January Sales - Bargains to be had?

[Barney12]

So, I'm not far off embarking on second fix. So I really need to start thinking seriously about Kitchens and Bathrooms and gawd knows how many other things like flooring, lighting etc.

 

I've read a couple of articles recently that suggests "real bargains" in the arena of kitchens and bathrooms don't really exist with the big sheds simply inflating prices in November ready to appear to discount from Xmas onwards.

 

So can bargains really be found? Thoughts? Views? Experiences?

[Oz07]

Apparently new cars as 2017 been a slow year - sorry that doesn't help your cause!

Howdens October sale, but like you say not really sure it's much cheaper

[ragg987]

In my experience there are 3 mains types of pricing.

 

"high street chains" - inflate their prices then come up with massive sales so pull the punter in. My view is avoid, I found their bathrooms and kitchens to be extremely poor value even during their sales. Advantage is they offer a full design, supply and fit service - convenience.

 

"discounted or specialist suppliers" - generally supply only but aiming a good value for money. e.g. IKEA or your local kitchen company, also covers internet merchants who are about shifting volume at lower margins e.g. Megabad. Some of these may have offers periodically (e.g. IKEA have 10% off all kitchens or interest free credit).

 

"genuine discounters" - shifting stuff that does not sell well or may be seconds. eBay is one such source. Some great bargains to be had (I am selling some surplus stuff at around half price, for instance) but supply is hit and miss, suits opportunistic purchasing provided you have the time and can store the materials.

 

I did most of my purchasing with the second group - googling for the best deals then getting on the phone and haggling where I could justify it - e.g. when I bought large quantities of oak floor, amtico, skirting etc. Most companies were happy to improve either the price or give free delivery.

 

I supplemented that with opportunistic eBay purchases, but given the time constraints these were minimal.

 

My biggest savings came from purchasing from Europe. I did this for bathrooms, rooflights, lighting as well as for some other bits and pieces. Google is your friend, but don't be afraid to ask for additional dscounts even when you find the best price, especially if you have some volume.

[Jeremy Harris]

Some of the companies that pull the "eternal sale" trick really should be tackled, IMHO.  We went and looked at a lot of furniture in Oak Furniture Land, about a couple of months before one of their sales, at a time when they had no signs up indicating any sale or promotions.  I wrote down the name and price of every item were were interested in, typed up a spreadsheet then waited untl the January sale, that was widely advertised on TV.  Every single item was EXACTLY the same price as it had been long before the sale................

 

I had a bit of a public argument with one of the sales guys, who tried all sorts of bluff and bluster to "explain" why the prices were the same, and he even went so far as to offer us a "£150 free gift" (a mirror that wasn't worth £20 and which we didn't want, anyway).  We walked out and vowed that we'd never, ever buy anything from them again, on a point of principle.

 

The interesting thing was that we found a local, independent, oak and pine furniture warehouse and they had EXACTLY the same range as Oak Furniture Land, at around the same initial prices.  When I explained that we were looking to buy over £4,000 worth, potentially, we got a massive discount off the listed prices and ended up saving around 25% over the "sale" prices in the other place.  We also had really good personal service from them, with them delivering, unpacking, checking and assembling every item, free of charge.  My understanding is that Oak Furniture Land just deliver the stuff and leave you to unpack it etc.

Edited December 20, 2017 by JSHarris

[PeterW]

Ikea sale starts tomorrow. If you do use them, join Ikea Family as it gets you an extra 10% off

 

They also do store specific family only offers - for example they did a top end fan oven with pyrolytic liners that’s normally £500 for £300 for family members at certain stores. The downside is they sometimes keep limited stock so you have to be quick. 

[Ferdinand]

1 hour ago, Barney12 said:

So, I'm not far off embarking on second fix. So I really need to start thinking seriously about Kitchens and Bathrooms and gawd knows how many other things like flooring, lighting etc.

 

I've read a couple of articles recently that suggests "real bargains" in the arena of kitchens and bathrooms don't really exist with the big sheds simply inflating prices in November ready to appear to discount from Xmas onwards.

 

So can bargains really be found? Thoughts? Views? Experiences?

 

My general opinion is that you should be able to save 30-70% on nearly everything, You will get 20% on some, but 90% on others.

 

1 - You need to be willing to accept things "similar" to your ideal. Less flexibility = fewer opportunities. Key question: how flexible are you?

2 - Legwork and being there, offline and online. I have picked up some good bargains at B&Q this year .. but their sales can change every week. 

3 - What are you comparing the price with? I tend now to compare with the Wickes unreduced single price - partly because they are my closest supplier that I use most. Does not really work for kitchens, however.

 

I agree that shed headline kitchen / bathrooms prices are meaningless.

 

Perhaps a good idea would be to post a detailed longlist of all the things you need to buy on a thread, and we can see what we can find. eg I now have a set of bathroom suppliers / products I think I am very happy with, but it may not match your bathroom. I am sure others have their own "satisfied" lists.

 

@Grosey's post-facto blogs have some very good thoughts.

 

Ferdinand

 

 

Edited December 20, 2017 by Ferdinand

[nod]

8 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

 

My general opinion is that you should be able to save 30-70% on nearly everything, You will get 20% on some, but 90% on others.

 

1 - You need to be willing to accept things "similar" to your ideal. Less flexibility = fewer opportunities. Key question: how flexible are you?

2 - Legwork and being there, offline and online. I have picked up some good bargains at B&Q this year .. but their sales can change every week. 

3 - What are you comparing the price with? I tend now to compare with the Wickes unreduced single price - partly because they are my closest supplier that I use most. Does not really work for kitchens, however.

 

I agree that shed headline kitchen / bathrooms prices are meaningless.

 

Perhaps a good idea would be to post a detailed longlist of all the things you need to buy on a thread, and we can see what we can find. eg I now have a set of bathroom suppliers / products I think I am very happy with, but it may not match your bathroom. I am sure others have their own "satisfied" lists.

 

@Grosey's post-facto blogs have some very good thoughts.

 

Ferdinand

 

 

Would be a very good idea

ive been looking at bathrooms 

AGAIN Thermostatic showers seem to vary wildly

Im been told by my local merchant I need to spend around £550 each

(Crosswater) 

I don’t want them to look cheap

But don’t want to over pay either

Same goes for free standing tubs

800 or double 

Very difficult to decide

[Ferdinand]

What are you going to do with this, @Barney12? I for one would probably enjoy it.

 

Perhaps a Kitchen thread and a Bathroom thread, saying what you want ideally and what flexibility you have, would be good,

 

Starter for 10: these Wickes Everest Porcelain 600x300mm tiles have been available at about £9 per sqm all summer (13.49 per sqm + normal Wickes discounts + sale). And here is something very similar though not identical but from the same source in @Grosey's ensuites on the floor:

 

 

 

 

[Barney12]

2 hours ago, Ferdinand said:

at are you going to do with this, @Barney12? I for one would probably enjoy it.

 

The honest answer; heaven knows! The thought of all those multiple decisions over styles, colour, price etc etc currently makes me go cold.  

As you said I need to start by making list of what I need. 

[curlewhouse]

Quite a decent offer on just now at LED Hut , BOX15 discount code from Boxing day presumably on till New year (15% off) . I've just successfully used it on 28.12.17 so it's still running.  I've just saved us about £60 all told on lights for the downstairs bathroom and utility. Theres also a £5 discount code REWARD-4496-TDX4T-XVFK - don't know how long that lasts, I think  longer than the BOX15 one will. 

I've bought their stuff before and so far it's all been decent quality. The LED panel fittings for example have 5 year warranties on.