Repco or Super Cheap?

[sAsLEX]

Or

Lets see, which will last longer, the two doller part or the 10 doller one.

Well that depends if you are paying 9 bucks for the "name"......

[McDuck]

Well that depends if you are paying 9 bucks for the "name"......

This is where you use a parts guy you trust or know what you are talking about.

[DEATH_INC.]

Well here's an exciting poll for a Sunday.

Where do you prefer to shop of the above establishments?

I've never been fussed which one I went to but this weekend I've been looking for a few bits and pieces for my car. One of these items was rear stereo speakers. Now on having a look around, I've found that Repco Takanini as a poor selection overall compaered with their competitors accross the road, although their car audio range is far better. The flipside was that Super Cheap were 25% cheaper on the particular speakers I was looking at!!


So who's your fav?

Easy, YOU shoulda given me a yell.....we do speakers 'n stuff.....

[Slingshot]

Or

Lets see, which will last longer, the two doller part or the 10 doller one.

Or

I know this guy knows what he is talking about, i will trust him.

That's fine...you can trust him, but keep your sweeping statements about people being stupid to yourself.

[Mumbles]

Back in the day...how far back are you thinking of? Repco have a long history,and go back a long way - walk into any engine reconditioning shop and you might see a large machine,say a surface grinder with the name REPCO on it.In New Zealand they were called Motor Specialties and was where the trade bought their tools,machinery and parts.Later they came under the Repco brand (their Australian owners),but were still a trade based company.During the '80's and early '90's they were the motor trades first stop - they did every thing to do with cars.They had ''the book'',which had every part for every car sold in this country - you looked up make,model and year,and then parts were listed in groups....engine,cooling system,exhaust,brakes etc,each part had a number...all sorted.They also had ''the phone room'',I had a tour of the phone room once,and met some of the people I talked to.Each operator sat at a desk surrounded by parts manuals and a computer,they were well trained and could get you any part you wanted.

Then the blew it - they went retail.The trade shunned them,and very few workshops will now deal with Repco.They are the last ditch attempt to find a part.

More when they went retail, but they did have the monopoly, just wondering if you know the GP they had on their parts back then? (just wondering not being a smart arse)

Trade wouldn't "shun" someone unless they had a good reason too.... the time and effort to change suppliers and build those relationships would have been hard to do (loyalty i suspect would have been to the phone room guys not necessarily the company)

Not sure how long Repco where "retail" (you generally go retail to make money) before Supercheap came along but... If SuperCheap had not entered the market I wonder what would have happened? How much would we still be paying for things? would we all have started going to K'mart to get our misc tools, spark plugs, oil filters etc...

My first stop is always Supercheap (thanks for entering the market competition is always healthy) Repco if all else fails

[McDuck]

That's fine...you can trust him, but keep your sweeping statements about people being stupid to yourself.

Truth hurts dude.

BTW i am not calling you stupid, i am calling people people who always take the cheapest way out stupid.

[Robert Taylor]

yea and said batteries/bulbs are available from bike shops as well as car accessory shops.
The issue isn't who's selling the battery/bulb the issue is the source.

Its actually both in my mind. Its dependent on if you care about quality and not having the grief with dodgy product....and if you are prepared to lose a percentage of customers who will only buy the cheapest.

[Dooly]

Then the blew it - they went retail.The trade shunned them,and very few workshops will now deal with Repco.They are the last ditch attempt to find a part.

Too true.
We never use them now, and yes, a very last ditch attempt for a part.

[vifferman]

Every time I go to Super Cheap, I'm disappointed that they either don't have what I want, or it's of very crappy quality. Generally they're cheaper than Repco, but not always: I bought a trolley jack at Repco last year, and not only was it half the price of the ones on sale at SuperCheap, it was also of much better quality.
Some of the stuff at SuperCheap is also overpriced AND shoddy. Recent examples include some intake hoses that were very crappy and split, yet cost $75 each, and a joiner that looked like metal but was actually chromed plastic (and very expensive), and some electrical connectors that were on sale for about 25% dearer than at Dick Smith.
Some things are worth buying at Super Cheap, like their brake cleaners and degreasers, just because they're so cheap.

[Swoop]

Fuckin TLAs .......

HK is?

I'm guessing it is not what we are imagining...(especially if it has an "&" in the middle)

[disturbed]

repco all the way for me, super cheap aren't alot cheaper at all and the staff at repco have at least a general knowledge of parts etc. they also have all the catalogues to find the part you need. i have had no problem with the quality of stuff at repco where as super cheap everything breaks

[sAsLEX]

the staff at repco have at least a general knowledge of parts etc.

But the staff at Super Cheap are young pretty girls with nice breasts?

[geoffm]

Super cheap for casters and cheap wheels and trolleys. Some stuff is cheap, some stuff is really poor quality. Tools are generally crap.
Car parts - Repco because thus far they actually have a clue about what I am looking for. Super cheap is only good if you cna go to the shelf and pick out what you want. The staff haven't a clue.
Really oddball stuff needs a specialist tho.
I still remember when Supercheap and theyhadn't heard of my (common NisanJap import) car and none of the parts books listed any imports. The ozzie manager blithly stated that we get the same cars in Oz and NZ no problem - I wasn't impressed. I think they got a rude shock as to how different the market really was.

[Motu]

More when they went retail, but they did have the monopoly, just wondering if you know the GP they had on their parts back then? (just wondering not being a smart arse)

Trade wouldn't "shun" someone unless they had a good reason too....

They didn't have a monopoly before they went retail - they were just the biggest and the best....hard to compete with that.But BNT (Brake and Trans back then) and Autostop must of been happy,and it allowed others like Partmaster in to fill the gap.The others also got to pick up all the well trained staff,who actually knew about cars....Repco trained automotive parts staff back then,for the whole industry.The trade dropped them almost overnight.The only workshops who still use them do so because they have no other option....the place I work at uses Repco because they have a branch in town.But if stuff has to be freighted in,it doesn't come from Repco.I don't think Supercheap supplies the trade,and I've only been to Supercheap a couple of times just for a look around.I still hold a Repco trade account....nice to go in on a weekend and book stuff up.

[ynot slow]

Have you seen both companies general job application forms?Typical bullshit they use in them,funny thing is it has a small area dedicated to knowledge of cars,rest is how have you helped someone today and shit like that,great if your into lovey dovey shit,but nothing about customer service,greeting each customer as they walk into the premises,smiling at customers,simple things which add up to service.