Thai Watsadu hardware diy

[topt]

sounds good thanks

exact location please?

See post #8.....

- Sukhumvit west side a couple of clicks past Makro (on the same side) but before the floating market... Used to be called Kanyon

To add to the comments i was very happy with the service a cople of weeks ago when I wanted to know something specific and the staff went and found a "manager" who could help - if only because he spoke/understood more English then they did.

I eventually bought a ladder as there was a great promotion price on a folding version which vastly undercut all the other DIY shed prices.

[wpcoe]

Since there is already an effort to assist English-speaking customers (the signs), one staffing suggestion would be to have a dedicated English speaker available in Customer Service, like Home Pro does. At the paint and nuts/bolts areas I asked if there were anybody available who spoke English (I asked in Thai), and they said, "Sorry, no."

At Home Pro, sometimes it takes a while for the English speaker to show up -- I realize they have other duties and/or other customer translations to do -- but all the sales people in the store are all aware of the translator, and it's always been worth the wait (to me) for them to show up.

[DraxNet]

Since there is already an effort to assist English-speaking customers (the signs), one staffing suggestion would be to have a dedicated English speaker available in Customer Service, like Home Pro does. At the paint and nuts/bolts areas I asked if there were anybody available who spoke English (I asked in Thai), and they said, "Sorry, no."

At Home Pro, sometimes it takes a while for the English speaker to show up -- I realize they have other duties and/or other customer translations to do -- but all the sales people in the store are all aware of the translator, and it's always been worth the wait (to me) for them to show up.

Apologies wpcoe, I will need to explain to them. I have several English speakers in the store (excluding myself) they all wear badges saying "I can speak English". There is a lady staffed on the CS desk (K Ae) who speaks excellent English and there is also my PA (K Kob). There are 2-3 staff also in construction sales who speak excellent English too. Not sure why you were told that?

[craigt3365]

I bought some paint 2 weeks ago. The lady helping me spoke pretty good English. I also bought some electrical supplies and though their English wasn't perfect, it was good enough for me to get what I was looking for.

[Pattaya46]

Hi. I made another visit to the new Watsadu in Pattaya this week-end.

A few remarks:

- It's very big and lot of more things than in previous Kamyon shop

- Globally prices are good, at least compared to HomeWorks & HomePro

- On electric tools they have best prices I saw in Pattaya. By example the Bosh Rotary Hammer 2-26 is 7'638 baht in Watsadu but 8'360 at HW. The Makita MO11 at 6'490 but 7'390 at HW.

- BTW the guy I saw in this electric tools area was competent, recommended me these 2 models that I had on my list already, and knew that this kind of machine is not "just a big electric drill"

What could be improved :

- Not enough information on many product labels (the big orange labels, about 8x12cm?): There is the price, name and bare-code, yes, but most of time there is no dimensions/size of the product. By example for stainless steel sinks I had to get my tape meter often. Same problem for bathroom mirrors except that they are to high on walls so I had to try to find size on the boxes below.

- For products on the first (lower) level of shelves; the price often is only on a small label... at 15cm from the floor! Way to far for my eyes to read that, and my back told me it's way too low too. I am no more a young guy...

- Many products seem to be often (always?) missing, mainly the "first price" of "best seller" ones. By example rubber mallet, grinder disks or silicon sealant.

- My main trouble with Watsadu could be the delivery. I live in a (big) condo near South Road but don't have a car. From HomeWorks or HomePro it's easy enough to get a private bahtbus to bring large or heavy material, but from Watsadu ?

Your delivery is not cheap, and 20'000 baht for free delivery is a huge amount compared to other shops.

- What about a "pickup point" inside Pattaya ? (I go Watsadu, get stuff I need, pay it and can collect it the day after from the pickup point, not far and with bahtbus access).

Hope it can help

Pattaya46

[DraxNet]

Hi there, thanks for your feedback; it is always much appreciated. I will pass on your remarks to the department head; was the gentleman in question a large guy with white glasses?

As to your remarks regarding the detail on the price labels, I wholeheartedly agree. Our system is currently limited on the level of detail we can provide on these labels. However, we are having a large overhaul of our system in the 4th quarter which will rectify this along with EPOS that means we will be able to accept 1 Card at the tills as well.

The larger prices on lower shelves is a valid point and I will revisit it; we did try this for a while earlier on but the tickets we always getting damaged becoming illegible from being exposed on the lower shelves, as they don't fit in with the strip. Larger items on lower shelves we tend to price on the item itself in order to make it easier. Notwithstanding I will ask the department heads to ensure this is checked.

