WHEN WILL PARTS SUPPLIERS LEARN

I don't object to the 457 visas. I object to the companies rorting them.

I work in an industry that is in the global market. With the exchange rate, on the international market, we are too expensive. Our wages need to come down by significant proportions.
Our wages can't come down because of the high cost of living in this country. Looked at your electricity bill recently?

If I was elected Dictator of Australia, I'd peg the Australian exchange rate at AU$0.70 to US$1.00, thus making our labour cheaper on the world stage and bring more work into the country. I'd also put tarrifs on imported goods and subsidies on exported goods.
I'd also pass a law that, for an international company to sell goods or services to Australia, a percentage of manufacturing or production is to be done in Australia.

I think the narrow minded view to take is the belief that for some reason it should all be different...you know, just to suit us, down here, because we don't really like the way it is going. Poor us :eek:

We have in this country exactly what we as a majority (sort of) voted for, and the rest of what is going down is because we are no longer a handful of Bill and Martha's corner stores, we compete with and are affected by what goes on around the world.

We get paid too much to be competitive on the world stage and there isn't much we can do about it. Whinging won't help, but that seems to be the thing we are best at :(

Go to China and you'll see people eeking a living out of nothing. Trading or labouring day in day out, many live at their work and have just a couple of days off a month. Or they live in a postage stamp sized apartment in one of thousands of apartment blocks that should be condemned. The air is filthy and many suffer from it but they mostly have smiles on their dials. They are industrious people wanting and getting about building better lives. See them in action and you quickly realise how lucky we've been, how bloody easy we've got it and how pathetic we are with our moaning and the way we carry on.

Over here it's hard to find someone to give half a stuff. It's really hard to get good service, find someone who will do good work and buy from someone who isn't trying to price gouge you. There is an underlying expectation that we are owed something.

Aussie businesses need to wake up!

It's a nice idea to support the local shop, buy your parts from an Aussie business and get them fitted by an Aussie business...but...they need to quit the price gouging, get their thumbs out of their arses and start offering good service and some basic respect, employ people who give half a toss and stop thinking they are owed something.

Online is here to stay. It is going to replace a lot of (not all) bricks and mortar businesses, so stop whinging about it and start looking for the positives in it, because they are there.

The last 15 years have made us very soft and very self-absorbed.

No-one is going to start mailing you catalogues again peoples, it's time to move on and develop some positive attitudes ;)

I've also seen abuse of the 457 visa's in my industry (I'm pretty sure it must be similar to Mick_Marsh). Mainly contractors who hire and fire them as they need them to satisfy job requirements.

Regarding the $3/hr, its alleged that Woodside was paying a labor firm $400/day for the painters but after money changing hands multiple times the painters only saw the $3/hr.

Three dollars an hour | Oil rig

With the news of the JPP processing plant getting scrapped the enviro's will be quite happy but there will be even more of the above with floating platforms. They'll be built in Korea and manned by dirt cheap labor. All we'll see is the royalties. There will always be the need for highly skilled techs, trades and engineers who will get the good dollars but there'll be less talk of cleaners and kitchen hands working up north earning over $80k/year and those that dont want to put in the hard yards will be dragged back down to reality when the work drys up.

Back on the topic of parts, I have no issues ordering online, I need to when most local vendors don't know what a 101 is or don't have the various part numbers in their system. I actually prefer to buy goods locally though. Nothing better than driving to the shops on a Saturday morning (if their open), forking over the $$$ and driving home with some shiny (or greasy) new parts. If I need a single 30c part and I can get it for $5 on a Saturday Ill pay for it. If I want a $400 part but the local place charges $800 Ill go online (unless I need the part then and there and the repercussions will end up costing more). There's nothing hard and fast about how I decide though, usually depends on what sort of mood I'm in.

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Originally Posted by Ferret

Bought one of these from my local LR dealer the other day. It's a retainer clip - fixes some trim around the dash in the interior of the D4.
SNIP

I was expecting to pay maybe $1 thinking a fair price might be 30c given production cost probably can't be much more than 10c each.

Actual price, $7 each - jaw dropping.

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Yes, jaw drop, the plastic buttons that hold the hood trim on in a Defender....$7

Umart does an excellent job of this sort of thing. Huge range of computer items online form usb sticks to whole computers, with reviews and links to manufacturers websites. You can order online and either have it delivered or pick it up yourself.
You can go in person to the shop and talk to someone, or get support via email or phone.

Not a huge range on show in the shop, but a lot available.

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Originally Posted by steane

Online is here to stay. It is going to replace a lot of (not all) bricks and mortar businesses, so stop whinging about it and start looking for the positives in it, because they are there.

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Aussie post is a classic example.
They hated "on line" as emails were taking their bread and butter business.
They were looking for other things to branch in to.
Then, the answer fell in their lap thanks to ebay.
Now Australia post are doing a roaring trade in parcels.

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Originally Posted by Tombie

Down size the shop and put the staff into the storeroom...

Yep!

And hands up everyone here who wants their kids to grow up to be storemen...

Or hands up everyone who would be happy on under less than $40.00 an hour.....


Such intelligent people on this forum with such narrow vision...

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Where can I earn $40/hr. please? Best I've seen is $35.00.

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Originally Posted by Ratel10mm

Where can I earn $40/hr. please? Best I've seen is $35.00.

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I hear Woodside are paying $3 for painters.

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Originally Posted by Ratel10mm

Where can I earn $40/hr. please?

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i earn $50/h and i dont work in the mines

actually my boss says i dont do much work at all...

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Originally Posted by incisor

on the example that you put forward, you couldn't stay in business, simple fact of life, even if your working out of a cardboard box in dad's back yard on your own, it still doesn't add up.

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I don't want to wade in here, but...........

I'm in IT retail, the higher end stuff (HP, Cisco, IBM, EMC, etc)

Average margin is 15% on tin.
We make our money on services.

So the corner bike shop CAN import over the internet, have one lady on internet sales and orders, and make some nice cash.
You make your money on services, repairs, and fitment. Provide a service that brings the customer back.

It doesn't matter WHERE the product comes from, the consumer is savvy these days and shops around.

Take a product that sells in the Uk or US for $100.
If the corner bike shops brings this in, adds post & package, VAT/GST and a modest profit, then why should I struggle with Customs and Excise and worrying if some bugger in some post office is nicking my package?

It's better than paying the greedy corporates that need to keep an inefficient operation alive because 80% of workers spend 80% of their time doing sweet FA and getting paid a market related wage AND pension...........

if that's how it is supposed to KEEP on working, then yes the system will fail, and rightly so.

We have a bike accessory shop owner over here that has made himself rich just by supplying motorbike spares, kit, gear, etc at a better price than the conventional distributors.
He started in a small shop and sold cheap knock-offs, but he guaranteed a replacement if it broke within a warranty period. Now he's an accredited KTM dealer and stocks all known gear and spares brands, and he STILL is cheaper than 90% of the local dealers.

I even used him to help import a Clarke plastic tank at one stage, he brought it in for me at the same price as the direct price and the post & packaging was cheaper, as he buys bulk from Clarke.

It can be done, and it should be done, there's no place for fatcats any more.