Australia

There are other ways to source your hardware and tools. Discount Stores and Home/Mitre 10/Total Tools/Sydney Tools/etc are still around.

Wholesale material suppliers are often willing to sell Retail as long as you don’t waste their staffs time. The One True Monopsony (Amazon) also sell most of the stuff from Bunnings, cheaper.

Also AliExpress and Temu have most of the small consumables at a much competitive price. Just remember that some of it will be eWaste in a few months, but that goes for any electronics purchased from anywhere.

The main benefit of Bunnings is that they are open long hours and have lowest-common-denominator products that aren’t too overpriced Also, you buy a sausage made of sawdust and beef fat on the way out (very tasty, although not very healthy.)

@mativity @Joshi @shinyrat yup, Mitre 10 and Home Hardware are both still around (now the same company that also owns Total Tools). Also, a Bowen’s building supplies opened up in the old Bunnings nearby after they moved out to an even bigger store.

It is fine, unless you want a brand that doesn't have a deal with Bunnings, or unless you want garden furniture that is remotely durable, or unless you want some advice from someone who has experience in hardware.

Back when Bunnings was one of several large chains and small local hardwares were much more common it was easy, even Bunnings was made better by the competition. Monopolies are bad for consumers.