Wickes is the best of all we have tried. (DIY Shops - Comments & Comparison)

Member Name: Motley

Product:	DIY Shops - Comments & Comparison
Date:	27/01/01 (820 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Much cheaper with more choice of certain lines.

Disadvantages: No accessories.

My partner and I have just bought our first house. It's a Victorian terrace and the guy we bought it from has done a whole load of work to it and has saved us a massive amount of hassle. However, it still needed quite a bit of work doing to it and as Matt is a carpenter, we weren't too daunted.

In the last 4 months, since we moved in, we have visited every DIY superstore in our area and many much smaller iron-mongery type shops in an effort to buy everything we needed as cheaply as possible.

Whenever I was sent out on my own with a list, I tended to avoid Wickes, thinking it to be more of a trade sort of place, and head for B&Q and Homebase where I felt more comfortable. Whenever Matt went out, he went to Wickes. Which fitted it with my theory of it being far too technical for me.

However, when these three shops are compared with each other, Wickes does tend to come out on top overall for most people.

B&Q and Homebase both sell lots of soft furnishings and plants as well as timber, plaster and cement. Wickes doesn't sell many soft furnishings at all. It does sell wall paper but does not have a great choice at all. B&Q and Homebase sell loads of different types of wallpaper, curtains, blinds, rugs, bathroom carpets, lampshades, kitchen accessories and home-office accessories. In short, Wickes does not sell anything that's very pretty. It does all tend to be functional stuff. So here, Wickes does fall behind. If you are after any of the stuff mentioned above, then try B&Q and Homebase instead.

However, do not fall into the trap of thinking "well, while I'm here buying lampshades and a bookcase, I may as well buy the tools, the stair rail and bannister, the bucket of pre-mixed plaster and the wheel barrow here as well. It is at this point that Wickes has much more to offer at far lower prices than the other two stores.

Wickes is not a store for tradesmen only, although most of th
em that I know do use it and often prefer it over the real trade stores. Wickes has this reputation because it doesn't sell any accessories.

In my local store (Hall Green, Shirley, Birmingham) the staff are all very knowledgeable about the products available and are willing to help. Most things are laid out in logical sections and stuff is easy to find. When I first went there with Matt I expected to feel a little out of my depth but I didn't.

I know that lampshades and bookcases are an awful lot more interesting to shop for than plaster and cement but when price is the most important factor, you do find yourself getting interested.

Believe me, it's worth giving it a try.

Summary: