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Another thing about Screwfix, their website search is pretty pants - e.g. search 'overflow' and you get 50mm waste pipe!!
Discuss Screwfix at it again! in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net
You are quite correct, for you this is a good option. Most experienced engineers know exactly what they want. The bigger picture is Mr or Mrs inexperienced who are being let down and ripped off by the big sheds. Get what you know you want from the fast service operations and what you need advice about from your local,merchant ...this is the way the market is splitting ...bye byeI use Plumbfix because of its speed and convenience. I can place and order online, I know immediately if the items are in stock via the website and it's ready for collection within a minute. Out of stock items can either be collected from another store or be ready for next day collection. No plumbers merchant can compete with that, in fact it's quite the opposite. When I go to a plumbers merchant, I have to wait until I'm served, then place my order and then wait again for it to be picked and ready at the counter, that is if it's in stock, to which I have no idea, then wait again for the invoice to be printed and signed. Often I can be in a merchants for over 10 minutes which is a lot longer than a click and collect order from Plumbfix. Time is money and I can't be arsed messing around early in the morning collecting gear before I go to my jobs.
A few of the Plumbers merchants do have online collection, but it's not nearly as good as or as fast as Plumbfix.
Screwfix have all but cornered the market and with aggresive targeted marketing and rapid expansion, they have all but eliminated choice in many towns. Their stores are everywhere and in prime industrial areas. They also have very long opening hours and their ordering system is much quicker and superior to the plumbing merchant counters. Screwfix are NOT cheap, in fact most of their products can be sourced much cheaper elsewhere and with the release of every new catalogue, their prices jump up by 25%. Their marketing strategy appears to be to eliminate the competition and rule supreme. The closest to Screwfix is Toolstation and even they are not as quick with click and collect orders. It was in fact two former disgruntled founders of Screwfix that formed Toolstation.Whilst Screwfix and B&Q are both part of the Kingfisher Group you can't compare them - Screwfix is definitely a useful supplier.
They must be doing something right to be growing so fast!
Reply to Screwfix at it again! in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net
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