THE SHOPPING THREAD :-)

[CreamPuff63]

only joking - the country would go into a recession without this thread. I often have to look at this thread but I put my hands over my eyes and peep through the cracks everytime

[Kimmyh]

You girls make me laugh, please don't push the button. I love to see what others are spending their money on!

Me too.

[sue_purrb]

My Kogan ice cream maker arrived today. Luckily the freezer to house the bowl arrived last week. 

I ordered a freestanding fridge and separate freezer last Sunday night from Appliances Online and they were delivered on Wednesday afternoon, and the old fridge and all packaging taken away.
I did feel a bit guilty about not buying locally, but I took the quotes into Harvey Norman and the Good Guys, and neither could come close. A big selling point for us was that there was no extra charge for delivery or removal of the old appliance.

My washing machine has been limping along for a while, so when it finally gives up I will look there again.

[obbie]

I buy online, only what I can not get locally.

So there are no kitchen shops around here, I have to drive to Cairns (1 hour) to get to one.

 If I can buy locally I do, as I want people to shop locally with us.
 

[sue_purrb]

I usually buy locally, Obbie, but the price difference was too much for us this time.

The salesman at Harvey Norman wasn't really interested in selling us the models we wanted, he just kept telling us we should buy the Miele brand, "as they last 20 years!" I asked why the 2 year warranty didn't reflect that, and he wasn't too happy. I know Miele is a good brand, I have a Miele dishwasher and love it, but the fridge and freezer were double the price of the Fisher & Paykel ones we had chosen.  A friend's son worked at Harvey Norman and I know they have incentives to sell certain brands.  The F&P models were each more than $600 more expensive than online.

At the Good Guys, we were served by my DS's friend, so I know he did his best for us. He could get the price down to $150 more than online for the pair, which I would have paid to give him the business, but the killer was the extra $185 charge for delivery and removal of the old fridge. I'm afraid we just couldn't afford that much extra for goodwill. When we win the lotto we will buy all local! 

[Cuilidh]

If I can buy locally I do, as I want people to shop locally with us.
 

I totally agree, Obbie.  I've had a rant on here about this in the past so will not say anything more.

[sue_purrb]

Oops, I seem to have inadvertently opened a can of worms here, so I sincerely apologise for any offence I've caused.
Cuilidh, you must feel strongly if you've had a rant. I'd be interested in your views, but I wouldn't know where to start looking in nearly 800 pages!  

I do have a local producer to recommend though, for anyone interested in buying a butter bell, or butter keeper. (One of the ones where you put butter in the top and water in the base and it keeps the butter spreadable.)

I bought a beautiful one from one of the local shows last year, but it got knocked off the bench and broke.
I thought I would replace it with a cheaper, plainer one so that if the same thing happened it wouldn't be so painful  , but couldn't find any other Australian supplier online. I ended up tracking down the local lady who makes them, and bought the same one that I had previously, plus a spare just in case!  
 She has the Cedar Shed Pottery, and also has a shop of the same name on etsy. I really like the pots, they look beautiful and work really well, as long as the temperature stays below mid thirties. When it's been hotter, I've popped it into the fridge for a while to firm up again.

[cookie1]

They look lovely. I have often thought about a butter bell, but in the summer here it would be in the fridge all the time. Winter would be fine though.

[Bedlam]

I don't know if this really counts as shopping but after searching for 12 months or so for "the" one.  We bought a new car today. We have 3 cars between the two of us as we bought a tarago to cart the FC's around. Anyway traded 2 in and bought a hyundai i40. Can't wait to have it home.

[judydawn]

It's shopping of almost the greatest magnitude Denise, enjoy your new car.

[Bedlam]

Thanks JD, I am really excited ( I have been a bit fussy!)

[judydawn]

It's good to get what you want Denise and if it takes time then so be it.

[Cuilidh]

Oops, I seem to have inadvertently opened a can of worms here, so I sincerely apologise for any offence I've caused.
Cuilidh, you must feel strongly if you've had a rant. I'd be interested in your views, but I wouldn't know where to start looking in nearly 800 pages!  

Those butter bells look beautiful, sue_purrb ... I only wish we used butter so that I could buy one too!

I won't fire up again about purchases off the internet, it really is inevitable that people will do so ... I just get bitter and twisted about the whole thing.  Being a small, specialist retailer we see our business suffering from our customers going to the internet to make their purchases (they come into our shop, go through everything they are interested in, i.e. waste our time, then go home and buy off the web).  With a mark up of less than 50% we cannot compete so we, like book shops and many other retailers, are doomed to go out of business in the next couple of years.  I guess we are only responding to our customer's desires, i.e. close our doors and leave them to do their own thing and struggle on as best they can.

I could go on and on for a while about this, as I said, I am bitter and twisted, but I won't say any more, you can get the jist of my feelings and opinions from what I have just said.

[gertbysea]

I don't know if this really counts as shopping but after searching for 12 months or so for "the" one.  We bought a new car today. We have 3 cars between the two of us as we bought a tarago to cart the FC's around. Anyway traded 2 in and bought a hyundai i40. Can't wait to have it home.

Nice one Denise. Enjoy.

Gert

[Emme]

I think it does count as shopping Bedlam, enjoy your new car