Builders' Merchants

Probably sweet FA other than what you wanted. Regulars will have bought what they wanted before the shop closed.

Many building firms shut down themselves over the Xmas period, so there's very little trade for the builders merchants - In fact, my local one ha been shut since mid-morning on Xmas eve.

BTW, was the job that you're doing and emergency, or was it planned, and If it was planned, why didn't you get the stuff before Xmas?

Don't begrudging their hardworking staff a holiday just because you couldn't get what you wanted! Did you try the local 'shed'?

Our two local independents were closed today.

I wanted some 6 x 6 wany lap panels - not one to be found anywhere. I wonder if the BMs had any.

We have two Builders Merchants in our town, who supply the D-I-Y stuff for the surrounding area. There is one Hardware store, but it's biased towards kitchen-ware and picture-hanging. So I wanted some tape for repairing plasterwork yesterday, Jewsons is the easiest place to get to. Closed, at 3 pm, and so probably all day. Ridgeons ditto. If they are also closed today, how much stuff have they missed selling on what I consider normal working days? Even the banks were open yesterday. Even a skeleton staff to keep the counter manned would be better than nothing. Jewson's website gives no clue as to restricted hours for the holiday period.

Selco were open until 12.30. I know... I was fixing their bloody lorry crane in Tottenham today... Useless drivers need stringing up !

Probably just assumed they would be open. Not unreasonable assumption in this day an age. A local plumbers merchants was open this morning.

It's not really begrudging someone a holiday though is it. They would presumably have a holiday at some other time if they were at work the last couple of days.

It's the British disease. The objective is always to close your shop whenever possible in case you have to serve a customer. Amazon and eBay love it. They don't close. The same rules apply to Sunday trading, close as soon as possible. I have noticed that the Pakistani shopkeepers don't follow the rules. Perhaps that's why their shops and businesses are going from strength to strength?

I checked the US Home Depot hours (builders merchants). As far as I can see, they closed at 6pm on Xmas eve until 9am Boxing day, then had normal opening hours until 6pm New Years eve and open again at 9am New Years day. Does anyone wonder why the US can pull itself out of recession, in spite of the best efforts of their politicians.

I went to the garden centre cafe this afternoon. Lots of customers wandering around. The cafe closed at 3pm. The garden centre closed at 5pm.

aw well thats dead obvious - they had to knock off early to miss the early rush hour caused by all the punters going home early....er hang on..

Jim K

I don't know Selco, he certainly isn't in my little country town!

So? Today should be a normal working day, business's should keep their normal hours for a Tuesday. In fact I'd say that by law all business's should keep their normal hours unless it's a Bank or Public Holiday. None of this faffing about closeing early, not opening at all, etc etc. If staff want more time off than the Bank/public holidays that is it what they have paid Annual Leave for.

I'll be working tommorow from 0845 to 1800 (on site), site is over an hours drive away.

The restrictive Sunday Trading Laws only apply to shops over a certain size. Small shops, run by any nationality, can open. Mind you, it took a Jewish shopkeeper to discover that in Scotland there was no restriction on Sunday trading - just custom and practice. He stayed shut on his Sabbath, though.

Home Depot is more the equivalent of B&Q or Wickes - who would have been open in the UK. Trade suppliers in the UK normally close on Saturday afternoons and Sundays.

Next door is now a building site with vast extension being built - the owners have moved out. Nothing has been done there since Dec 20th.

Cushy life. I will be working from 0500 to 1700 tomorrow. Like i did today, yesterday and Sunday.

Most of the trades have been on holiday since the end of last week and will be until Monday.

There isn't much reason for BMs to stay open when there are few/no customers.

And how many other days of this week will you be working?

Try telling the vast majority of workers that they have to work say

If I do a "normal" working day, ie 8 hours inc a 1 hour break, it feels like I'm going home at lunchtime and I've only done half a days work...

The last couple of days (Mon/Tue) are normal working days why should working on them earn any entitlement to Time off in Lieu?

If staff want more time off than the

The firm I work for close down between Christmas Eve and January 2nd. Oh and by the way except for 25/26 and Jan 01 the rest comes out of your annual leave allowance, and if you are short of annual leave no you cant come in and work, it comes out of next years allowance. Operating hours are often nothing to do with what the staff want.

Home Depot is a builders merchants for retail and the trade. Their stores will stock just about everything you need to build and equip a house. Wickes is a very inferior version operating in the UK. Home Depot stores are typically around 5 - 10 times the floor area of a Wickes branch. Wickes has better opening hours than a traditional builders merchant but still less than the US. The US doesn't have other builders merchants that I have experienced. B & Q nowadays is primarily a style retailer. Trade suppliers who close at every opportunity are IMO doomed to be extinct. Screwfix and Amazon are going to put them out of business.

When I worked shift at TVC. was fun driving home in the evening passing all the cars on then otehr carriageway queuing to get back into London.

Neither Screwfix nor Amazon sell basic building materials.

All builders use Screwfix for materials, plumbing, electrical and hardware etc. Amazons range of builders materials is wider than I expected and growing daily. Just wait and see!