Complete Hardware -Sydney -Going!

[gray1275]

"So why did it go under?"

I can give you my perspective.

I live quite near the Eastwood branch and would drive the extra kilometres to Bunnies at Carlingford or Thornleigh. Here's why:

1) On the weekends it was only open on Saturday mornings and shut fairly early on weekdays, so it was hard to get to unless you're a tradie and could just drop in.

2) They played the radio at high volume and acted all huffy if you asked them to turn it down so you could hear what they were saying to you.

3) For many hardware items it was counter service, so you couldn't just go and pick something off the shelf but had to wait your turn and then tell them what you wanted then they'd go and get it.

4) You had to get different stuff at different counters. One time I had to queue up at three different counters (one in another building) for one lot of stuff to do with guttering. Actually, make that four - I had to deliver part of the order to the guy in the yard out the back.

5) If you didn't know exactly what you wanted - ie if you weren't part of the tradie club - some of them (not all, but enough to put me off) had this wonderful way of making you feel like a moron. (eg Me: "I need to buy some XYZ's" Them: "What type do you want" Me: "I'm not sure, what types are there?" Them: "The usual types.") This isn't my imagination - other non-tradie blokes I know had the same complaint.

All in all I found going to CH in Eastwood - when I could get to it - a fairly unpleasant experience.

There's more to running a shop than having lots of stuff out the back.

Gaz.

Thanks Gaz, but what would you know?

I basically grew up at Complete Hardware with my father working there for nearly 30 years, and me starting at 15.


As a former employee, i find it quite offensive that you would think that we would treat people coming into the store - basically paying our wages in the grand scheme of things - like morons???

I always had the time for anybody who came into the store, just like anybody else who worked there.

Trading hours - we need a life too! And as a carpenter now, I find it very frustrating to have to go to the hardware in the middle of the day - stopping work to go and get supplies. Much easier on the way to work.

Oh, and where i worked, in the tool counter, and then the showroom - we didn't even HAVE a radio.

At the end of the day - the reason Complete Hardware closed up is because shareholders elected to cash in and sell the property, making more money from the land, then the actual hardware store.

Oh, and Complete Hardware never had anything to do with a Parramatta store. Completely separate business.

[Sturdee]

Thanks Gaz, but what would you know?

Maybe nothing and then again maybe a lot, BUT who gives a damn more than THREE years after the event.

This thread should be dead and dusted like the shop they were talking about.


Peter.

[Vernonv]

Thanks Gaz, but what would you know?

Well, I think you just gave some credence to Gaz's complaints ... but like Sturdee said, it's all a bit irrelevant now.

[Gaza]

they must have made a killing they built a few hundread units and shops, amazing differnce.