Popped into Wickes today for a 4 x 2 sheet of 12mm WBP ply.
Nearly fainted when I saw the price £21:89!!!
Called my local independent BM. £7:32 inc VAT.
What are Wickes trying to do? Drive away trade customers?
I wont buy their ply anymore, regardless of price, not after last time.
NT
Someone has to pay for all that 'red pencil' TV advertising...
Them and B&Q both. I don't understand having a trade counter and failing to sell trade materials or keeping inadequate stocks or selling only part of the materials required. B&Q and Wickes now seem, for example to sell tube without stocking appropriate fittings, electrical outlets without back boxes, and bizarrely latex tile adhesive without the latex. (etc).
The same seems to apply to all their sheet materials. Looking the other day there was almost no difference in price between small and full sized sheets. I suppose they are selling the convenience of being able to get a small sheet into the car. If I need something like that in the evenings/weekends I go to a B&Q warehouse where they will cut a large sheet down. Even if I don't need it all right away I can always find a use for it later.
I needed some 10mm twin and earth urgently, only needed about 1m. Smallest amount they did was 5m. Cost me £26 !!! I know the price of copper has gone up but FFS.
Well I need about 8 sheets of 8 x 4 ply, I guess I will be steering clear of wickes & B&Q.
TLC cut price is 4 quid a metre plus VAT. So not very different.
In article , SS writes
You can get some reasonable deals at B&Q on sheet stuff but it varies, I have bought soft faced ply there cheaply (on special) for racking shelves only to find it doubled when I was making more but their OSB was ok for those. In those cases it was the free cuts than swung the deal, I walked out with 3 bays worth of finished shelving which saved a lot of work.
Lot cheaper in Wilkinson and by the metre. Lass on till even asked me how long it was.
What about the cable?
That was coiled also.
My son has a trade account @ B&Q. Wanted to buy an electric cement mixer. It was cheaper for me to use my Diamond card than for him to buy it as a trade customer.
Hugh,
I don't class any of the sheds as "trade suppliers" - they are all far dearer than my local (and fairly local) builders merchants, plumbers merchants and tool supplier/hardware merchant (who all offer a trade discount, a delivery service that doesn't cost an arm and leg and have monthly accounts that also offers discounts for prompt payment).
When I can get a tube of 'liquid nail' (have used the generic name btw to avoid repercussions) from my local UPVc merchants for £4 as opposed to the sheds average price of around £8 to £10 (and that's just one example - and the stuff is very good) - and as for the cost of tubes of mastic/nails and screws........ then using the 'locals' is an absolute no-brainer and sod the sheds.
Not an everyday query, that one. Perhaps she hopes for a part in Emmerdale.
Having previously seen the price of sheet materials in all of the sheds I wouldn't even look at them nowadays. I go the same distance in the opposite direction to an independant and get what i want for half the price or less.
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