
possible cut.
Self service facility - that would sort the men from the boys.
Or the ham-fisted to the no-fisted...

Liability aside, wouldn't it be great to be able to rent a proper
joinery or cabinetry workshop for an hour or two?

Owain


Severed limbs everywhere

Stuart Noble
wibbled on Friday 15 January 2010 18:25

Owain wrote:
On 14 Jan, 22:20, Tim W wrote:
Price in my local 'uge' B&Q is higher than my timber merchants who also
have
a cutting facility. The B&Q cutting service involves half an hours
wait to find the blind innumerate droid who has been trained to bugger
up any possible cut.
Self service facility - that would sort the men from the boys.
Or the ham-fisted to the no-fisted...

Liability aside, wouldn't it be great to be able to rent a proper
joinery or cabinetry workshop for an hour or two?

Owain


Severed limbs everywhere

Put it next to the kebab shop.

--
Tim Watts

Icicles - nature's way of pinpointing all the leaks in your guttering...

Tim W wrote:
TheOldFellow
wibbled on Friday 15 January 2010 16:16


You may have a point. Maybe I should say: start with one good store
somewhere with big catchment, do it really well, train your staff, and
then put on-line on top before going country-wide.

I don't know how Screwfix started, but I didn't think they had stores
until later in their business development cycle. (then they got bought
by (forgot), and subtle alterations ruin things, but there you go,
way of the world - accountantitis and cost-plus-syndrome probably)

R.

Seen too many companies that were doing well (from nothing a few years back)
being sold for profit, then the new company ruins them.

standard business practice, work like buggery, build a brand, flog the
customer list and trusted brand to a bunch of *******, and watch it
collapse into the mire.