More Bunnings

[Wood Borer]

My folks are farmers too. I know what you mean about the whinging, some of it is justified and a lot of it is probably a cry for help.

An example of whinging. The Shepparton bypass could go either through swampland (sensitive environment area) and require heaps of bridges or it could go through the east side where there are orchards and flat land. The orchidists frequently tell us how terrible their markets are and we often see on TV the orchidists dumping hundreds of tons of fruit - can't sell it. They rip out fruit trees and blame the government .......poor devils struggling to make ends meet - real aussie battlers.

Where is the bypass going - through the swamps because the orchardists don't want to lose their orchards despite being offered generous compensation!!!!!! Perhaps they are growing crops other than fruit????? The extra cost for the bypass through the swamps will cost millions.


- Wood Borer

[Driver]

A couple of years ago at a party I was listening to a farmer complaining about how he had lost $100,000 that year because prices were so bad. I was feeling quite sympathetic. A hundred grand - that's a massive amount for anyone to lose.

The sympathy didn't last long. One of the other people listening to the whinge was in a position to know what the farmer's profit and loss account actually looked like. When the farmer paused to take a slurp of his beer, the other bloke leaned in and said:

"Mate, you didn't lose $100,000. What happened is you made $100,000 less than you made last year. You still cleared $250,000."

"That's what I mean - I lost $100,000!"

There was then a longish conversation about the difference between making a loss and making a smaller - though still substantial - profit.

The farmer was completely unconvinced. He's not a bad bloke. He's just got farmers' disease - whingeitis.

[silentC]

I guess different types of farming must be better than others.

My cousin is a dairy farmer in south-eastern Victoria. Not so long ago, they were faced with the loss of the farm, their house, and all of their assets. They'd been in drought for a couple of years, were having to buy feed for the cows and on top of that they were getting less for the milk than it cost to produce it. The big dairies have the milk price tied up and so the little guys have no control over what they get for it. My Uncle mortgaged his house to help them out and he was in danger of losing it too. At 60+ years of age, he went back to manual labour (as a builder) to raise enough money to meet the payments because his son was unable to pay the loan.

Maybe it's just dairy farming but I grew up on a dairy farm and I don't remember my parents ever having any money. I'm glad they got out of it when they did. I wouldn't touch farming with a ten foot pole.

[Eastie]

Silent,
I’m of similar thought.

My olds have never exactly been well off from working the land, but with a bit of help and the introduction of some technology and new practices life has become a fair bit easier in terms of managing from a month to month basis and predicting what the next 12 months may hold. I found the isolation, never being able to get away from the job 24 hours a day and the anomaly that retirement never really seems to come around for farmers extremely daunting. Not quite as bad as the thought of being Oz's brickies labourer, but pretty bad none the less

[Wood Borer]

I agree, my folks have never been swimming in money either. The farm may have been able to make more money with newer machines and technology but perhaps the year after they purchased the new gear they could have been hit with a drought and then go down the gurgler.

My little brother has a farm and he uses more modern ideas and equipment and does OK for himself.

My comments about the whingers related to unwarranted whinging. Most farmers I know and have met are fair dinkum with only a small percentage of farmers being ratbags.

- Wood Borer

[Driver]

I probably gave the wrong impression with that tale. I admire farmers (in most respects - except for the whinging). The uncertainties and the risky nature of the industry would deter me from ever contemplating farming. Most of the farmers I've met are genuinely good people - hard working with a genuine passion for what they do (doesn't stop 'em from whinging, though ).

[Theva]

Back to the original subject:

Bunnings (in NSW at least) have feedback forms you can fill and post. No stamp required.

The form is titled "How did we do?" and got only eight questions.

Question include customer's opinion on staffs knowledge & helpfulness etc.

So boys & girls, if you happened to go to Bunnings and have something to say about their service or product etc, please do fill out a form and post it (available at the checkout).

Who knows, It may do some good .

