The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Building supply and hardware stores say contractors are not having to endure long wait times in their efforts to secure essential supplies.

Brent Burrows, CBS Bahamas (Commonwealth Building Supplies) principal, told Tribune Business: “We are not having any big issues as it relates to long lines, but my advantage is that we do have the online shopping, so all of our contractors can go online and charge to their accounts. So that’s not an issue with us.

“I would assume that the other building supply stores don’t have the ability for the online. I know with the other stores that is a problem, and even contractors who don’t have an account with us, they go online and print out the order that they want so when they come to the curbside they have an order in their hand ready to go and it takes us a very quick time to get it filled.

“We have seen a huge decline in sales, however, with just curbside, but I would say for our customers that I don’t see a very long delay in getting supplies. We have not had that experience and we are turning our customers around pretty quickly. I have to say that the success of this is because our customers can go to our e-commerce site and practically order whatever it is they want and then they only have to come and collect.”

Mr Burrows and others were responding to complaints voiced by ex-Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) president, Leonard Sands, that delays involved in obtaining essential building materials due to COVID-19's curb-side restrictions had cut construction job site productivity by 30-40 percent.

Raymond Collins, general manager of Tops Lumber and Plumbing, said: “Just looking at what we did this week, it hasn’t been bad and our curbside works so well because we have a unique set-up here.

"People drive in with their cars. We serve them from our trucks and they don’t even have to get out. I can’t say we have been doing badly at all to be honest with you, but I have seen the actual figures and I see the daily sales and they are not bad at all.

"I have heard some situations where some contractors have long waiting periods, and a lot of that depends on the set-up of each company and how they handle the situation. Some are not as fortunate as we are; we have a drive through situation which makes it really easy.

"You just drive in for your lumber, you get served and you drive out. We also have a drive-through at our front door for anything from the inside of the store, so there is no real wait time for any of our customers."