PB Tech - All Stores are now "Express", and you can't browse them...

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#2897570 6-Apr-2022 10:47

Yep, I can't get the people defending the new setup in this thread as "the way of the future". I don't see Noel Leeming or Harvey Norman (for example) making you wait in line while they carry out a fridge or a washing machine to you.

Sorry PB Tech, this new way doesn't really work for me, and by the sounds of it, the Click and Collect setup - if the experience above is anything to go by - is a shambles.

I really hope this is only a temporary thing.

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richms

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#2897606 6-Apr-2022 12:06

quickymart:

Yep, I can't get the people defending the new setup in this thread as "the way of the future". I don't see Noel Leeming or Harvey Norman (for example) making you wait in line while they carry out a fridge or a washing machine to you.

Sorry PB Tech, this new way doesn't really work for me, and by the sounds of it, the Click and Collect setup - if the experience above is anything to go by - is a shambles.

I really hope this is only a temporary thing.

For a fridge at those places they will generally get you to drive around the back to the loading area to load it. All you do in the shop is look at them and get pestered by staff eager for commission. Much more pleasant to not go in to get whiteware.

Its the way of the past too. Picking your own stuff up and having to lug it to a check out, then once again take it to your car yourself only started to happen with supermarkets. Its making you do more of the work and in theory saving you a little bit, but because of shrinkage it means that it doesnt really save you anything.

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#2897657 6-Apr-2022 13:57

I think in PB Tech's case (given the comments in this thread), for the both the customer and the sales rep, the biggest saving is time. Something not achieved by this "new improved" setup. Sorry, you won't sell me on this being better - taking 10+ minutes and 2 people to pick up two $10 cables, as opposed to walking to the shelf, picking them up and taking them straight to the counter and paying, all by yourself in (probably) less than 3? Come on.

"Newer" does not always equal "better".

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#2897664 6-Apr-2022 14:11

I went into the penrose store today.

Setup worked well for me. I knew exactly what I wanted, and showed it on my phone screen, and it was collected for me, paid and left.

Other customers were confused though. They had monitors for customers to see what the cashiers were viewing on the pbtech website, would shortlist an item, and go an get it for actual viewing. Kinda slow and cumbersome.

Suspect this is largely about loss prevention. I have been in the tauranga PBtech when somebody did a snatch and run. Eliminating or near eliminating theft would be a big win for any lower margin, higher value retailer.

Frankly PBtech has always been more wholesale focused and had a fairly poor instore experience compared to flasher retailers. So I don't think this really changes their market positioning.

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#2897666 6-Apr-2022 14:15

nitro:

and after-sales service, e.g. repairs, returns, etc. obviously, ymmv with how pbt has dealt with you on these matters.

I had to RMA a faulty IP camera to them the other week. All done via the website, printed their courier ticket, stuck it on the box and a week or two later the replacement arrived. Absolutely painless.

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#2897793 6-Apr-2022 19:33

Goosey: nothing more than attempting to ease the pain of short staffing levels.

Sorry but this argument doesn't fly with me. Other similar retail shops in the same area are operating at or very close to normal capacity. The fact they can afford to pay 4 staff to find a $10 cable suggests they have enough staff to revert back to the previous arrangement.

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#2897954 7-Apr-2022 10:12

My local PBT store , this new way is considerably faster than before .
Order online , now no que's when picking up , at my local store .

Previously , was usually a que of people wanting to buy their $10 cable , and wanting help with picking the correct $20 widget ,so it was much slower for pickups of online orders .

PBT are more a low cost IT retailer, with paper thin margins.
You cant compare them to appliance stores like Noel Lemmings . its a different market .

Go to Noel Lemming for your $10 cable, see how much they charge for it :-)

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#2898008 7-Apr-2022 12:29

PB's new model relies on customers having market knowledge. Previously you could grab a sales staff to fill you in on any missing gaps in your product understanding, allowing you to make a justified buying decision. Now, what do you do? Google "Ubiquiti vs D-Link" & get lost down that rabbit hole? Betcha dollars to donuts that the amount of product returns will go through the roof as everyday people end up with an item that resembles what they thought they wanted but doesn't actually do the job required.

Maybe a second-tier procurement service market will arise, although we really don't have the population for that on top of the "I can fix it with No 8 wire" mindset deeply ingrained in our DNA.

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#2898071 7-Apr-2022 13:03

Bugger the $10 cable, what about a $2k+ TV or expensive gaming monitor etc, are you really going to buy this without actually casting your eyes all over the product to make sure it meets your expectations?

