K Mart WTF?

[Beeblebrox]

I've noticed my local K Mart has a clearance sale on Coopers products, but each time I go I can only see brew cans, the odd kit, and maybe a box of bottles.

I can see they supposedly are reducing the price of BE products to something like $4, but of course there is none in stock; though they insist on keeping the price ticket where the stock used to be.

 

Are K Mart clearing out their Coopers product and going to stop stocking home brew gear, or is this genuinely a case of selling out of stock at reduced prices?

The K Mart in question is the one at Chatswood Chase NSW; and clearly if they are going to stop stocking home brew gear, I'm going to have to travel further afield or shop online.

Any suggestions?

 

Cheers.

 

Zaphod.

[King Ruddager]

That reminds me - I've been meaning to write to Woolworths to tell them that since they no longer supply home brew bits and pieces I've been getting them from Foodland instead, and when I'm in Foodland getting my home brew bits and pieces I often end up doing all my shopping there while I'm at it.

 

The problem with Woolies was that they didn't stock a few key products like light DME, dextrose and caps, and their carbonation drops were often broken.

[King Ruddager]

It is done ...

 

Dear Woolworths Person

 

I've noticed that you haven't been stocking Cooper's home brew products for a while now. I am an avid home brewer so I thought you might like to know how this has changed my shopping patterns.

 

Firstly, I must admit that I didn't always buy my home brew products from you as you were missing a couple of key items! If I wanted dextrose or light dry malt - arguably the most common products a home-brewer uses - I always had to go to Foodland.

 

Now that you don't stock any products at all I find myself going to Foodland even more regularly, and when I'm at Foodland I find myself doing the rest of my shopping there too. Even though Foodland is the best named supermarket (just my opinion, but "Food Land" sounds like a fun place) I don't particularly like shopping there because the presentation isn't as nice and the staff often look troubled for some unknown reason, so I'm sure you will agree that this is not the best situation for either of us. For me Foodland is even slightly closer than Woolworths, but I'm fairly fit and don't mind walking a bit further.

 

Anyway, I thought you would be interested. I didn't often buy these products but I almost shopped at Woolworths. Now that the products aren't there at all I often find myself shopping at Foodland instead.

[ben 10]

It is done ...

 

Dear Woolworths Person

 

I used to work for Woolworths in a management role.

They don't care.

[King Ruddager]

Not in my experience - last time I sent in a suggestion I got a phone call from one of their apple farmers explaining why they'd had to temporarily change stickers.

 

Also I think the poor person who has to deal with these emails might enjoy a slightly silly one to brighten their day every so often

[Beeblebrox]

I used the online feedback form from K Mart, and enquired whether the lack of stock was a temporary issue, or whether they plan to cease stocking Coopers products.

I've only got an auto response so far, but at least I've advised them of my concerns.

Either they'll go back to stocking all the usuals (kits, original series and International Series, bottles, caps, carb drops and BE1 & BE2), or they won't, but I've advised if they aren't going to stock what I'm looking for that I will no longer be shopping there.

I'm not holding much hope, but I'll just wait and see what happens.

Worst case scenario it's a half hour round trip in the car or a bus ride to the LHBS; where I already go to get my hops pellets anyway.

[ChrisL25]

KMart Firle sold out, with only three kits marked down to $65.

 

I went for a drive, and found Drakes Foodland at Target Square in Newton have a basic range.

[Beeblebrox]

My email history since my online enquiry:

 

Good Morning Ben,

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to contact us via our website.

 

We appreciate your feedback as it helps us to continually improve our business and service to customers.

 

 

In response to your query however, unfortunately we do not sell the brewing sugar separately as we only have the enhancers and carbonation, but having said that, those items were placed at stores as a clearance item, so we no longer have those in stock.

 

 

 

I apologise for any inconvenience this has caused you,

 

 

 

Thank you for contacting us again regarding this matter. We appreciate your feedback and look forward to your future custom at Kmart

 

 

 

Kind Regards,

 

 

 

 

 

Marie

 

Customer Service Consultant | Kmart Customer Service

 

My response:

 

Thanks for that Marie,

However it still does not answer my question.

Will K Mart continue to stock Coopers products such as Brew Enhancers ( BE1 & BE2), as well as carbonation drops, concentrate cans (the Original and International Series Coopers Home brew cans), and bottles, or does this clearance signal the end of K Mart stocking these items?

 

If K Mart will no longer stock these items, I will no longer be shopping at K Mart, as it was the Home Brew section that brought me to the store, and lead me to purchase other items.

 

If there is no home brew section in future, there will be no incentive for me, or other keen home brewers to shop at K Mart.

In other words if you will not be stocking Coopers Home Brew items, you will not be able to look forward to my future custom at K Mart.

 

Thank you.

 

Regards,

 

 

[Magnaman]

G'day,

IMHO, sometimes service as applied all to often in today's world is really just the application of the meaning of the word as used in animal husbandry and we the consumers get the colloquial verb of this action instead of what we desire to be the outcome. (#24)

 

serv·ice1 [sur-vis] Show noun

1.

an act of helpful activity; help; aid: to do someone a service.