Regards,

Theva

[jackiew]

haven't tried the Bunnings cards but I just whacked one of to one of our major supermarkets this morning ... i'm a firm believer in letting organisations know where there are problems ( and occasionally I give them positives). ... if you don't tell them they don't know.

Myer, Big W, Bi-lo, Safeway etc all have the cards.

The supermarket have flavoured tuna on special and removed ALL of the cans from the usual shelf and mixed all the varieties in a big box on the aisle end ... bang went my plan of dive in before work and out again within 2 mins :mad: OK so they will probably ignore my comment but sometimes they don't.

My score so far is pretty good -

- got the post office to move a mail box that was obstructing sight lines when pulling out of a junction,
- had a road junction that was closed off to cars made legal access for bicycles with dropped kerbs,
- got cycle parking installed at a leisure centre,
- got booking software used by a ferry company altered,
- had a ramp installed inside a bank building where a sudden step caused problems for wheelchairs/prams changed

etc etc.

I firmly believe that I can make a difference in this world.

[Iain]

Farmers and a good whine seems an essential ingredient on the land, if they don't whine they are probably ill.
Not enough rain, it's a drought....no income.
Too much rain, it's flooding...no income.
Condiotions are perfect, it's a glut....no income.
And I once parked on a clearway, wasn't a clearway when I started but I got held up in town, running back to the car the parking inspector was standing there, book poised and looking around. I was a good block away and when I arrived he said he saw me running and thought it may have been my car and let it go at that.
I was suprised at a PC who was not a bastard and gladly thanked him for his consideration.

[Kevin2003]

THE EXIT !!!! :mad:

[TOMARTOM]

I am surrounded by farmers, grain and a little livestock over summer. I agree with silent that some farming industries do it tough ie the dairy farmers, and livestock farmers in middle NSW. But here they are very well off a bad year could equal a "best" year in other parts of Australia. I don't find they have a lot to winge about, and on the whole great people. They have a lot... lot of money, but I guess if farming is doing well local industry should also (in theory). I do however feel for those who suffer drought, poor yeilds and livestock loss.

I think every time I go to the supermarket an buy milk , homebrand 3l is a around the low $3 mark, a dollar a litre retail.. what then do the poor old farmers make.

regards tony

[lash]

You're all good for a laugh! From bunnings gripe to whinging about whingy farmers... We humans are funny creatures (not funny ha ha) Still I'm as opinionated as anyone else Stupidmarkets like bunnings and what not are there because we wanted it or fell for it. I just avoid 'em if I can. As much as i hate saying it we're responsible for our sad society.Can't sit on our bums and biitch about it without sounding like a peanut. For me its not about customer service, but ethics. Bunnings is but one of many mass money munching entities. Its the mcdonalds of the hardeware stores. there's only so much "money" (/resources) to go round and once the scales are tipped the side with less can only do what they can to survive. Look after your local little guy they're more likely to do the same for you. Who would you look to at places like bunnings? They know this hence the greeting guy.
Geez ......life's a ditty.

[DanP]

Whenever I get asked by Bunnies staff " can I help you ? " I reply " I doubt it "!!

It's people like you who make them apathetic and disinterested. If you were insulted on a daily basis you would be disinclined to offer assistance too.

Dan

[LineLefty]

I always felt sorry for farmers, being a city boy through and through. Until I wnet to Bourke in far east NSW.

Here in WA, here it doesnt rain much, the farmers grow wheat or run sheep. I know some people in cooroow who make a decent living and dont whinge too much.

On the othe hand, if you goy to bourke, where it's as dry as a bone, theyre growing.............................oranges. Enourmous irrigation ditches as far as the eye can see and they're growing water intensive fruit trees in a desert.

Thats why the NSW farmers are always whingeing. They try and take more that the land has to give.

Havnig said all that, I could be just an ignorant putz

[silentC]

Until I wnet to Bourke in far east NSW

I could be just an ignorant putz

You said it. I know it's in the east to you, but Bourke is actually in North Western NSW