Did I say Screwfix had lost the plot?

[Rod]

The other day, I posted about problems with Screwfix (lack of stock).

So I decided there was one size Turbo Ultra screw I really needed - must get them while the going is good. Looked online - what? Only EIGHT sizes available. (There were far more the other day - including the 3x30 I wanted then.)

Went to Screwfix counter, looked at catalogue. 24 different sizes listed! Still not 3x30 but better than online. (Catalogue plastered with "More available online" slogans.) Ordered the ones I wanted (3.5x40) and passed the sheet over. No, sorry, can't do.

Also, sockets I wanted were not available. No idea of when they might become available.

Also, insufficient staff to even have unpacked today's delivery so they have no idea what they have had delivered.

[Andy Cap]

I popped into B&Q the other day, looking for blades for my Bosch jigsaw. The blade rack was almost empty, with just a few packs left for Black & Decker. I guess the recession is beginning to bite as people have less to spend.

Andy C

[dom]

I don't think the turbo ultra screws have proved that popular. They are very prone to snapping or the heads chewing - when compared to spax or turbo gold (ultra's are stainless, others are plated).

I bought a trade case - and they're great for window beading for instance - but I won't be buying more of them.

[Rod]

Hmm - surprised you say that. I have found they work exactly as I have needed. Can't think of one breaking - possibly a couple of mangled heads with careless application of an impact driver?

With my OCD problems ( :-) ), I *hate* rust streaks on external woodwork such as fences - so I like at least the screws I put in to be stainless.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd say DIY would be one of the last things to be hit. Certainly for the sales of consumables like this. More likely people are buying that sort of thing at more sensible prices elsewhere. I wanted a 2.5mm HSS drill - local B&Q only had Bosch titanium at about 2.50. I usually get tubes of 'production' ones at autojumbles where you'd get 10 for that price. And had most small sizes apart from 2.5mm. ;-)

[dom]

I agree with you that they look nice on finish joinery, and when I know I have to take the time to get each one set exactly right (probably by hand) - but for situations where I would expect to drive them in flush, or to take them out again, I found chewed heads or even snapped threads happened too often, i.e. even a quite rare breakage will take up a chunk of time to put right - when compared to no time wasted on breakages with spax.

[Steve Firth]

Nah, B&Q have always been like that.

I needed some cabinet legs recently - B&Q had three. I suppose if I had wanted to make a milking stool I'd have been OK.

[The Medway Handyman]

I noticed a big sign in my local SF yesterday, saying that they list 810 varieties/sizes of screw & sell 19 million screws a week, and that the problems were due to the plants in China.

[Rod]

Well I have now placed my first order with Toolstation. Last I looked, it was packed. Not *exactly* what I wanted, but close enough. (Had to get 4x40 rather than 3.5x40 - not much of a difference really.) With other things, the order worked out cheaper than SF. And there is no carriage charge. (Of course, that is also true of SF counter but I would not quite have met the £50 minimum for SF free delivery.

The problem, as far as I am concerned, is that I have not got the screws I need. Now I think that SF have dropped the screws I want - and I might well not bother looking back there. If it were a temporary problem it would be better to identify that online. (Of course the paper catalogue is a different matter with the relatively long lead time it must require.)

They will not be selling 19 million a week if they carry on like this.

[GMM]

I'm surprised you could work that out: Whenever I go into B&Q, half the items don't have a price on them and even the ones that do seem to cost something different when you get to the til!

[Steve Walker]

They probably depend on the same suppliers (it's the same management team that set up SF, as you probably know), so it'll be a question of checking which one has stock of what you need.

[Rod]

At least you *can* find out if your list of items is in stock at a particular Toolstation branch. And print off your order to take in. Two littlke enhancements that would help SF. (Nearest SF is about a mile; nearest TS is nearer 10 miles.)