The death of high street Chandleries

[chrisbitz]

Fair enough, but don't complain when that chandlery disappears! No-one could afford to run a business selling antifoul at that price long-term, like another poster says it'll be clearance stock, or a loss leader to encourage browsing and further purchases, they'll be making a few quid on it, not enough to cover the costs of stuff, building, equipment, etc, etc....unless you want the future (and not just talking chandleries here) to be high streets with pawn shops, charity shops, bars and restaurants, and all your retail to be done on a computer with no human interaction, carry on with that point of view...

I saw this perfectly rational comment from Fishy in another topic, and it got me thinking...

Sure, I visit my Chandlery quite often, as it's 5 minutes from the boat, and in all fairness, they try to compete and be fair on many prices... but there are other things like nuts and bolts, where I can buy a bolt from Westfield fasteners for 3p, or for 30p+ from the Chandlers.

So to the point in the subject. Internet sites will always be cheaper, and there's nothing the high street can do about it - and maybe the highstreet will die - Maybe it's just the industrial revolution all over again. There will be huge outcry for a bit, and then we'll adapt and carry on.

I noticed Maplin was trialling(?) a service where you could get same day deliveries, http://www.maplin.co.uk/shutl-faq so there's one example of an attempt to evolve with the times..

Is the high street doomed? or should we all just pay a £5+ tax every time we walk through the door of a high street shop?

 

[mainsail1]

I always like to visit a chandlery and see what I am buying and I usually buy there and then. I also think there are more instant requirements in sailing to fix this or that without waiting for delivery. Long live Chandleries!

 

[greggron]

I think it comes down to personal choice. If you want the 'high st' chandler to be there the next time you need the odd item in a desperate hurry, then the only way that can be guaranteed is if you buy enough from it to make it commercially viable to remain there.

Use it or lose it

 

[Vara]

Lucky to have a proper chandler close to the boat, always use for hardware rope,and small bits, but generally speaking they can't compete on big ticket items.

i apply a 20% rule, if they can supply in that range they get my custom. They tend not to sell in bubble packs so you can buy in small quantitys, that in itself saves money.

 

[GrahamM376]

Is the high street doomed? or should we all just pay a £5+ tax every time we walk through the door of a high street shop?

Much depends on whether you want after sales service. Internet purchases are fine for some things but impossible to go back, dump it on the counter and demand immediate action. I don't mind paying a small extra amount for the service. Marina chandlers, in common with town centre shops have very high rents to pay compared with an out of town warehouse so no surprise their prices are higher. Discounts are also less with smaller turnover, I have various chandlery trade accounts and get "trade" price, the same as a small chandler. Mailspeed and the other large chains get trade plus extra discount based on annual turnover so, in some cases, they can retail for less than my so-called trade price.

High street shops and small businesses will survive only if we support them.

 

[Elessar]

Lucky to have a proper chandler close to the boat, always use for hardware rope,and small bits, but generally speaking they can't compete on big ticket items.

i apply a 20% rule, if they can supply in that range they get my custom. They tend not to sell in bubble packs so you can buy in small quantitys, that in itself saves money.

Wise and fair.

For big ticket stuff i ask the local chandler if they want to "come near" the price i can get it for. They usually match it and order it for me.

 

[[70521]]

So to the point in the subject. Internet sites will always be cheaper, and there's nothing the high street can do about it - and maybe the highstreet will die - Maybe it's just the industrial revolution all over again. There will be huge outcry for a bit, and then we'll adapt and carry on.

The High Street died in 2001.

May years ago I was traveling to London with the head bean counter when he said, "This Internet is not going to change a thing", he was a bit surprised when I said, "Not change, it already has and in the next 10 years it is going to change the world so much you won't recognise it". One of the few occasions I was correct about the future.

Chandleries will survive, but their business model needs to be about service not price.

 

[maby]

I always check with our local chandlery before mail ordering and they are almost always cheaper. Recently (in response to the loss of the CR), I decided to buy a PLB - searched around on the internet and found a lowest price of about £189. Our chandlery offered £190, but by the time we factored in postage and packing for the internet purchase, they came out £3 cheaper. It was there within a couple of days and I picked it up on my way to the boat on Saturday morning - no worries about having to stay home to receive a package. If it fails in the near future, I can take it back to them and they will worry about service or replacement - why on earth would I buy over the internet? Prior to that, I purchased close to £2000 of navigation equipment - again they matched the internet price and I didn't have to pay postage.

 

[Twister_Ken]

You could argue that the same applies to almost all high street retailers - except maybe for 'try on' products like some clothing and shoes. However, most high streets are still there and functioning, so my suspicion is that good chandleries will survive.

There also a case that internet sales can cross-subsidise retail premises. I've only once bought over the counter from Marine Super Store at Port Solent, but have spent several hundreds with them on the 'net.

