Is MAPLINS getting worse?

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The thing with Maplin is that it's no longer really an 'electronics specialist', these days they're more about selling consumer electronics. You go there if you want a USB hard disk or an HDMI lead, not if you want some capacitors and resistors.

Merlin said:
The first one to mention *RS* Components gets banned.
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That'd be, erm, you then! :lol:
 
the company i work for bought hrs components a few years ago for the spares as we sell all white goods spares and stuff like that nbut not many here know anything about electronics. i know hrs was good for bits in the day
 
Maplin still have some good staff in some stores. There is a bloke in Hamilton that knows pretty much everything there is to know about soldering. The ones in Edinburgh don't provide any useful knowledge these days, but if you're looking for components from the wee boxes behind the counter they normally know what you're after. The ones in Livingston always seem to ask what you're going to do with stuff that you buy, which shows they're either interested in electronics or have been told to show an interest :p. In Cumbernauld I was told by an exasperated assistant that "its really hard to find components in the shop now that they've made us fill it with all this kind of crap" as he was pointing to the remote controlled helicopters. Maybe he'd have got a bollocking if his boss was around, but says to me that he was a real human being with the skill to gauge whether I'd appreciate such a comment :thumbsup:
 
its probably worth noting that i didnt want to be rude or patronising to the person who served me.and i never was.

if a person working in a electronics outlet asks me if they can help,as they do in maplins.
then i feel i should tell them what i want,so they can get it.
thats how the instance happened in the first post.

the reason i felt i needed to let off steam somewhat is because of the huge catalogue that gives the impression theres lots of parts and that you can order them if there not in the shop.(yes another rant)

but theres been more than a few times where ive went in there with a list of basic parts thats simply listed in the catalogue only to find they either dont have it or not enough of it or not at all because it was discontinued.

im litrally saying that if you go in there even if you have checked the catalogue before hand nine times out of ten they wont have it.

say you had a list of 50 parts for a project including ic's you know is listed in the catalogue,and thought yeah i'll build that.
when you go in and work down that list youll more than likely leave with only ten of them plus another 20 you had to order to be sent on becuase they werent in stock, the rest they simply just dont have even if its listed in the catalogue and you find its been discontinued in the latest catalogue you have bought.
(bare in mind they also sell electronics kits in project form in parts)

and,you have to pay for the catalogue if you want one at home, its not free by any means.

i havent bought a catalogue in years because of this.
this used to happen only ocasionally when they where based in perry bar years ago before it moved to erdington.
basicly im saying,why do they have a catalogue if most of the components listed they never have.
its not just electronic parts,the same goes for the test equipment and tools..

*SHAKING RAG DOLL BY THE NECK* why damn it why

rant mode off:lol:
 
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nicholas.jj.taylor said:
It certainly is a shame. However, I find it encouraging that at least they were inquisitive about the parts you wanted, which at the very least is a sign of interest. So, they might learn.

It's possible that they might remember from after your visit and eventually get up to standard.

I hope so for your sake, as it's a shame to resort to the twisted evil that is the other bay

*screams*

Note: I don't really hate eBay. Please do not be offended.
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im not bothered by using ebay its just another way to get something online.
the one i have to watch is paypal as i will spend hundreds in blink of an eye and its a joint account with my wife.
and she will try to spend equal to me when she spots what ive spent,and must have 20 dvd's to compinsate:lol:(we have had a few jokes about this between ourselves)
so i try to do it stealthy like..with cash where i can:whistle::ninja:
anyway.
i do actually like dealing with real people face to face though.i sort of miss the personal touch with the advent of online buying.
hense the dissapointment.
but i suppose convenience played a part in that.
thats why i like comming on amibay for the most part even if it is in text.
where you have the ability to talk and talk things through,which has been lost in some ways due to the human part being missing,do you see?:)
 
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Yeah, electronics stores are all about cheap crap consumer goods now. I'm a little encouraged that the Arduino/PIC DIY boom has brought back some stuff to Radio Shack (I mean, you can actually buy breadboards there now!) but for a long time before that the only component stuff in most stores was the drawer rack of switches & battery holders... :double
 
Maplin as a "Hobbyist Electronics Store" is an utter joke -

1. Barely can you get anything in store
2. If you are lucky that they stock the item - they will only have 2 of said item
3. Knowledge of products is non-existent


While Maplin's does fair better as an on line store - it is limited in its catalogue of products to essentially early / beginner hobbyist and really doesn't cater for the medium to advanced.