You can read all the reviews in the world but nothing beats a eyes on viewing, including if possible some side by side comparisons (with the usual settings caveat).

nitro

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#2898087 7-Apr-2022 13:30

sen8or:

Bugger the $10 cable, what about a $2k+ TV or expensive gaming monitor etc, are you really going to buy this without actually casting your eyes all over the product to make sure it meets your expectations?

You can read all the reviews in the world but nothing beats a eyes on viewing, including if possible some side by side comparisons (with the usual settings caveat).

on the other hand, will 10 minutes of viewing that $2k+ TV, usually set to demo mode with grossly enhanced contrast and terribly inaccurate colour, in an environment that couldn't be more different from your living room, tell you that it meets your expectations?

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#2898184 7-Apr-2022 16:49

Easy peasy today Palmerston North PB Tech.

In and out 5mins for a TP Link 8 port switch. Showed the lady my cell phone showing the item on the PB Tech website, went and got it, paid. Goodbye.

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#2898209 7-Apr-2022 17:51

quickymart:
Yep, I can't get the people defending the new setup in this thread as "the way of the future". I don't see Noel Leeming or Harvey Norman (for example) making you wait in line while they carry out a fridge or a washing machine to you.

Sorry PB Tech, this new way doesn't really work for me, and by the sounds of it, the Click and Collect setup - if the experience above is anything to go by - is a shambles.

I really hope this is only a temporary thing.

I hope it's temporary too.

Show rooms and being able to physically pick up and test the product in my hands has dictated a lot of purchases and I don't just solely rely on reviews. I went to Hornby a few weeks ago and was shocked because I was picking out stuff that I needed but couldn't because it was just cashier only. No showroom or anything.

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#2898347 7-Apr-2022 22:26

1024kb: PB's new model relies on customers having market knowledge. Previously you could grab a sales staff to fill you in on any missing gaps in your product understanding, allowing you to make a justified buying decision. Now, what do you do? Google "Ubiquiti vs D-Link" & get lost down that rabbit hole? Betcha dollars to donuts that the amount of product returns will go through the roof as everyday people end up with an item that resembles what they thought they wanted but doesn't actually do the job required.

Maybe a second-tier procurement service market will arise, although we really don't have the population for that on top of the "I can fix it with No 8 wire" mindset deeply ingrained in our DNA.

They still have the sales element, just it is at a counter setting.

They can bring up info on prospective items on the screen (they have one for the customer too), and once a product is narrowed down, they can bring physical items for inspection. (customer before me was inspecting a laptop bag).

The big issue with the model is that it will only get people to buy what they come looking for. Likely would save a lot of staff time with people who aren't ready to buy yet, which would be great. But it means that impulse buys (beyond the standard impulse buy things like battery multi packs they have in the public area) are left on the table.

I doubt I am the only one who has visited an electronics retailer and left with stuff beyond what I made the trip for.

nitro

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#2898359 8-Apr-2022 00:53

Scott3:

The big issue with the model is that it will only get people to buy what they come looking for. Likely would save a lot of staff time with people who aren't ready to buy yet, which would be great. But it means that impulse buys (beyond the standard impulse buy things like battery multi packs they have in the public area) are left on the table.

I doubt I am the only one who has visited an electronics retailer and left with stuff beyond what I made the trip for.

this would be their loss. i've picked up a few usb drives, mobile charger, and the like from the bins while queued up to pay.

but it doesn't mean the new/current buying experience is worse for me. there was never much to see at their 2 shops in wlg, and showing staff the item i want, on my mobile, was usually how i bought from them even before this change.

gareth41

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#2898680 8-Apr-2022 16:32

I used to go down to PB Tech before the pandemic to buy stuff quite often, as it was convenient just to go into the showroom, pick what I wanted, pay for it and leave. Now with this new "express" system, I have to place an order online first then go and pick it up or have it couriered out - because of this I now use price spy more often and will order from different retailers - usually the cheapest one.

To my surprise, end of last year I found 8TB WD HDD's were going cheaper on price spy by around $40 from some other smaller retailed (I can't remember who they were now) so I ordered from instead, plus about 10 network cables to go into the same order - rather than paying more at PB Tech. Prior to the pandemic, I probably would have just driven down to PB Tech, walked into the show room and asked for a 8TB HDD, paid for it and left without thinking too much about the price.

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