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Shopping around

11:49am Saturday 11th February 2012 in Letters By Reader's letter

I WOULD suggest to Paul Thompson of Barnitts that he look much closer to home for threats to his business (The Press, February 8).

A while ago I went on the internet searching for a tool for my garage. I found several sites all selling it at about £25, but with a deal-breaking delivery charge of about £8 (I wasn’t that desperate). However one of the sites was Barnitts so I thought I could collect the item at £25.

Due to my age (the item weighed about 6Kg) I decided that as no parking was available outside Barnitts, I would ask for it to be delivered to their Acomb branch. I called in at the branch and was informed that I would still be charged the full amount for delivery.

Sometime later I had to be in the city centre so I decided to check on the availability of the tool. It was there on the shelf but at a price in the region of £37. No deal!

I went home and decided to have another try on the internet. I found a site based in Leicester that was offering the same item at £25 – carriage free. Guess where I bought from?

K Barnes, North View, Catterton, Tadcaster.

Comments(6)

speaks99 says...
12:52pm Sat 11 Feb 12

Is this the last thrall of a dying business? DIY stores in city centres don't really mix. The amount and scale of competition is massive in this sector, with the giants dictating to these small independents.

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Buzz Light-year says...
1:46pm Sat 11 Feb 12

Barnitts isn't in any danger.
They've just expanded in to what used to be Blacks.
It's probably the most useful shop in York. It's not just a DIY store it has a huge range.

If I want a washer or a nut I can go there and select one myself for pence or I could (if I was mad) go to B&Q and buy 6 of them in a plastic packet for a couple of quid.

Barnitts sells things folk can use, not just trinkets and tat like so many of our shops.

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speaks99 says...
2:05pm Sat 11 Feb 12

Buzz Light-year wrote:
Barnitts isn't in any danger.
They've just expanded in to what used to be Blacks.
It's probably the most useful shop in York. It's not just a DIY store it has a huge range.

If I want a washer or a nut I can go there and select one myself for pence or I could (if I was mad) go to B&Q and buy 6 of them in a plastic packet for a couple of quid.

Barnitts sells things folk can use, not just trinkets and tat like so many of our shops.
Must admit I've not been in for years. Always assumed it was a strange store to have in the city centre. Maybe I should go back in before I comment next time??!?

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Brickyard says...
3:46pm Sun 12 Feb 12

Your letter demonstrates the need for supporting shops like Barnitts, although I am in favour of out of town shopping centers, choice is what the shopping public need. Barnitts forever, and out of town centers aswel, thats the ticket, competition rules the waves.

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Toplinkdriver says...
12:59pm Mon 13 Feb 12

Barnitts provides an excellent service and continues to be my shop of choice for hardware and gardening items.
When it comes to seed potatoes, onion setts and shallots etc their range is better than many Garden Centres and knocks spots off the big multiples.
Give people a choice!

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chunkyyorkie says...
4:41pm Tue 14 Feb 12

On-line prices are often lower and that was one of the main reasons the internet took off. Lets be honest a book from Waterstones is more than Amazon charges and a holiday done yourself always cost less than a travel agent. The big problem arising now is that as more and more high street shops are failing and your local store dissapears there could come a time when we have to pay our money to someone in another town or city and wait in for a delivery because the choice to shop local has sadly been taken away from us ...then what? On-line retailers will then be in a fantastic position to increase prices as much as they wish because the competition could all be gone. I have shopped in Barnitts both man and boy for 30odd years and i will use it for as long as it is there. It is a real gem of a shop and I know many people who travel from far and wide to shop there because so many other town's and cities in the area no longer have a 'Barnitts' type shop and they are greatly missed by many.

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