With regards to the delivery issue I appreciate your sentiment. When building the store we had to make a conscious decision of out of town versus inner city site. We couldn't secure anything near enough the size we needed closer to the centre, so we made a conscious decision to take this larger site to facilitate choice and range, allowing our sister site at Homeworks to begin absorbing the more domestic DIY market allowing us to focus more on constructor and volume a little. With delivery we had to make the same rational choice unfortunately, as I have 5 trucks on delivery (2 crane lift, and 3 midi-flat beds) and they are constantly working flat out on deliveries, delivering to sites all over the eastern side. We had to make a tough decision to in essence 'price out' a section of the market for deliveries because we don't have yet have the resource to facilitate deliveries for everyone who wants them. That said, I like your suggestion. What we feasibly can do if you wish, is whatever goods you have bought, and can have them delivered to the Homeworks store for free on a pallet and bonded in their warehouse for your collection. I'm not able to have a drop off point for goods without renting a bonded warehouse in town (with the expense of security and staff coverage along with it) as, even though you've paid for the goods, they're our responsibility until you sign receipt. I don't want to have unsecured property left where it's not something I can manage someone's accountability for it if you understand?

Let me know next time you're in the store and I can arrange for you if you so wish.

Thanks again

Toby.

[craigt3365]

I was there Saturday to buy a pump to help empty my pool and pond. First one lasted 20 minutes. Went back and the staff were fantastic at helping me with the return and getting a better pump. The new one worked great. And yes, I was trying to be cheap and initially purchased a cheaper model.

[Rimmer]

Toby,

What is the difference between Jotun Base A B or C the paint staff say its all the same I suspect because they are not sure, the Jotun websites don't help much either, I wanted Jotun Extreme for outdoor use but settled for base C in the end correct or not?.

[DraxNet]

Toby,

What is the difference between Jotun Base A B or C the paint staff say its all the same I suspect because they are not sure, the Jotun websites don't help much either, I wanted Jotun Extreme for outdoor use but settled for base C in the end correct or not?.

It's the specifier dependant on the type of colour you want mixed. Lighter colours and pastel shades = A. Medium colours and 'effervescent' shades = B, and darker 'heavier' shades = C. It's to do with how well the base takes up the mix and keeps an even shade through the tin. Apart from the they are the same.

Apologies the staff didn't explain that. There's 3 staff on the paint desks that are very good and who speak decent English so if you have any queries let me know and I can point you in the right direction.

[Rimmer]

Many thanks, that explains it perfectly, I use quite a dark brown so in that case that would then have been correct

[Pattaya46]

Hi Toby,

Thank for your (fast) reply from this morning.

About delivery, I understand that "door 2 door" is time and money consuming

A permanent "pickup point" would cost too. What about a periodic "area 2 area" ?

For Pattaya it could be something like that :

- once a week, you have a truck who make delivery in some precise places in town;

places easy to access, easy to park and on a bahtbus route :

- from 9 to 9:30 on Pattaya Tai (like the Tuesday-Friday market place?)

- from 10 to 10:30 on Pattaya Nua

- from 11 to 11:30 in a place on the Dark Side

... (All that depending on where you think your customers are)

Customers then can choose this delivery way

and just have to organize their local pickup that day at that hour

Advantage for you is your truck doesn't have to run everywhere in the city (but just these few points) and has a precise schedule: it's then available for other usage.

Just an idea.

[DraxNet]

Hi Toby,

Thank for your (fast) reply from this morning.

About delivery, I understand that "door 2 door" is time and money consuming

A permanent "pickup point" would cost too. What about a periodic "area 2 area" ?

For Pattaya it could be something like that :

- once a week, you have a truck who make delivery in some precise places in town;

places easy to access, easy to park and on a bahtbus route :

- from 9 to 9:30 on Pattaya Tai (like the Tuesday-Friday market place?)

- from 10 to 10:30 on Pattaya Nua

- from 11 to 11:30 in a place on the Dark Side

... (All that depending on where you think your customers are)

Customers then can choose this delivery way

and just have to organize their local pickup that day at that hour

Advantage for you is your truck doesn't have to run everywhere in the city (but just these few points) and has a precise schedule: it's then available for other usage.

Just an idea.

Well, I can certainly suggest it. It's feasible as long as demand exists. To do that circular takes a truck out of action for about 2-3 hrs (traffic dependant) but if there enough customers would like this service I'm happy to facilitate it. Without being mercenary, for me to justify it I would have to demonstrate a ROI in terms of advocacy of customers; ie customers specifically choosing to shop with us because of the service. If you think there's enough people that would use it I am happy to orchestrate it and run it for a month. If it works I can make it permanent.

[fakename]

Not sure the "site 2 site" would really work, since some customers might forget they had an order, and then the truck would have to bring the item back to the store. Then comes the problem of what to do with it, that takes more storage space.

I have the same complaint as Pat48, about the prices being on the floor, and feel kinda silly, crawling around on the floor, looking for a price sticker. Last week, I wanted to purchase such an item, and it took quite a while for the girls to find the price, but at the check out, it was a bit different, not a lot, but still..... There are quite a few items without a price, but thats not much different than other stores.

Actually, I am very happy with shopping at Watsadu, staff are around, but not in your face all the time. I spend almost two hours, walking around and checking out the stock. I quite enjoy shopping there, and usually find what I need.

