Maplin

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Posted by Rob Rimmer on 28/02/2018 20:33:33:

Thanks Nick, for the heads-up about Cricklewood Electronics – didn't realise they were still going. Prompted by this revelation, a quick search shows me that another old favourite, J. Bull Electrical, is also still trading, albeit with a slightly different product line-up **LINK**

Are they actually still trading?

There's few prices on the web site, and the shopping cart doesn't exist.

Bill

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Afraid you could be right, Bill – my initial excitement has waned somewhat after finding no way to actually buy anything on there

Rob

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Well, a few years back I bought an "unsoldering iron" from Maplin for a job for which nothing else would do, been used a few times. Just plugged it in again, completely dead, fuse unblown, element open circuit. Add that to the list of duff stuff from tem over the years.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Wayne Ward on 01/03/2018 19:48:14:
For those of you near Derby, try RF Potts at the top of Babington Lane. They don't have a website, but they do have a shop with real people (probably proper geeks). They do have a Facebook page, of you indulge in that sorry of thing: https://m.facebook.com/RFPottsDerby/?locale2=en_GB

Shame, I can't see that unless I sell my soul to Farcebook

But I will pay a visit next time I'm in Derby.

Neil

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, went into Maplin's this afternoon for some Vero pins for Veroboard/Stripboard. The young guy (with reference to my age) had never heard of them, let alone seen any. After I had explained what they where and what they looked like, he said do you mean these **LINK** I said no but they will do, but they are not as good as the Veropins, although they do have the type of pins I wanted on their website **LINK**

This was the first time I've been in my local Maplin's for a while and yes it reminded me of the Tandy stores of old and very much of their core products seem to have disappeared, they don't even seem to have a catalogue to browse through like they used to have.

Regards Nick.

[Martin WParticipant @martinw]

Nick

I hope I'm not teaching granny etc. but on the Maplin page you linked to you can check the stock level of a product at your local or any store. Then add to your basket and select whether to pay now or pay at store, this should result in the product waiting for you to pick it up. However this is only convenient if you have a local Maplin store to hand but not a lot of use if you are dropping in cause you happen to be close.

Cheers

Martin V

PS

Sending PM

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Also not helpful when you have to visit two stores to get two different components because of the low stock levels they maintain.

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

Or you get to the store to find that none of the staff have the faintest idea what the "in stock" component is or where to find it ("it might be in those drawers&quot and you leave empty-handed.

Brian

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Maplins was of course I believe a "family firm", sold out to VP investers and the rest you know.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

I feel far more sorry for the employees than the commercial enterprise – it hasn't been a 'family firm' for yonks. Truth is, it's hard to make a living on the High Street whatever you sell. It's why British town centres are full of Charity Shops.

One bit of good news, I had an item on order just before they hit the buffers. It was cancelled and the money refunded, phew! Quite often creditors find themselves at the back of a very long queue.

Dave

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Needed to purchase a battery box (container) to hold 4 AA batteries to power a project that I am constructing, went online to Maplin last night, they sell the item I required but not in stock in my local Maplin, no forecast of restock so I had to resort to Amazon, item cost £3.99 and postage also £3.99 so not cheap but it was cheaper than a journey to next closest Maplin who did hold stock. My opinion is Maplin is virtually dead now, just prolonging the agony with the receivership.

Dave W

[John Paton 1Participant @johnpaton1]

Yes, I remember Maplin from the late 1970s when you entered via a tiny security door to the left of the small 'corner shop front window' in Westcliffe on Sea. If my memory serves me right the windows had virtually no display (might even have been whitened out?) and the side door lead upstairs to an Aladin's cave of racking and a few people placing discrete components into envelopes for mailing. They were supremely helpful with finding semiconductor equivalents etc and enabled me to build my first single channel radio control transmitter and receiver.

Later the large glossy stores were more like Tandy, Dixons etc staffed by people who had limited electronics knowledge and were more interested in selling bulk purchase toys than electronics components.

The other shop in Southend at that time was BiPrePak who had some amazing deals on 'service return' equipment which if faulty could often be repaired easily – things like cordless phones, walkman (WHSmiths!), fax machines. My favourite line was their 'failed test' but brand new ex WD (Clansman?) radio battery packs stuffed with excellent D size NiCads with 3.3 AH capacity which worked out at about 1/3 the price of the 1.2AH ones which were all that was available at the time in the High Street (Candice, Uniross etc). Such was the quality of those batteries that I still use one or two of them nearly 40 years later!!

Its good to hear that there remain some specialist suppliers available to serve the hobby trade and where you can go and ferret around for 'goodies'. If anyone knows of such shops in Dorset or Devon do let me know as we are starved down here!

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Small point, they are not in receivership but administration – this means that the firm carries on running managed by a team of accountants while they try to find a buyer.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

I acknowledge my mistake re: administration but still consider Maplin is a dead man walking, I don’t think they will survive for long.

Dave W

[Pat BraveryParticipant @patbravery]

I have noticed that since Maplins was placed in administration some of the prices have gone up, for example I bought a bat detector (don't ask) for £19.99 on the day before the press release of Maplins difficulties and now the same item is on their website at £29.99, they will soon be out of trouble at this rate. Regards Pat

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