Maplins

[doris]

Needed a few electronic bits and bobs so popped into my local Maplins.
What a nice and helpful shop. They always have staff who know the products, speak decent English and are priced to match or beat the on line stuff and the big boys like PC World.
Long may they continue and not go the way of Jessops and the like.

 

[mrming]

Agreed. Better value for simple stuff like cables, and then a dedicated electronics counter. It shouldn't still exist but thankfully somehow it does.

 

[mjcoon]

Long may they continue and not go the way of Jessops and the like.

Not to mention Tandy...

Mike.

 

[pvb]

Maplin has an excellent "click & collect" service. But I think the business is still struggling.

 

[elton]

I bought all the parts for my new pc build from Maplin a couple of weeks ago, using the click and collect facility for most bits. They aren't the cheapest, nor are they the most expensive, but they can't be beaten for quality of service and range. The Metro Centre shop is an unbelievable wonderland of riches for geeks, such as myself. When I went to collect, I spent another couple of hundred on things I didn't know I needed Also, they have some very helpful and knowledgeable young female staff :encouragement:

 

[Vara]

Long may they continue and not go the way of Jessops and the like.

Jessops is back, new store opened in Canterbury.

 

[laika]

Sorry are we talking about the same place? I have *never* been into a maplin and found anyone who knew anything about electronics. They can't find the transistor their online catalogue said they had in stock? Don't bother asking your server what equivalents they have.

EDIT: That part actually is boaty and my experience from 3 different larger branches when reviving my novice electronics skills to build a seatalk to serial interface.

I have heard outrageous "advice" being given. I recall one printed advert "explaining" to punters what kind of patch cables they needed for different use. Apparently you "need" cat 6 for sending multiple video streams (over gigabit).

Price-wise stuff always seems *way* more than online, only coming down to within a reasonable bricks-and-mortar margin when they have special offers.

The one good thing about maplin is that they are convenient and sell stuff nowhere else on the high street does. Having a maplin next to your tech startup office is always a plus. You may have just paid 4 times the online price for that connector but the extra was a small amount compared to what you saved in company time by acquiring it now.

Oh and they seem to have long stopped doing that annoying thing of refusing to sell you anything unless you gave them your name and address which seemed to be a carry over from Tandy days.

 

[elton]

Sorry are we talking about the same place? I have *never* been into a maplin and found anyone who knew anything about electronics. They can't find the transistor their online catalogue said they had in stock? Don't bother asking your server what equivalents they have.

In their defence, I'd say they can't be expected to employ qualified electronics experts for the role of shop assistant. And they do get some total numpties asking the most absurd questions, so diplomacy and patience should be higher on their list of requisite skills, which does seem to be the case

 

[laika]

In their defence, I'd say they can't be expected to employ qualified electronics experts for the role of shop assistant.

Is it not reasonable for *someone* in a shop to have *some* knowledge of the product they are selling? I'm not talking deep technical questions just "oh so you can't find product X which apparently you do have in stock, never mind, what else do you have that'll do roughly the same thing". I'm not just talking about one shop on the day when Edna the Electronics Expert was on her hols, I'm talking about *every* Maplins I've ever visited.

 

[prv]

Sorry are we talking about the same place?

+1

I was a bit bemused by the OP. I thought most people considered Maplins a joke. Seemed odd to be promoting it as if it was an exciting new discovery.

Their one use is for distress purchases at a weekend - I'll grudgingly pay anything from three times to ten times the usual price to have something in my hand right now.

Fair point that their staff are generally enthusiastic and helpful. I haven't taxed them on their electronics knowledge since my local branch doesn't stock individual components anyway.

Pete

 

[Storyline]

.....
Oh and they seem to have long stopped doing that annoying thing of refusing to sell you anything unless you gave them your name and address which seemed to be a carry over from Tandy days.

Are they connected in some way to the old Tandy ?

