re. the Marine Superstore catalogue ...

[Guest]

Just co-incidentally, I was emabarking on a major spending spree last week - the day YM dropped through my letterbox with the "Marine Superstore" catalogue.

Well, here's some news for those who reckon it's cheaper-by-mail-order:

I popped into my chandler (you know, the small outfit in Penarth where I keep my boat) and they beat every price offered by Marine Superstore. Not only that, they beat them without seeing the catalogue!

Here is part of my shopping list with the prices I received:

Manual fog horn £9
Small drogue £10
Hand Lead Line £12
SOS Grab Bag £14
Cable Cutters £33

I also a pair of Harken 40ST winches at prices the big boys wouldn't touch. The price of those negotiated AFTER the two dozen other items were priced up. Then, a very decent price (lower than advertised anywhere else) for an ACR EPRIB ...

What was interesting was that some of the items in the Marine Superstore catalogue were listed at ABOVE the manufacturers RRP.

The message is, therefore, that these big outfits don't save you money, they just give the impression they do. If any item breaks then I take it back (50 yard walk from the boat).

Makes you wonder ...

BTW, I have shopped at Marine Superstore and I did enjoy the massive stock to inspect.






<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by humperdinck on Tue Feb 19 16:23:38 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[JeremyF]

Re: Take at your Marine Superstore catalogue ...

Likewise the small chandlers at Hardway, Gosport.

As a point of principle he keeps the latest mags and catalogues, and then beats the lowest price. Better still, he gives a few extra % off for members of Hardway Sailing Club.

Well done to them!

It makes you realise what a huge difference there must be between the wholesale and retail prices if small independents can consistently undercut the big guys. Also it pays to shop in the less smart and monied areas. Port Solent must be a licence to print money for the chandlers.

Jeremy Flynn

www.yacht-goldeneye.co.uk
New pics 11.02.02

 

[tcm]

Re: today\'s e-tailers

a year ago or more, "e-tailers" were gonna save us all a fortune. Now, they advertise convenience rather than cheap prices cos running a website with puters and a stock of gear in the shed is more expensive than just having a shed and a some gear plus a decent handle on the distributor.

It seems that the only areas where e-tailing really really works and is cheaper is where the website chops out a big chunk of the admin cost base - like booking airline tickets, banks or other non-physicals.

 

[tadpole]

Re: Take at your Marine Superstore catalogue ...

Surely anyone who can afford to keep a boat at Port Solent can afford to shop at the Marine Superstore

 

[bedouin]

The Marine Superstore is not really a mail-order outfit. They have the poshest chandlery I've ever seen in Port Solent.

I use them occasionally as they are only 5 minutes detour of the road down to the boat - but I don't expect to get the best prices from them.