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B&Q - You broke my heart

I loved you B&Q.

Your wide aisles, filled with tools, materials and furnishings that inspired me to do more.

Your warm colour of orange welcoming me when all others failed – stocking those items in such breadth that I never failed to find what I wanted.

Your tips and hints that helped when I doubted my skills and filled me with confidence to finish what I’d started.

True you didn’t always reward me – Wickes was always trying to get my attention.

But I stuck by you because you felt comfortable, I knew you, I knew you’d always be there when I needed something. I didn’t care about price – I was happy with a wide selection and good friendly service.

I opened my wallet to you and you responded in kind with a pleasurable shopping experience.

But then you ripped out my heart… when you ripped out your tills.

Instead you replaced them with self service units which meant I had to scan my own products.

No longer the warm, friendly voice of a satisfied employee – instead an automated voice ordering me what to do – telling me when I get it wrong (even when I don’t) - questioning my age when I buy solvent based products (even though I’m paying by credit card) – refusing to scan my barcode (even though it was completely undamaged).

I know you tried – one employee to man 4 automated tills – all of them going wrong. I tried to talk to you – but you said “there is only me”.

You had tills – but no one staffing them. You knew I was coming, it was Saturday at 2pm – it’s when we all come – yet you had no one to help.

I know I’m not alone – others have felt the same way.

Surely you understand that the purchase process is critical to repeat custom – a time when reassurance that you’ve made the right decision is key.

Surely you realise that as my money flows from me to you I want to feel I’m getting good value for money – not feeling like I’m paying the same price for less service.

Surely you know that employees are the physical manifestation of your brand.

Surely you can see how a brand which has tied it’s proposition to its staff – showing them within your advertising, speaking of them by name – has managed to completely destroy this in one failed moment of truth.

Surely you understand there are plenty more fish in the sea.

Your automated voice asked me at the end “How did we do? Please tell us”.

Consider this the reply.

Comment by Michele Jones on October 13, 2009 at 10:27am: One advantage of self service tills is at least you can pay for your goods and get out of there....the number of times I have queued for an eon in B&Q only wanting to pay for a pack of screws or a dulux matchpot while only 3 of the bank of 20 tills is open and the person in front of me looks as if they are buying every item to renovate every room in their house.....Anyway since May I now go to Homebase at least you can get Nectar points there....another trick B&Q have missed out on!

Comment by Mark Sage on October 13, 2009 at 11:02am: Very true Michele - but only works if they actually open the other tills - otherwise you have "that" person in front of you and they have to scan it all themselves - lol.

Comment by Jan Scott-lee on October 13, 2009 at 4:58pm: LOVE IT Mark!! GREAT piece of writing!!

Comment by John Mercer on October 13, 2009 at 7:00pm: I agree Mark but the Customer service advisors have now become uncaring and actually shout at customers on the phone. The e contact is faceless and the brand is loosing its appeal. Screwfix are sitting in the wings waiting to pounce!

Comment by ianreddy on October 14, 2009 at 7:00am: John
Scewfix is part of the Kingfisher group as is B&Q, part of the strategy is to move BQ ecommerce systems to the Scewfix model, which in my opinion will need to be developed to add the lifestyle element that should be part of the B&Q shopping experience.

Comment by Mark Sage on October 14, 2009 at 9:59pm: The real trick will be if they can actually connect offline and online so I can browse the store in person and just SMS / mobile web the things i'm interested in - then have them delivered from the e-commerce. No queuing, no tills (automated or not) and no trying to work out how to get it into the car or having to saw it in half - always a bonus.

Comment by ianreddy on October 15, 2009 at 8:13am: Well that technology is available
I was working on a project that while you were in store you could browse a touch screen that would a tell if if the product was in stock b. tell you where it was (in the air or on shelf) but was also able to show you what your kitchen could look like in different styles, and carried offers/discount vouchers (national or regional), ebrochures, how to leaflets and if you wanted a sort of chat room for posting help questions (which given reasource could be live time) all of which you could select and email home.
It could also push straight up to the web site where you could purchase and await the arrival so for someone like me who like to see what he is buying fantastic.
And the bonus is data capture if someone mails a how to fit a bathroom home then its likely there shopping for a bathroom

Though because its across the business technology ie offline, online, instore, instillation/customer services and has the abillity to help with regional or national marketing, brand and instore communication it can get pretty bogged down in B&Q internal politics and ownership, of course someone has to see the future potential and cross channel marketing advantages

Ah well if you know someone who is interested in the above let me know