B & Q

This is a little trip down nostalgia lane for me. My first ever job was working in a hardware store — my Dad worked there and both my older brothers worked there so it was natural for me to get a job there when I turned 15. It was a nice hardware store, the kind of place that really strived for great customer service. It had a friendly, family atmosphere (unsurprisingly as nearly my whole family worked there). Then a monolith hardware store opened down the road and things got a little harder — it was one of those big warehouse places where you could wander for days trying to find a paint brush or a staff member and there’s none in sight. Where you’ll freeze your toes off and prices are high. Where you’ll feel instantly depressed and long for the good old days when someone could just give you some help and guidance.
That sums up my introduction to hardware in the UK. Visiting B&Q reminds me of one of these monolith hardware stores with no personality, friendliness or assistance. In fact, during my visit here yesterday afternoon I saw all of two people working here, and one of those was on the register. I loitered around the paint counter for quite some time as I needed some guidance and there was no one to be seen. I ended up just having to guess what I should buy as I didn’t want to spend hours waiting for someone to appear.
I went to the check out. There was self-​checkouts with a staff member standing off to the side. I managed to check out without any rage-​inducing scenes, and went on my merry way. The only person who spoke to me the whole time was a guy at the door on the way out who wanted to sell me new windows. Ah, no thanks pal, what I would have liked was some customer service.

I don’t know if its just me but since the early years of my life, B & Q has went significantly downhill I think. Whenever I go in there is always a flowery sale wall which interests me, I’m not going to lie. But it also means they are not selling as much stock as they should be and instead of sitting pretty in a conservatory somewhere, they are shrivelling and browning around the edges.
B & Q always feels like a garage inside, and for the life of me I cannot find cheap paint here, there is only one brand of cheap and guess the only colour you get, white! Boo!
I like the fact that when redecorating you can also take a little strip of border or buy a tiny tester of paint to save you getting the wrong thing.

This B&Q is absolutely massive and you could spend hours upon hours here buying things for your home and garden, especially if you’re a fan of DIY. My mum usually drags me here if she’s looking for some inspiration for decorating and she usually finds it here, although more often than not I have to pitch in with some paint and a roller brush.
You will find everything from plants, lawnmowers, doors, wall paper, paint to lightbulbs here and it really is massive!
Even if you have to take your rug rats with you, they’ll still have a blast here. My parents always took dragged me round when I was little and after moaning the whole car journey I soon got very excited as I could swing on the outdoor seats, collect wall paper samples, wooden flooring segments and there’s even a vending machine, oh my goodness! A day out for all the family!