[WitawatWatawit]

Very small tins of enamel paint, Toby. Sure, I can jump on the bike and go to the local hardware stores, but I do a bi-weekly bulk buying run to Makro and always stop at TW. BTW, appreciate you directly addressing customers' issues on this forum. You're a breath of fresh air in this country.

[DraxNet]

Very small tins of enamel paint, Toby. Sure, I can jump on the bike and go to the local hardware stores, but I do a bi-weekly bulk buying run to Makro and always stop at TW. BTW, appreciate you directly addressing customers' issues on this forum. You're a breath of fresh air in this country.

Sorry; a little cryptic there! You are looking for small tins of enamel paint? I believe the smallest we do aren't what you'd necessarily quantify as small I'm afraid. About 500ml; various colours are available. Let me know and I can put a list up tomorrow if you'd like.

[Pattaya46]

Hi again Toby.

Another point about price labels/stickers. For products like tiles or laminate floor it would be nice to have the price "by square meter", not only the price "by box". I saw that Home Pro begun to do that. It's far easier for a customer to estimate how much it would cost for his room, and easier to compare different tiles/laminate. A box often is 0.72 or 0.96 or 1.84... or any amount not easy to count.

[DraxNet]

Hi again Toby.

Another point about price labels/stickers. For products like tiles or laminate floor it would be nice to have the price "by square meter", not only the price "by box". I saw that Home Pro begun to do that. It's far easier for a customer to estimate how much it would cost for his room, and easier to compare different tiles/laminate. A box often is 0.72 or 0.96 or 1.84... or any amount not easy to count.

Again, in the pipeline. We can do it at the moment manually, but handwritten signs are the biggest turn off to a customer, so I've insisted all the ceramic staff have calculators on them and can calculate areas in sq m and ft. Our suppliers have started helping us out now as well by supplying some of the most popular ranges tiles in 1 and 2 sq m boxes.

[luudee]

I've already spend over 100K baht there, didn't realize Toby was there ! The staff downstairs

is doing a pretty good job once you find somebody free (not complaining, they all where busy

with customers).

Glad to see that you Toby are taking the time to deal with all of us cranky foreigners, lol ....

I wouldn't have the nerve ...

Cheers,

luudee

[DraxNet]

No problem ludee. As I mentioned to rimmer earlier, we are having a difficult staffing problem at the moment. Without going into too much detail, most companies pay bonus in February which causes a mass exodus of staff on 1st March. Seemingly the Thai way is not to hand in your notice or anything but to just leave. So I am feverishly recruiting for about 30-35 staff to fill the gaps I currently have as service on tills and in loading for construction is embarrassingly poor as a result I am ashamed to say.

[JohnC]

Well just been to the new Watsadu, spent B4000, produced my Central Group discount card only to be told they do not accept it despite having the Homeworks logo on the back ! (Same company)

[DraxNet]

Well just been to the new Watsadu, spent B4000, produced my Central Group discount card only to be told they do not accept it despite having the Homeworks logo on the back ! (Same company)

Hi John; apologies, I explained this issue a little further up the thread. It's because we don't use the same EPOS systems because our inventory and stock control ordering is quite different with our vendors. However, this should be rectified with a universal Central group overhaul that is occurring in the 4th QTR.

[JSixpack]

I went by there the other day and got a few items. No complaints from me; large inventory, helpful staff. A welcome addition to the local hardware store scene IMO.

[craigt3365]

Toby has left. A new manager should be arriving shortly.

[DraxNet]

Oh, that's news to me?

[craigt3365]

55555555 Too funny. I was there 3 days ago (or so) looking to buy 45 large trash cans for our village. I asked for you and they said you no longer worked there! We gave them our number and somebody called with a price quote.

LOL.

[DraxNet]

Nope still here. Maybe it's wishful thinking on their part?

[craigt3365]

5555 We had a group of 3 or 4 working with us on this. Too funny....sorry for the confusion! Glad you are still there.

[OMGImInPattaya]

Toby has left. A new manager should be arriving shortly.

Maybe they only said he left for a lunch or potty break and you misunderstood

[craigt3365]

Unfortunately, it was my wife they told. They didn't speak much English, so I didn't participate in the conversation other than to ask for the manager, Toby! 55555

[Beardog]

Unfortunately, it was my wife they told. They didn't speak much English, so I didn't participate in the conversation other than to ask for the manager, Toby! 55555

Craig isn't it absolutely amazing the Thai people have even a tougher time with conveying thoughts with people that speak Thai. I swear I do better on getting an answer cause I am pigheaded & no hab doesn't cut it with me when the item I asked for is 3 ft away. I guess I don't know would work better but there is this stupid losing face thing that gets in the way. If it is in the states.....the NO Hab would be their job for insolence. I have not had a problem with Thai Wadusa on this one but Home pro is famous for this! i dunno sometimes when I think about it maybe the ladies are the problem in figuring out the interpetation.