 

[FishyInverness]

I always check with our local chandlery before mail ordering and they are almost always cheaper. Recently (in response to the loss of the CR), I decided to buy a PLB - searched around on the internet and found a lowest price of about £189. Our chandlery offered £190, but by the time we factored in postage and packing for the internet purchase, they came out £3 cheaper. It was there within a couple of days and I picked it up on my way to the boat on Saturday morning - no worries about having to stay home to receive a package. If it fails in the near future, I can take it back to them and they will worry about service or replacement - why on earth would I buy over the internet? Prior to that, I purchased close to £2000 of navigation equipment - again they matched the internet price and I didn't have to pay postage.

This is exactly how I work - I love shops, I love shopping and looking at stuff, picking stuff up, chatting to people in the shop, having a bit of banter...you can't get any form of "experience" on an internet shop other than sitting at your keyboard getting a bit of a headache from endless searching and adjusting and comparing, this is hell to me, I only inernet shop for speed and convenience or small or one-off items. - So, if I want something, I look at it on the net, I whack a few searches in andget an idea of the price, and then I pop out shopping...I ignore retailers who are clearly overpricing, I am not prepared to support daft profiteering, I'll mention the net price in one or two retailers and see what they say, if I can get the item picked up off the shelf at the same price or even fractionally higher and take it home, score...I don't need to muck about with parcels and possibility of wrong stuff arriving, sizes not being exactly what I was expeting, returns, etc, etc I'm a happy man and people in my city have job security...

I worry about the endless diminishment of "service" and "retail" into a pushbutton, automated pseudo-service - at this rate, in 10years there'll be no-one with a job to spend the money at the faceless pseudo-shops..

..if i get it less, I'll end up spending more in that place anyway, cos I'm a browser, and on the internet I just don't do that, it's too functional!

Aww, I've been quoted for a new thread, first time ever...I feel all warm!

 

[GrahamM376]

Recently (in response to the loss of the CR), I decided to buy a PLB - ........... If it fails in the near future, I can take it back to them and they will worry about service or replacement.

I wouldn't count on that unless you're a good distance swimmer

 

[maby]

I wouldn't count on that unless you're a good distance swimmer

I'll come back as a ghost and haunt them!

 

[jamesjermain]

I will admit to buying a whole load of chandlery on line and also at our local Force 4 (prices always the same as the website. When I'm not quite sure what size or type I want or need advice I'll definitely go to the shop whatever the mark-up.

BUT! Where chandleries differ from most other shops is that we often need boat bits in a hurry when we don't have easy access to the internet. For example, after a hard passage and wew need to replace broken items or stuff lost overboard or you realise you just can't do without that brocket dibber any longer.

Local chandlers are essential and if we have to pay a bit more for stuff to keep them in business then so be it, says I

 

[secretagentmole]

We could not buy what we wanted locally, so we ordered from Pacer Marine. When you are after a 20hp tiller controlled outboard with power trim your choices are somewhat limited and we managed to get a 25hp Tohatsu from Pacer. The main Tohatsu agents in the area could not get one, so lord only knows where the beast was soured from. But it is a Tohatsu, is new, has a warranty and was available!

 

[Talulah]

Just a quick note on two of the online retailers.
Marine Superstore webs site doesn't work on my works PC. I only get the left hand menu.
Pointless saying I need to update the browser because work just isn't going to roll out new browsers. Hence no online ordering from them.
Force 4 Chandlery have a mail order hotline. Well I won't be using them because that's an 0845 number. Ofcom are trying to get mobile operators to include 0845 in the bundled minutes but until they do I won't be using them.
Now Gaelforce and Mailspeed plus some others still have a regular landline number so happy to use them.

 

[Poignard]

Many small chandleries will give a discount to members of local sailing clubs. That can sometimes tip the balance in their favour.

 

[Murv]

I think I'm pretty lucky with my local chandlery.
For big electrical buys they're usually among the cheapest, if not the cheapest, and they operate a loyalty card scheme where they keep handing me money off vouchers as wel as discounting 10% off the price.
It's bloody great, I get paid to go shopping!
I do buy stuff online of course, ironically it's usually because I'm short of time. Working full time means I can't get to the chandlers easily during the week, so it's actually quicker to buy off the internet with a next day delivery.
I always try and support the local shop where I can though, use them or lose them.

 

[Babylon]

Wise and fair.

For big ticket stuff i ask the local chandler if they want to "come near" the price i can get it for. They usually match it and order it for me.

Just what I do.

I've only once bought over the counter from Marine Super Store at Port Solent, but have spent several hundreds with them on the 'net.

They always seem to me to employ children on the checkout desks. God help you if you need any actual advice.

Force 4 Chandlery have a mail order hotline. Well I won't be using them because that's an 0845 number.

I have their Burseldon store landline: I call them up in advance and ask them to get me what I need (if it isn't on their own stocks), then collect it on the way to the boat.

 

[scottie]

I have just purchased replacement deck shoes from local single store chandler marked price in shop £100.00
same company price on internet £80:00 only reduced when price was queried
Can't think of better reason not to bother with going to shop.
They now have competition from gaelforce so this may make a difference.

Ps Like the new branch fishie but why collect service only from Inverness?

 

[richardbayle]

Whatever happened to Capt. O.M. Watts of 49 Albemarle Street, London W1?

My first job