 

[Storyline]

+1

I was a bit bemused by the OP. I thought most people considered Maplins a joke. Seemed odd to be promoting it as if it was an exciting new discovery.

Their one use is for distress purchases at a weekend - I'll grudgingly pay anything from three times to ten times the usual price to have something in my hand right now.
.....
Pete

That is the impression I have also They have a wide range of general stuff but do not do anything very well. The chances are they may have something that would do but there is usually a better solution from a specialist supplier.

They do provide a useful role as Pete says in that you can get something there and then but I cannot see them surviving in the long term sadly as the retail model seems to be moving to high speed local delivery. My local Argos already has an embryonic system. If you reserve online you are offered the opportunity to pay for it and have it delivered within an hour or two by local courier. The time will come when people like Amazon will have huge regional depots and offer a similar service.

 

[doris]

+1

I was a bit bemused by the OP. I thought most people considered Maplins a joke. Seemed odd to be promoting it as if it was an exciting new discovery.

Pete

I just found them very helpful and, unlike other outfits, had someone on hand who was reasonable knowledgeable and personable. I also like real shops rather than online and felt it was a good idea to give praise where its due.
It seems that others see them differently, but then it may be that said others approach life differently.

 

[bedouin]

Maplins are a shadow of their former self. They have gone from being a serious supplier of electronic components to someone who sells cheap Chinese imports on the high street.

However they do sell items that you can't find anywhere else on the high street and the prices are pretty reasonable. I use them sometimes for things like batteries, power supplies, lamps and the like.

I can't remember the last time I bought a transistor - or even a resistor - from them

 

[elton]

Is it not reasonable for *someone* in a shop to have *some* knowledge of the product they are selling? I'm not talking deep technical questions just "oh so you can't find product X which apparently you do have in stock, never mind, what else do you have that'll do roughly the same thing". I'm not just talking about one shop on the day when Edna the Electronics Expert was on her hols, I'm talking about *every* Maplins I've ever visited.

You imply you've shopped at many Maplin branches. Why would you do that, when you apparently hold them in such low regard?

 

[laika]

Are they connected in some way to the old Tandy ?

A little bit of googling suggests that I'm mistaken in thinking they were. IIRC Tandy used to be how the Tandy corporation branded their stores in the UK (in the US it was Radio Shack). It seems like Maplin expanded at the same time as Tandy/RadioShack disappeared in the UK and they sold the same kind of stuff in the same way, but it seems that my assumption that they were connected was wrong. I do remember Tandy refusing to sell me something because I wouldn't give them my name and address for their mailing list and 10 or so years ago Maplin seemed to be asking for name and address whenever you bought something, although not insisting if you declined

 

[laika]

You imply you've shopped at many Maplin branches. Why would you do that, when you apparently hold them in such low regard?

As I said (and prv seems to agree), they have stuff that other high street retailers don't and often I'd rather pay double for a relatively cheap thing and have it today.

 

[bedouin]

10 or so years ago Maplin seemed to be asking for name and address whenever you bought something, although not insisting if you declined

Yes - many mail order companies seem to want to know your address

 

[Storyline]

Yes - many mail order companies seem to want to know your address

Also high street shops. In currys the other day to get a longer hdmi lead and three tills open. Two had queues with each customer having to have their name and addressed logged. The other till took 5+ minutes to boot up - the guy said their system was based on xp - the money they must lose by having a payment system that pisses off their customers must be enormous.

Edit : just got your joke

Edit 2: totally off topic but re my hdmi lead. They do several qualities the best of which was 5x the price of the cheapest (£6 vs £30). A quick Google showed there was no way there was going to be any difference in performance. Just a blatant con trick imo.

 

[elton]

Edit 2: totally off topic but re my hdmi lead. They do several qualities the best of which was 5x the price of the cheapest (£6 vs £30). A quick Google showed there was no way there was going to be any difference in performance. Just a blatant con trick imo.

I thought everyone knew that, years ago