Av. Chandlery Spend (uni dissertation research)

[AzJim]

Hi guys,

I am in my final year at uni and my dissertation is based on and around retail projects.

Would it be possible for you to help me out by outlining how much you spend on an average visit to your chandlers and how often you go etc?

I very much appreciate your help - thanks in advance /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Jim

 

[whiteoaks7]

Big stuff bought on line, so sails, outboards, dinghy etc average £500. Small stuff in local shop so £10 average.

 

[AzJim]

Oh that reminds me (sorry) why would you not buy the larger items from your chandlers, is it down to price? One option i was going to put after this on the dissertation is that if the chandlers had a website with lower prices than the shop would it discourage you from using the shop?

Or is it jsut that the local one doesn't stock it/

 

[Colvic Watson]

Why not design a simple web page with your questions on it and post the link here? I think the responses would be better tailored to your requirements that way.

 

[tcm]

no, it's not always down to price. I bought a camwheel fitting 14quid from a chhadlers aladdins cave in port hamble but it busted whilst fiting. Took it back to see what they would do. They tried to fix it but couldn't so gave me a new one.

So, i then bought everyting i needed for antifouling which came to about £600. I *might* have been ableto order the paint a bit cheaper, though not much, and the ability to buy not quite enough - and then go back for more is a good aspect of a physical shop rather than website where you have to over-order.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

If I need something small, or something now, I'll likely get it from the nearest chandlers. If it's bigger and a considered decision, I'm more likely to shop around and get it on-line.

Another reason for on-line or postal purchase is if it is a non-standard or not usually stocked item.

 

[AlexL]

for me its mainly down to need. If I'm planning an upgrade to my boat or buying new toys I'll shop around and buy based on the usual criterea, Cost , after sales service, avaialbility etc etc. If I need something NOW to solve a problem then obviously local availabilty in the nearest chandler is key and cost is less of an option.

 

[AzJim]

Excellent, thanks for the replies so far guys - keep 'em coming!

I had considered the idea of setting a webpage up with detailed questions etc but as a final year student i am suffering financially (i'm not moaning before anyone says it /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )

So the general consensus is that

Local Shops:
Don't hold much stock
Convinient (Sp?)
1to1 customer service

Internet:
Wide Ranging stock
Cheaper Prices


Is there anything i have missed?

I have looked at a few chandlery sites (force4 etc) and they look quite basic - one aspect of the dissertation is "trust" do you feel you trust a better and more professional looking chandlers site, if so is there an example i can use?

Cheers again guys you have been amazing

:thumbsup:

 

[simonfraser]

most chandlers will try to match internet prices, it's a good idea to try to keep them in business, next time you need that washer / bit of paint etc

 

[dickh]

As others have said, small items you need immediately - buy from local chandlery. On larger items I shop around and even then the local chandlery will often match the price, in which case they usually get the order - and it keeps them in business. I have used specialist on line/mail order suppliers like http://www.asapsupplies.com/ as you can get a variety of items from one place all delivered - and they give extra discount(on top of their usual discount) by ordering on line.

 

[whisper]

I also find that sometimes I'm not exactly sure of what I need to get over a certain problem. The answer can only really be sorted out by a visit to a chandlery. Similarly with clothing, it's difficult to try things on for size etc when buying on-line. Ok, one can send items back if they don't fit or you don't like them but this is a hassle.
I reckon that I spend between £300 - £500 p.a. at chandlers. I spend perhaps £250 via the internet I suppose. It will obviously vary depending on whether I need - or think I need - anything major during the year.
As stated in an earlier reply, it is often thought to be cheaper to buy most new things on-line, but a chandlery will often match that price and you then save on postage etc. You just need to ask.
Good luck with your dissertation.

 

[Georgio]

I always purchase smallish value (<£50) items at the local chandlery knowing that I could get it cheaper on-line or else where. There is a great deal of added value in the one-to-one conversation you can have with the vendor and the less quantifiable value of seeing the items before purchase (useful if you are not sure exactly what size/item you are after). Keeping the local chandler in-business is important for that one time when you really need that important bit at short notice.

