Reply to: Hacking B&Q's virtual queue

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Doesn't B&Q run on SAP?

[d000hg]

FYI - B&Q Stores are now open

I got a much quicker delivery time from Longacres and Wickes for my Garden Compost / Soil supplies btw.

Their website is ripe for hacking. Recent penetration test confirmed it.

This is how bad their IT systems are: It is not technically possible for the back-end of ScrewFix (and the same part used within the B&Q trade online section) to limit the number of items someone purchases.

It states a limit of 5 masks per person per order, yet if you add 500 it will allow you to pay for them. They then - I tulip you not - are only able to refund the other 495 if you go into the ScrewFix store, pick up your 5, from which they can then re-add them to their stock again centrally. From which they then must send them back to central distribution via lorry before they are then added to the system again.

That's how poor they are. They don't invest in staff or their IT systems. The modern British way.

Seems like a good way to punish people trying to abuse the system... "oh we're sorry, well we have the money until you come in to sort it out"

B&Q isn't really an online store so I can give them some slack, Screwfix really is though. Their online/in-store purchases also run on separate accounts too. So if you buy something you have to remember which method in order to find it, etc.

[Paralytic]

Their website is ripe for hacking. Recent penetration test confirmed it.

This is how bad their IT systems are: It is not technically possible for the back-end of ScrewFix (and the same part used within the B&Q trade online section) to limit the number of items someone purchases.

It states a limit of 5 masks per person per order, yet if you add 500 it will allow you to pay for them. They then - I tulip you not - are only able to refund the other 495 if you go into the ScrewFix store, pick up your 5, from which they can then re-add them to their stock again centrally. From which they then must send them back to central distribution via lorry before they are then added to the system again.

That's how poor they are. They don't invest in staff or their IT systems. The modern British way.

Any decent developer will blame the requirements specification for this glaring omission

[rogerfederer]

Their website is ripe for hacking. Recent penetration test confirmed it.

This is how bad their IT systems are: It is not technically possible for the back-end of ScrewFix (and the same part used within the B&Q trade online section) to limit the number of items someone purchases.

It states a limit of 5 masks per person per order, yet if you add 500 it will allow you to pay for them. They then - I tulip you not - are only able to refund the other 495 if you go into the ScrewFix store, pick up your 5, from which they can then re-add them to their stock again centrally. From which they then must send them back to central distribution via lorry before they are then added to the system again.

That's how poor they are. They don't invest in staff or their IT systems. The modern British way.

[darmstadt]

I just drive to my local DIY store, get a trolley, wait in the queue (in the sun) and hey presto, after a few minutes I can buy what I want...I did look at their 'Click and Collect' and it was same day so I think I'll use that next time.

[cojak]

Anyone who'd like to skip the queue, this one will be let through at 1:10pm

Queue ID: 908c3ed4-c43f-48ee-a2c4-6eee31f5f4a1

Can’t help but be impressed.

*tips hat*

[ladymuck]

Isn't Screwfix part of the same group too?

EDIT: Yep. Looks like Kingfisher own most DIY stuff:

Our brands

[d000hg]

FYI - B&Q Stores are now open

I got a much quicker delivery time from Longacres and Wickes for my Garden Compost / Soil supplies btw.

Not all of their stores. We found Wickes queue was shorter too.

We have a lovely local hardware store like something from the 50s in the next village.

So does Kingfisher Group own ALL the leading DIY stores in the UK?

[Paralytic]

Anyone who'd like to skip the queue, this one will be let through at 1:10pm

Queue ID: 908c3ed4-c43f-48ee-a2c4-6eee31f5f4a1

This could be the new bog rolls. B&Q Queue Id's on sale on eBay for silly money.

[Scruff]

FYI - B&Q Stores are now open

I got a much quicker delivery time from Longacres and Wickes for my Garden Compost / Soil supplies btw.

[vwdan]

Anyone who'd like to skip the queue, this one will be let through at 1:10pm

Queue ID: 908c3ed4-c43f-48ee-a2c4-6eee31f5f4a1

Confirmed working - nicely played!

[zazou]

Anyone who'd like to skip the queue, this one will be let through at 1:10pm

Queue ID: 908c3ed4-c43f-48ee-a2c4-6eee31f5f4a1

[zazou]

It's a technical question. Personally I wouldn't entertain artificial queueing like that.

There's a cookie there from Kingfisher queuing management system which contains a GUID - leading me to believe that the time stamp is kept on their servers.

[d000hg]

At least you don't have to sit on the website waiting, it remembers you (presumably your device).

Luckily our local builders' merchant reopened, B&Q is so awful at the bet of times. At least ours is.

[d000hg]

Last two times I've looked, the queue was over an hour. I struggle to believe their website is getting that scale of traffic (even though it's a pretty slow, crappy website) and even if it were, they can surely scale it unless it's a single-server setup.

I would propose it's possibly about putting people off buying, but probably about their supply capacity rather than website capacity. If they restrict orders roughly based on how many slots they have to deliver/collect it will reduce issues where people go through and then find they cannot get a delivery slot.
A bit like online groceries - though it makes sense perhaps to make you pick your slot first then do your shopping.