Thread: WHEN WILL PARTS SUPPLIERS LEARN

Once a Tradie in a previous life manufacturing agricultural equipment. The company boasted a 700% mark up on spares.

Originally Posted by manic

Retail has changed - get over it and move with the times. Australia has been sooo slow off the mark. How many Australian retailers have websites that don't list prices or offer online sales? Shying away from competition... its nuts. The global market is accessible to all - start selling!

All this crap about sales people on shop floors loosing their job. You can have a retail store on the high street run by one person or it may require many employees... its the same with online shop operations. Warehouse duties, virtual help desks, developers for the websites and shopping systems, marketing, SEO, content writer, photographer.. etc etc... a successful online business will employ.

If you cannot beat the online retail movement, join it. Go virtual and lower your margins, compete on price and start selling again. Australian online retail will always have an advantage domestically. Next day delivery, reliable support and returns service. Convergence is king. People will pay more if they can get it quicker, and can return it without cost.

Yes I shop around online for the best price, BUT local results are the first port of call - the closer to me the better. If an Australian site has fair prices, I become a customer. In future I will go there first knowing I can checkout in 0.5 seconds, pick it up or have it delivered.. and save myself the google bother.

For the majority the shopping process starts online, if you have not got your products up and ready to sell then you don't exist!

For those left behind, retail is not changing - it has changed!

I completely agree. I buy as much as possible online and as a general overall experience the reputable online retailers offer a much more satisfying experience. No traffic, no parking issues, no dope talking bull about a product, looking at you blankly or just not giving a stuff.

I do find that aussie online retailers arent as slick as their UK and US competition, they havent fully grasped the need for good communication and speedy delivery.

I wont miss the shops. Never felt the need to have to touch something before buying it, and will never miss the BS you go through dealing with people, the waiting, the being ignored, the bad advice, the disinterest and the higher price you pay to keep the little treasures in a job. That's exaggerating a little of course... but only a little.

Originally Posted by Sparksdisco

If australian retailers cant provide support and service in a shop front how are they going to provide support and service online?

im down to the point with retailers that i dont bother to look at warrently as they never honour it anyway.

I think i'm just frustrated with retailers over here. There have been some great supplyers that have done nothing but good by me from over on the eastern states and if this was the spot for a plug I would. however they are few and far between.

As to 457 visas get ready for a flood.
This is an issue Rudd should have dealt with the day Howard was removed , not as an afterthought by Gillard who is about to be slaughtered. 457 where meant to supply highly skilled specialised people to develop our country in areas we where short supply good idea extremely poor implementation.
Instead it was used by companies under Howard to undercut EBA's and strip them back to a basic award. A large number of cargo/ bulk carriers crews where almost entirely replaced with various nations ( ukraine to indian)all on 457 visas. Before Howard lost office a certain transport company had plans to "reman" their drivers with all 457 visas. At the moment there are numerous IT workers complaining about previously high paid roles being advertised for far less resulting in no applicants with the companies using that as an excuse to import employees.

Originally I was quite excited to move here as I noticed there are still many more specialist / independant retailers here than there are in the UK. Back there it's been a complaint for several years that it doesn't matter where you are, the high street has the same chain stores.
So imagine my disappointment when I discovers most of these so-called specialists don't have a clue. Try asking for a Pozidrive screwdriver. Try asking for fixings that are common in the UK. Try asking if they can get a particular brand item in for you. Or even more depressing, an item made by the brand they stock.
The pretty much universal answer is what's that? Never heard of it. It doesn't exist.
If you're going to be a specialist retailer, BE a specialist. Get off your arse & do some research. Learn about what's out there & offer it to your clients.
Oh, and don't compete with big box chain stores. If I need a cheap item to get out of the brown smelly stuff, I'll go there if they're significantly closer. When I want the good stuff, Bunnings ain't no good. I want Bahco, Facom, King Dick, Britool, Stahlwille or equivalent. I expect the specialists to provide that, not a lower level of quality Bunnings sell with even less service to boot!!!!

Pant pant, deep breath.......

Ahhhh, I feel better for getting that off my chest.

Originally Posted by frantic

As to 457 visas get ready for a flood.
This is an issue Rudd should have dealt with the day Howard was removed , not as an afterthought by Gillard who is about to be slaughtered. 457 where meant to supply highly skilled specialised people to develop our country in areas we where short supply good idea extremely poor implementation.
Instead it was used by companies under Howard to undercut EBA's and strip them back to a basic award. A large number of cargo/ bulk carriers crews where almost entirely replaced with various nations ( ukraine to indian)all on 457 visas. Before Howard lost office a certain transport company had plans to "reman" their drivers with all 457 visas. At the moment there are numerous IT workers complaining about previously high paid roles being advertised for far less resulting in no applicants with the companies using that as an excuse to import employees.

457's. Ha.
Did you hear about that big Australian energy/resources company that got caught out recently?
They were paying their 457's three dollars an hour.
I hope the company were paying lots of tax. I may be joining the dole queue soon.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

In the case of the "Pilbara Tax", if I was running a small business there, harsh conditions, small population, restricted sales volume and little chance of increasing it, with a customer base of people on mostly six figure incomes, I would expect to be making at least as much as my customers. The only way to do this is to bump up your prices. You may perceive the service from many remote area shopkeepers as poor but it is what you have got and perhaps be appreciative of what you have.

This post speaks volumes to me. It rings true of so many retailers and suppliers that I have had to deal with and exemplifies a number of attitudes that will eventually drive many, many small retailers and providers out of business. They won't be missed.

A service business driven by greed, an inflated sense of self worth and contempt for the customer? Poor business model.