Screwfix

[Gareth J]

Have been, on the whole, impressed with Screwfix staff, they seem interested, knowledgeable, keen to sort issues and even happy in their work. Which for what could be a potentially dull job leading to a "computer says no" attitude, is brilliant.

I'm not made to feel a prat (which I clearly am) when I turn up to pick up a click and collect and I say "I don't like the look of item A, can you tell me what alternatives there are?"

Our store may have great staff or management or something.

 

[Gareth J]

I've been highest spender in more than one branch (calculated monthly)

The trade counter side is usually staffed by more knowledgeable people, and I usually knew exactly what I was going in for

Are there trade rates? If you don't mind me asking. I'm happy to use Screwfix for convenient one offs, the odd special offer, stuff I don't have much knowledge about, things I can't get elsewhere and emergency situations and happy to pay the premium for that. But they're too expensive and, I feel, geared to the diyer for bulk orders that I'd need if I were trading.

The odd bigger project I've done have all but been beaten on price by either local builders merchants or online plumbing suppliers.

 

[ukracer]

Don’t see the problem really … no different to Amazon or eBay or a myriad of other places… Argos springs to mind immediately

Those are crap as well.
Amazon can't even display low to high price order.

 

[Bornfree]

It was more than 30 years ago, so definitely not. I still remember a lot of part numbers from my car spares days.

It was the spring shackle pin. Apparently the same pin and part number was used on the very first truck they made right up to the E series and possibly the EC series.

 

[Kayos]

Are there trade rates? If you don't mind me asking. I'm happy to use Screwfix for convenient one offs, the odd special offer, stuff I don't have much knowledge about, things I can't get elsewhere and emergency situations and happy to pay the premium for that. But they're too expensive and, I feel, geared to the diyer for bulk orders that I'd need if I were trading.

The odd bigger project I've done have all but been beaten on price by either local builders merchants or online plumbing suppliers.

Yes, plumbfix or electricfix get preferential rates on a lot of items
Plus can always negotiate when you are doing full projects

 

[Migmac]

There's a rather large tarry brush being used here.
My Dad was a "parts bloke" (his title was stores manager but there was only him), firstly in a Jaguar/BL garage then in aToyota dealers. He most certainly was not the dullard being portrayed here. He also was known for his helpfulness and had an encyclopedic knowledge of BL parts. He was pretty good on Toyota stuff as well.

My wife’s uncle was the storeman/ parts man for Scot JCB in one of their shops. He appeared to know the part number for any bit for any JCB machine. He was like an encyclopaedia.

 

[Gareth J]

Yes, plumbfix or electricfix get preferential rates on a lot of items
Plus can always negotiate when you are doing full projects

Makes sense.

 

[mike os]

Those are crap as well.
Amazon can't even display low to high price order.

Avoid rs and farnell cpc like the plague then … rs you can copy and paste their part description and be told it doesn’t exist

 

[James1979]

My wife’s uncle was the storeman/ parts man for Scot JCB in one of their shops. He appeared to know the part number for any bit for any JCB machine. He was like an encyclopaedia.

Those sort of people suit that sort of job. If you’ve got a bit of a rainman way about you I think it’s an easy gig

People who are like that often have no social ability which again fits the stereotype of a store man.

Possible people who are that way inclined gravitate to it?

 

[cheb]

There's also you remember what you do a lot. I worked with a chap who could tell you pretty much any Nat West group sort code, if he'd used it then he remembered it.

He had more social ability than me too.

 

[Mart63]

Those sort of people suit that sort of job. If you’ve got a bit of a rainman way about you I think it’s an easy gig

People who are like that often have no social ability which again fits the stereotype of a store man.

Possible people who are that way inclined gravitate to it?

I could serve a mechanic with parts for 4 different vehicles without once looking at a catalogue or a computer. I went back to the place I used to work at recently to buy some brake cables, the guys that work there now had to refer to the computer for every single part.

 

[Robotstar5]

I could serve a mechanic with parts for 4 different vehicles without once looking at a catalogue or a computer. I went back to the place I used to work at recently to buy some brake cables, the guys that work there now had to refer to the computer for every single part.

Probably due to the specs changing so quick these days, when I was at JLR there was normally a spec change twice a year. If I go to a main stealer for parts for my Grand Vitara they put the VIN No. in to get the right parts, example: they changed the mounting points of the silencer as the towbar company found out when they sent one that needed a mirror image bracket from the one they normally supplied for that model year.

 

[Trevorleach]

I could serve a mechanic with parts for 4 different vehicles without once looking at a catalogue or a computer. I went back to the place I used to work at recently to buy some brake cables, the guys that work there now had to refer to the computer for every single part.

No stop part number supercessions!

 

[keithski122]

The screwfix/toolstation catalogues are handy if your after something to do a job but not the job its meant for.Quite often I'll need something and a quick flip through and its yep can make that work, not so easy to do if you don't know what your looking for online.