Maplin's AAARRRGGG!!!!

[Tom@Crewe]

I needed some heatshrink today only option Maplin I am always loathed to shop there.

1. Extortionate prices.     
2. More staff than customers.     
3. 2 seconds in the shop an assistant butting in.     
4. Get to the till no one there.     
5. Then asked if I forgot anything (I don't know I cant remember).     
6. Asked for address so they can send out junk mail.     

Mind you I did escape with my Heatshrink (at treble the price). how do they make money?       

[Bealman]

That is very sad to hear, especially as I am old enough to remember when they began back in 60s England.

Here in Australia we currently have two major players, Jaycar and Western Australia-based Altronics.

Both are an absolute pleasure to do business with. The local Jaycar store - 5 mins drive from where I live - have humble yet extremely knowledgeable staff. It is an Alladin's cave in which I could spend hours.

Maybe some mail order down under could be to your liking in future?

[4x2]

Maplins do seem to have lost their way a bit..... More like the whsmith of the electronics world now.

Bring back Tandy ! (Anyone remember them ?)

[NeMo]

Bring back Tandy ! (Anyone remember them ?)

Yes, but they were just the UK name for the US chain Radio Shack. That chain is still about in the US, but it's really no better/worse than Maplins. Similar useful catalogue of hobbyist gear at the back of the store, and the same piles of electronic gizmos in the front that appeal to a totally different sort of customer.

In my early teens I was into soldering electronic project kits together. My enthusiasm was far greater than my skill (still is, to be honest) but Tandy did have some fun projects. Metal detectors, alarms, no-battery-required radios. I teach science in schools, and one of the very sad things these days is that while children are using electronics ever more routinely, their interest in how they work seems to have diminished. Some enjoy it to be sure (and doubtless these ones will go on to be employable in a modern, technical economy) but most don't (and who knows what they'll end up doing).

Cheers, NeMo

[MikeDunn]

Maplins as-was used to be a fantastic resource ... then at some point in the 90's or early 2000's (I think it was) they started losing their way ...  These days, instead of 10% of the stock being non-electrical tat, you're lucky if 10% is electrical ... and at a price at least 3 times on-line suppliers.

Unless I am absolutely desperate for a particular item they happen to have in stock, I order mail-order to one of a couple of main suppliers (basically, RS or Farnell).  The only problem there is having to pay postage which often exceeds the price of the item I want !  So I tend to batch things together to make the minimum freepost limit ...

Which reminds me ... I want a 100uF 400V capacitor (don't mention Maplins - I popped into one when I saw it & asked - got a blank look ...  ) ... SWMBO blew up the Sky+ box 10 days ago while I was in workshops in London ... swapped in an old basic Sky box, but she's missing the PVR stuff    So 3 capacitors need replacing, and I don't have a suitable one for this - and don't really want anything else from the suppliers !  Oh well.  Time to re-check my projects list to see if there's anything there I need as well.

[mereman]

Could this be the reason they are so bad now "Montagu Private Equity. Montagu, which has owned Maplin since 2004" https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/electronics-retailer-maplin-sale-220036719.html

[NeMo]

Could this be the reason they are so bad now "Montagu Private Equity. Montagu, which has owned Maplin since 2004" https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/electronics-retailer-maplin-sale-220036719.html

Possibly, but it's rarely as simple as X was bought by Y, and it's been downhill since then. You don't get to become a large private equity firm by being stupid and not doing research into a business before buying it. Even in the case of the Signal Box of Rochester for example, it wasn't specifically Modelzone that was doomed, but that Modelzone overstretched by buying into too many expensive locations, got saddled with excessive costs relative to turnover, and so failed when the finance ran out.

A friend commented to me a while back that "High Street" stores can thrive in the Internet age only by doing two things: sell everything, or sell just one thing. So big supermarkets thrive because they sell everything, outcompeting small grocery stores, butchers, etc. Conversely, Waterstones specialises in just one thing, books, and does well because of it. But stores that try to be in the middle, like Woolworths and WH Smiths, have problems. They don't have enough depth to compete with Waterstones, and not enough breadth to compete with Asda.

I fear Maplins is somewhat like that. The Internet vendors have more depth and breadth, depending on whether you want specific electronic supplies (e.g., you'd go to eBay and get them cheaper) or else a wide range of gifts and electronic goodies (in which case Amazon has an even better range and probably cheaper too).

Suggestive of a lot of high street model shops, too. To survive they need to compete not with local stores but with the Internet vendors, and that's the hard part. Some do so with flying colours (look at Hattons for example); others struggle a bit but do at least try with special commissions, in-store classes, regular model show appearances to keep their name out there; and yet others don't even bother, and I fear those ones will not last for long.

Cheers, NeMo

[Michael Shillabeer]

Bring back Tandy ! (Anyone remember them ?)

I remember Tandy - I still have one of their 65 in 1 electronic projects sets. This was a Christmas present in the late 70s which set me off on my lifetime career

Tandy had extortionate prices for components, so I used mail order from err, Maplin!

At school circa 1981 we tried to connect to Maplin with an acoustically coupled modem but didn't get beyond Maplin's welcome message... could have been the first "online" shopping experience!

Those were the days! My school had an electronics club and a model railway club!

Best regards
Michael

[MikeDunn]

According to the article "the business has invested significantly in its online operation" - really

Then maybe they should have put more than a fiver into their search engine - it stinks !  I can never find anything I look for in there !

Example : you type in the code for a generic type of item (resistor, capacitor, IC) and zilch.  It's all wrapped around whatever stupid internal code they have for items ...

Could this be the reason they are so bad now "Montagu Private Equity. Montagu, which has owned Maplin since 2004"

Could be ... ties into the date range I recall them going downhill rapidly ...

[4x2]

I don't remember Tandy that well, my point was that the extra competition may force maplins to have a rethink..... Maplins need a boot in butt - I suspect only more competition will wake em up !

Plus - a price war would be great for us !

[rhysapthomas]

I doubt electronic components will ever have enough profit margin for them,  much more to made in selling toys and similar

I do miss being able to go and buy parts from them (at a reasonable price not ebay prices)

Our local store is now on the other side of the city so it is almost easier to buy by mail

[Sprintex]

Here in Australia we currently have two major players, Jaycar and Western Australia-based Altronics.

Now if only I'd remembered Jaycar before you came over for your visit you could have brought a couple of solid-state relays with you that I can only find on their website, nowhere else

I do go to Maplins occasionally, but usually when I find I need a particular LED and nothing else, or maybe some heatshrink. For such small items it ain't worth quibbling over price or placing internet orders adding postage


Paul

[MikeDunn]

Well, Tandy always were a mix of electrical components and electronic tat ... Maplins just slid slightly over into their market, hence Radio Shack pulling out of the UK (whenever that was).

I appreciate the  reasons Maplins felt drove them into the form of store they are now; I just feel it's rather sad ...

As to competitors - anyone who wants a reasonable amount of stuff & uses Maplins over RS or Farnell needs their head examining !    Once you get to the minimum spend for freepost, they're far superior in price - and quality.

(wanders off muttering something about a keypad and LCD display ...)

[austinbob]

I use Maplin occasionally when I need something in a hurry (if they have what I want) and I accept the inflated prices accordingly.

If I know what I need and don't need it RIGHT NOW then I mainly use Rapid online. Great selection, great prices. RS components second best. Farnell/CPC next best. My opinion of course.

[richardatme]

Has any one tried Squires Model and Craft Tools at http://www.squirestools.com/  As they supply Electronic Components as well The site shows a 2012 catalogue cover but they are still in business