PeteMorris Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I needed some windscreen wipers last weekend. So off I trundle down to Halfords to get some. I needed one long one and one short one, to suit my windscreen. Halfords own brand ones were all they had. The long one wasn't far short of £20, and the short one just over £10. Wow I thought, they're pricey. I was with a friend and he suggested going to a local motorspares shop to see if they were any cheaper. The shop was run (I think) by asians. A very helpful fella in there asked the make and model of car and the year and produced some Bosch wipers. The long one was £10 and the short one was £4 odd. While I was there I bought some antifreeze, some windscreen wash, and two batteries for my car key fobs, and the lot came to £21 It's highly unlikely I'll be shopping at Halfords again! Rip off or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy Jnr Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Cheaper than a main dealer I suspect. What car do you drive? At one time it was possible to replace the wiper only, not sure if that is still the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza58 Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Ive always found halfords expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy Jnr Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Ive always found halfords expensive. Seems a bit silly to keep going back there then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number Six Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Halfords, in common with many large retailers, charge a substanital "I can't be bothered shopping locally" premium I find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratter71 Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Get a Halfords trade card, substantial savings. Makes it actually worth going to. Also their "Professional Range" tools are very good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteMorris Posted December 15, 2011 Author Share Posted December 15, 2011 Cheaper than a main dealer I suspect. What car do you drive? At one time it was possible to replace the wiper only, not sure if that is still the case. It's a big Citroen 7 seater jobby. I've tried the 'getting just the rubber bit' and it's always a nightmare! Not sure they still do it anyway. Oh, and yes, I suspect a main dealer would be ridiculously priced. We all know that whatever shop is available, they're all in it to make a profit. We all accept that. But the Asian shop I went to, must also be making a profit, otherwise they wouldn't be trading. It's just annoying to find the profit Halfords were making seemed waaaaaay over what might be assumed as being 'reasonable'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteMorris Posted December 15, 2011 Author Share Posted December 15, 2011 Get a Halfords trade card, substantial savings. Makes it actually worth going to. Also their "Professional Range" tools are very good I couldn't justify or warrant a trade card. I'm not in the 'trade'...lol...and after this weekend, I'm not sure I would give them 'any' of my money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 It's a big Citroen 7 seater jobby. I've tried the 'getting just the rubber bit' and it's always a nightmare! Not sure they still do it anyway. Oh, and yes, I suspect a main dealer would be ridiculously priced. We all know that whatever shop is available, they're all in it to make a profit. We all accept that. But the Asian shop I went to, must also be making a profit, otherwise they wouldn't be trading. It's just annoying to find the profit Halfords were making seemed waaaaaay over what might be assumed as being 'reasonable'. How do you know what profit they were making in the wiper?..genuine question.. I suspect their overheads will be greater than that of a small parts shop... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 Halfords have always been way over-priced for things. I needed a power-distribution block (better than trying to secure multiple wires to the battery terminal) Halfords - £15.99 Maplin - £3.99 They were the EXACT same make and model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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