For larger purchases it tends to be on-line but I often use companies like the marine superstore in Port Solent or Gael Force (based in Inverness) that also have a physical presence.

Hope this helps.

 

[KeithH]

Good list, but I think that you need to include the cost of the item as a variable. Many internet sites have free delivery etc over a certain price. Also even if they charge say £6 for delivery, that is a small % of £90, but makes buying small items too expensive.

Another source - not to be ignored - is boat shows. That must be where lots of equipment is purchased. Watch people staggering out of the Southampton Boat Show, loaded with toys.

I hope that some chandlers remain - Maybe I'm old fashioned, but it is difficult to get a "feel", of say of a new VHF radio from a picture. I need to see it in real life. That factor probably limits how much I buy on the net, though delivery P&P is the next negative factor.

 

[AzJim]

I am blown away by how helpful your comments have been. Thank you so much, i'll keep checking back for more replies (hopefully). Thanks again.

James

 

[Mirelle]

I sail an old wooden boat so I may not be typical. Since the boat lives on a mooring and winters in a traditional boatyard specialising in wooden boats I make a point of ordering big items through the yard; I was taught years ago that this was courteous and customary and very often it is also cheaper as the yard may, if they like you, split the discount with you.

I live in a sailing area, and have never needed to use an on-line chandler, but I notice that the chandlers I do use have websites, so in the interest of your research here they are:


this one sells mooring equipment; a very high quality efficient company


this one sells specilist fittings for classic boats, and does 90% of its business on line

this is the smaller of our local chandlers

and the bigger one is Foxes, in Ipswich, which uniquely does not seem to have a website, but then it is part of a large marina and boatbuilding business so it is very well placed to collect walk up trade.

Most small local chandleries have closed in the past few years; the reason usually given is "competition from Foxes" and not "competition from the Internet chandlers". Indeed from the above examples it would seem that smaller chandlers that have survived have

(A) tended to specialise and

(B) developed an Internet presence

Now, as to spend, my average will be around fifty pounds per visit to each - in actual fact my last four were £35, £51, £123, £ 63.


Hope this helps.

 

[wooslehunter]

If you're looking at "value" as well then do a search on the forum for "swindlery", "swindleries" etc.

You'll get things like: Nav light bulb - swindery £4.50, motor factor 75p etc etc etc

Once you've done the dissertation I'm sure people would be interested to hear the conclusions.

 

[TrueBlue]

I am assuming that you don't have (your own) detailed knowledge of the marine retail business, in which case:-

The nature of the trade is highly seasonal - and the season is short.
the trade is subject to the whims of fashion.
Both of the above infer that the retailer has to maintain a high margin in order to survive, if you think of a trading season that is (say) six months, then either you have to move twice the goods in the period or have twice the gross margin to survive.

It is a small market (relatively) and has been oversupplied in the past, but market forces has reduced that; the sadness to me is that the small knowledgeable - and a lot of the products require a technical knowledge - have not survived. We are left with a number of retailers who are only "box shifters". As the trade is seasonal, so are the staff - which means lack of product knowledge.

Thus the consumer feels ripped off. This is in contrast with say, electrical retailing wt=here the staff know nothing, but the customer doesn't feel totally ripped off - a strange dichotomy....

I try to buy from where I feel the price and information give me value, so sometimes I go for price where I (think) I know exactly what is wanted, and others where I get some help - so am prepared to pay more. To confound the issue more, I normally avoid "swindleries", (by definition), but recently I have made two purchases from different sources where the aforementioned retailers represented the best cash value.

None of the above is to the point of what you asked, however, consumer information rather than plain statistics may help you in your dissertation. I only hope that you get some fun and interest out of the project, rather than just dry information collection and presentation.

 

[LadyInBed]

As little as poss., but when I do, the number is always followed by a couple of zero's before the decimal point.

 

[tsmyth]

May I suggest that you read a good book (preferebaly more than one) on research design. In particular, look at the design of surveys and random sampling.

Ray

 

[StephenSails]

You maybe interested to hear that a large range of chandlery items distributed to most chandlerys is now part of a price fixing racket, I am in the process of putting a formal complaint to the OFT about this.

If you want information from a marine insider please feel free to drop me a line.