2.

the supplying or supplier of utilities or commodities, as water, electricity, or gas, required or demanded by the public.

3.

the providing or a provider of accommodation and activities required by the public, as maintenance, repair, etc.: The manufacturer guarantees service and parts.

4.

the organized system of apparatus, appliances, employees, etc., for supplying some accommodation required by the public: a television repair service.

5.

the supplying or a supplier of public communication and transportation: telephone service; bus service.

6.

the performance of duties or the duties performed as or by a waiter or servant; occupation or employment as a waiter or servant.

7.

employment in any duties or work for a person, organization, government, etc.

8.

a department of public employment, an administrative division of a government, or the body of public servants in it: the diplomatic service.

9.

the duty or work of public servants.

10.

the serving of a sovereign, state, or government in some official capacity.

11.

Military .

a.

the armed forces: in the service.

b.

a branch of the armed forces, as the army or navy: Which service were you in during the war?

12.

Ordnance . the actions required in loading and firing a cannon: service of the piece.

13.

Often, services. the performance of any duties or work for another; helpful or professional activity: medical services.

14.

something made or done by a commercial organization for the public benefit and without regard to direct profit: Certain books are published at a loss as a public service.

15.

Also called divine service. public religious worship according to prescribed form and order.

16.

a ritual or form prescribed for public worship or for some particular occasion: the marriage service.

17.

the serving of God by obedience, piety, etc.: voluntary service.

18.

a musical setting of the sung portions of a liturgy.

19.

a set of dishes, utensils, etc., for general table use or for particular use: a tea service; service for eight.

20.

answering service.

21.

Law. the serving of a process or writ upon a person.

22.

Nautical . tarred spun yarn or other small stuff for covering the exterior of a rope.

23.

a.

the act or manner of putting the ball or shuttlecock into play; serve.

b.

the ball or shuttlecock as put into play.

24.

the mating of a female animal with the male.

 

 

 

[Beeblebrox]

Yes, you hit the nail on the head.

I've been screwed rather than provided the goods and service I requested, and basically told that I should like it.

Having worked in retail in the past I know the difference between good service and getting the run around, and obviously in this case I've gotten the latter rather than the former.

 

In the meantime, the $4 - $10 I would have spent at Kmart turned into $40 spent at my LHBS.

There were two happy participants in this exchange, and Kmart are yet to acknowledge there is even a problem; which clearly from here on in is their problem not mine.

 

Most of the stuff they stock is crap anyway, so maybe they're just eliminating the quality products and sticking with what they're good at; selling rubbish to bogans who don't know better!

 

Ironically I drove by a van from a tile company that said it all perfectly if I can remember:

 

'The bitterness of low quality remains, long after the sweetness of cheap price has gone'.

 

[Beeblebrox]

It turns out Kmart are no longer going to be selling Home Brew gear (or at least not Coopers, which so far has been the only line they were selling).

So I will be much more strongly supporting my LHBS, as the only other suitable alternative would be to go to Macquarie Centre Big W.

The LHBS (Dave's Home Brew) is much closer, more convenient, and provides advice from a fellow home brewer, whereas going to a big corporate discount retailer is clearly just ripping off Coopers (as they get price gouged), and as anyone could confirm, a much less pleasant and more impersonal experience.

 

So cheers to the LHBS , and a big to the big retailers that are ruining it for customers, and Aussie companies.

[Nashibeir]

K mart has basically turned into one of those cheap one dollar Chinese imported crap shops only on a larger scale, now that the home brew sections gone which was probable the last aussie made product on the shelf I doubt I will be going to shop there anymore.

[Beeblebrox]

Yeah Nashi, that'd be you, me, and every other home brewer that has purchased their Coopers products from Kmart in the past.

The ridiculous irony, is my current FV & gear were bought from Kmart the Christmas before last!

If it wasn't for them having sold the kits I may not have gotten started up again!

Clearly it's just as you say, they want to just sell cheap crap made in sweatshops by children, and put a massive markup on it, rather than support Aussie manufacturing and the Aussie economy.

I pity the poor staff working there, as you can see in their eyes that the company they work for is not living up to the expectations they set when they started working there.

They won't be the first to lose customers from their attitude, and they won't be the last, but remember consumer power and choice does make a difference.

There are numerous businesses that close down in Australia every year because of their disconnect with their customer base, and big companies are not immune to this.

 

Cheers.

[ozjustin]

I just picked up a Beer DIY Kit from Glendale NSW K-Mart for $65. They have one more left on clearance if you want to snap it up. Now I have three fermenters :)

There were no brew tins left nor facings for them.

Woolworths Supermarkets are now stocking Coopers and other homebrew kits again, at least in the Newcastle/Lake Macquaire/Lower Hunter Valley stores as far as I have seen.

[NeilE1]

I found here in Adelaide, that Big W have a far wider range in home brew than Kmart