All to often I can find the components I need at a 10th of the cost from the other side of the world - and THAT should say something.... its probably political and we can't discuss it...

But even that aside, for intermediate to advanced projects Maplin falls very short, in terms of being able to provide items for the customer or to provide reliable services in terms of stock, product knowledge / support and reasonable costs.


Its truly sad.... I remember a time when Maplin's was my first port of call - I could pick up the phone and ramble off a 40 item BOM and then go pick it up an hour later... and the catalogue was VAST and it was always a delight to receive this MONSTER sized TOME, which was their catalogue, that couldn't fit through letterbox.


To be honest, in an effort to garner more sales (via more customers) they obviously have had to switch customer focus from hobbyists to a higher technology breed of consumers - its shame though.... for die hard's like me and my fellows in this thread - its like have lost or are loosing an institution.
 
Zetr0 said:
Its truly sad.... I remember a time when Maplin's was my first port of call - I could pick up the phone and ramble off a 40 item BOM and then go pick it up an hour later... and the catalogue was VAST and it was always a delight to receive this MONSTER sized TOME, which was their catalogue, that couldn't fit through letterbox.
Click to expand...


exactly,i used to love letting my imagination run free in those days.
just flicking through the pages with delight as to what i could build with those lovely combinations of parts and components.
along with hrs.

erm...ahem*cough* yes i agree.:D

do you remember the magazine they used to distribute with examples within and small projects?:D
with parts codes directly linked to said catalogue..it was a treat to read.
i think it had to be subscribed to.and it was regular.
(yes,i was a young youth then)
i think its safe to say its a shadow of its former self,and the sun isnt shining.unfortunatly.

sad days indeed.
 
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Yes I used to work for them back in 2000. They were still "ok" back then, As they stocked a lot of hobbyist electrical kits and promoted a lot of other projects (like the Lego kits that could be linked to electrical items) but even then they were fast on their way downhill in my opinion.

By 2003, it was just an Argos-style store that churned out cheap kids toys and foreign made household items with strange branding.

I actually raised this exact issue with the area management, but you could tell that they were only bothered with numbers, and they were in profit through the expansion of their PC hardware section and other items like Sat Nav and MP3 players etc.

Therefore all the granularity of their components section disappeared. They only seemed to retain the common items after that.

It's a shame as I remember a lot of customers having a go at the sales people like myself, asking why a "x or y rated potentiometer" wasn't available when they need it to complete a project, and RS components stock it.

As for the technical ability of the staff, that comes and goes... I was fairly technical, and a few of the others at the time were much more technical on electronics than myself, having studied it at Uni, but now I go in my local store and they don't really strike me as being hot on the subject anymore.

Still, it's the same as camera shops.... computer shops.... music shops.... All gone, bought out by big brands, dominate the market and then churn out tat...

I just look for my stuff online and only buy from the local stores when it's something that seems like a good deal, or is convenient to do so.
 
slk486 said:
What's wrong with
Merlin said:
*RS* Components
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then?
Click to expand...

I can't comment, as that would be price driving... ;)

:lol:

Maplin's were better when they had some competition from Tandy / Radio Shack - what you couldn't get from one store you could usually get from the other - this was in the late '80s / early '90s though.
 
No, I miss them too. :(

The Tandy store at Sale was epic and a lot of their 'Realistic' branded stuff was actually quite good.
 
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