Cheaper in a Chandlers!

[stevebrassett]

I bought 4ltrs of paraffin last week from a chandlers. At £6.75, not only was it £1.25 cheaper than our local hardware store (where I normally buy it), but it was even cheaper than B&Q.

Not often you can say that.

 

[Wansworth]

I bought 4ltrs of paraffin last week from a chandlers. At £6.75, not only was it £1.25 cheaper than our local hardware store (where I normally buy it), but it was even cheaper than B&Q.

Not often you can say that.

I am not suprised.We are led to assume that big shopping malls etc arecheaper but in reality they only entrance the unthinking shopper with loss leaders whilst the other stuff is more expensive .Add to that having to get the car out and drive out of town.

 

[WilliamUK]

...even cheaper than B&Q.

Not often you can say that.

The only reason I don't say it a lot is that I usually shop in my local hardware shops and they are usually cheaper than B&Q. The big hardware places are often more expensive.

 

[Momac]

Small pack of fuses last weekend were £1.25 at our marina's chandlery. Same thing £1.69 in Halfords. And I walked to the chandlery from the boat so saved a further £1 or so in fuel driving to Halfords. Hardly a life changing sum but even so the chandlery proved to be the most economical option.

On Easter Monday we visited another marina by car , for something to do as the weather was terrible . An Aqua Signal interior light unit , exact match for the others on my boat was £15 - old stock with damaged packaging and faded price label but the lamp was fine. I had been putting off buying a new unit to replace the broken light on the boat due to the high prices seen elsewhere - same thing is £55 + delivery at a couple of places I found on the interweb.

 

[reginaldon]

The only reason I don't say it a lot is that I usually shop in my local hardware shops and they are usually cheaper than B&Q. The big hardware places are often more expensive.

B & Q and Homebase are really expensive on lots of items - sadly my local ironmonger has just retired, but we've all got into the superstore habit, still Tool station, Screwfix & Folkestone Fixings are round the corner!

And our local swindlery is excellent and reasonable.

 

[Sidedrum]

Depends where you are ...

On the West Coast of Scotland you can pay an eye watering £13.95 for 4 litres of paraffin at Ardfern Yacht Centre (and that was a couple of years ago) - they like their mark ups, I think. I buy paraffin at my local garden centre for £6.50 for 4 litres.

 

[Jim@sea]

If they tried these sort of prices for Paraffin in France there would be another revolution.
In France there are millions of people who use Paraffin for heating. Go to a normal supermarket like Super U or Champion they sell it in 5 gallon drums. Perhaps 30 Euros for 25 liters. They also sell some brilliant little Paraffin heaters which you plug in to the mains, you switch it on, the heater ignites the parafin, the fan starts up and starts blowing hot air. you set the DIGITAL thermostat to the required heat and when it reaches it the fan slows down and uses virtually no paraffin unless the room gets cold and it starts again. And they give out 5kw.
The reason the use of Paraffin is so widely used is that they dont have mains Gas. In fact thats probably the reason that France bought the Morcambe Bay Gas Fields.
If I was into investigating cartels I would wonder why Paraffin like wot I sold (Alladin Pink {Shell} Esso Blue, are not sold any more. Certainly one of these little heaters heats my French House up very well.
But in the UK we are denied this Fuel as a source of heating. Am I wrong

 

[Niander]

On the West Coast of Scotland you can pay an eye watering £13.95 for paraffin at Ardfern Yacht Centre - they like their mark ups, I think. I buy paraffin at my local garden centre for £6.50 for 4 litres.

They are avin a laugh!

 

[Niander]

But in the UK we are denied this Fuel as a source of heating. Am I wrong


Interesting whats going on?

 

[Wansworth]

If they tried these sort of prices for Paraffin in France there would be another revolution.
In France there are millions of people who use Paraffin for heating. Go to a normal supermarket like Super U or Champion they sell it in 5 gallon drums. Perhaps 30 Euros for 25 liters. They also sell some brilliant little Paraffin heaters which you plug in to the mains, you switch it on, the heater ignites the parafin, the fan starts up and starts blowing hot air. you set the DIGITAL thermostat to the required heat and when it reaches it the fan slows down and uses virtually no paraffin unless the room gets cold and it starts again. And they give out 5kw.
The reason the use of Paraffin is so widely used is that they dont have mains Gas. In fact thats probably the reason that France bought the Morcambe Bay Gas Fields.
If I was into investigating cartels I would wonder why Paraffin like wot I sold (Alladin Pink {Shell} Esso Blue, are not sold any more. Certainly one of these little heaters heats my French House up very well.
But in the UK we are denied this Fuel as a source of heating. Am I wrong

We have two electricparaffin stoves,great heat up the space quickly.Parraffin here inGalicia about 38euros for 18 ltrs

 

[Niander]

I would love to be able to get cheap paraffin in the uk ..my boat engine will actually run on the stuff!....any ideas?

