Bunnings confirmed customers will ‘occasionally’ see price differences between its stores. (Source: Getty\/Supplied) <\/p>\n
Hardware giant Bunnings<\/a> has defended its pricing tactics<\/a> after a customer discovered the exact same item he\u2019d purchased was available for a cheaper price at a different store location. While Aussies might assume pricing is consistent across all stores, Bunnings<\/a> has clarified this is not always the case.<\/p>\n A Bunnings customer<\/a> shared his surprise after he purchased a tin of decking oil from Bunnings Ulladulla for $141.45, only to check online and see the exact same product was being sold at a different price elsewhere. When looking at the Bunnings Rockdale store, it was sold for $119.54, nearly $22 or 15 per cent cheaper.<\/p>\n Thinking it was a mistake, the man told Yahoo Finance he went back into his local Bunnings only to be told the higher price<\/a> was due to a \u201ctemporary sale\u201d at the metro stores and \u201cregional pricing\u201d differences.<\/p>\n RELATED<\/p>\n \u201cI thought that sort of disadvantages people from regional areas. It\u2019s not something that Bunnings has made particularly transparent either,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The man also asked whether he could use Bunnings’ 10 per cent price guarantee<\/a> on the item, but was advised it excluded items sold by other Bunnings stores.<\/p>\n He said he was “caught off guard” by the exclusion and labelled it “disappointing”.<\/p>\n “Most people would naturally assume that if one Bunnings is selling something at a lower price, the policy would still apply. It feels like a technicality rather than genuine,” he said.<\/p>\n Do you have a story to share? Contact tamika.seeto@yahooinc.com<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first time Aussie customers have called out the issue, with a Bunnings customer in Queensland\u2019s Gladstone<\/a> spotting a $100 difference for the same Bunnings picnic table across two different stores.<\/p>\n Another Bunnings customer shared online he had found there was up to a 30 per cent difference on the same products depending on which store he looked at.<\/p>\n A Bunnings spokesperson told Yahoo Finance customers may “occasionally” see price differences between stores.<\/p>\n \u201cThis happens because temporary price reductions are applied in response to local competition and can vary by region, or because of considerations like regional differences in freight and transport costs,\u201d a Bunnings spokesperson said.<\/p>\n \u201cThese adjustments ensure we remain competitive where other retailers offer the same product. Regardless of location, our Price Guarantee means if a customer finds a lower price on the same stocked item at a competitor, we\u2019ll beat it by 10 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s understood that a temporary price reduction was applied in response to local competition to a cluster of stores in the Sydney metro area, including the Rockdale store.<\/p>\n This price reduction did not extend to Ulladulla, which is roughly 200 kilometres away. Regional freight and transport costs may also have impacted the price of the product.<\/p>\n Bunnings confirmed its Price Guarantee does not apply to items sold by other Bunnings stores and group businesses, only to lower-priced items stocked by competitors.<\/p>\n Bunnings\u2019 Price Guarantee has come under scrutiny<\/a>, with a Four Corners investigation in May finding the hardware giant had more than 9,000 home-brand products.<\/p>\n Many of these products are sold alongside signs with their 10 per cent price promise, despite the products not being available cheaper anywhere else because they are made for Bunnings.<\/p>\n Bunnings denied this was misleading and noted it used a mix of owned and exclusive brands.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not use them to exclude operation of our lowest prices policy or as a reason to not apply our price guarantee,\u201d Bunnings said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cOur lowest prices policy applies across like-for-like products, and we reduce prices on our exclusive products where we identify a competitor\u2019s similar product which may be at a lower price.\u201d<\/p>\n Get the latest Yahoo Finance news – follow us on Facebook<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n The decking oil was offered for $141.50 at one Bunnings store and $119.54 at another. (Source: Yahoo Finance\/Supplied) <\/p>\n