 

[Poignard]

If I was into investigating cartels I would wonder why Paraffin like wot I sold (Alladin Pink {Shell} Esso Blue, are not sold any more.

I know why a hardware shop near me gave up selling loose paraffin. Some Weights and Measures jobsworth came round to check his paraffin dispensing pump and found it was inaccurate, so he was ordered to either get it re-calibrated or stop selling paraffin. For the amount he sold it wasn't worth the expense so he gave up and sold pre-packs instead.

Oh, and as you've probably guessed already, the problem was that his pump was giving out too much!

 

[Poignard]

B & Q and Homebase are really expensive on lots of items - sadly my local ironmonger has just retired, but we've all got into the superstore habit,

The owner of a now defunct builders' merchants near me he told me that he used to offer bags of sand and cement at less than the B&Q price, and deliver it free, but people still went to B&Q for it.

 

[rich]

I had a 600 gallon paraffin tank, I used to sell loads, as the green houses tomato growers stopped using it, my suppliers, (Shell) stopped stocking it,they had to send a road tanker to Guernsey when we wanted to refill, the last winter 15 yrs ago, I had any, I only sold 25 litres,

 

[Searush]

But in the UK we are denied this Fuel as a source of heating. Am I wrong


Interesting whats going on?

I take it you are too young to remember the Drip-feed heater debacle in the 1950-60's? Houses were burning down every week due to kids knocking them over when lit. A gallon flask of parafin spilling over the lit wick was quite hard to put out. Quite a few people were killed. The publicity tended to put people off all forms of parafin heaters including the pressurised metal non-spill ones & metal tanked wick heaters which were much less likely to be knocked over.

Parafin smells (even the "oudorless" ones) and I find my eyes sting & I am very tired unless the room is so well ventilated as to not get warm. Central heating with gas requires no filling or lighting of heaters, it is just there any time it's needed. I doubt anyone on maing gas would give up their CH for parafin heaters. I even prefer to pay for bottled gas as I am off the mains.

No, I remember what parafin was like & perfectly understand why it is no longer wanted by most people.

 

[Heckler]

If they tried these sort of prices for Paraffin in France there would be another revolution.
In France there are millions of people who use Paraffin for heating. Go to a normal supermarket like Super U or Champion they sell it in 5 gallon drums. Perhaps 30 Euros for 25 liters. They also sell some brilliant little Paraffin heaters which you plug in to the mains, you switch it on, the heater ignites the parafin, the fan starts up and starts blowing hot air. you set the DIGITAL thermostat to the required heat and when it reaches it the fan slows down and uses virtually no paraffin unless the room gets cold and it starts again. And they give out 5kw.
The reason the use of Paraffin is so widely used is that they dont have mains Gas. In fact thats probably the reason that France bought the Morcambe Bay Gas Fields.
If I was into investigating cartels I would wonder why Paraffin like wot I sold (Alladin Pink {Shell} Esso Blue, are not sold any more. Certainly one of these little heaters heats my French House up very well.
But in the UK we are denied this Fuel as a source of heating. Am I wrong

Local garage sells it from a pump, about 75p a litre
Stu

 

[Storyline]

I recently had a conversation with a paraffin anorak. He said in the last 15 years the quality of most commercially available paraffin has nosedived and this explains some of the huge differences in retail pricing. He sold high performance lamps imported from the US and reckoned most paraffin was now total rubbish and would quickly ruin them.

FWIW he said the only one which approached the quality that used to be widely available was that sold by Caldo.

 

[Niander]

Local garage sells it from a pump, about 75p a litre
Stu

Thats cheap!
where abouts is that?

 

[ithet]

I would love to be able to get cheap paraffin in the uk ..my boat engine will actually run on the stuff!....any ideas?

Try you nearest airport for Avtur or Jet A1!

 

[Niander]

Hmmm wonder if they'll let me bring in a couple of cans?...