Toys R Us and Maplin.

[melthebell]

Or if they are fixing stuff, buying it online. Maplin's components section in store got smaller and smaller.

 

And there were problems with their stock database. I'd order stuff to collect locally and the assistants couldn't find the parts anywhere.

Yeah thats what i mainly know maplins for, mi dad and his mate david fixing electronic stuff, getting components from maplins, bardwells and even earlier the little electronic repair shop at woodhus where i bought mi speccy games from

[Anna B]

Maybe people aren;t fixing stuff..these days a lot of "broken" things get thrown away..

 

True, but it's hard to find people who can do the fixing, certainly for a price that's much less than buying a new one.

[pattricia]

I ordered some light bulbs from Maplins who hadn’t got them in stock so they had to order them off someone else. They said they would ring me when they came in, but never did. I had to ring them three times to remind them to order them for me.

[buddysbuddy]

They've both gone bust...

 

Failure of the bricks and mortar model of selling in the face of online competition....? Or just high priced tat like Woolies.

 

Or can we try and blame it on the EU somehow...

 

it must be maggies fault--she gets blamed for most things that go wrong!!

[mike-s]

As said before, prices at Maplins, £9.95 for a cable that can be bought elsewhere for around £1.50 does'nt bode well.

[mrcharlie]

I went to maplins straight from work just before Christmas. Got there about 30 mins before closing time, I was at the till with my arms full of stuff and handed my debit card.... The arrogant cashier had clearly already cashed in and refused my card saying cash only. I mentioned I didn't have time to get cash so it would have to be card... His reply... Come back tomorrow!!

 

Needless to say I dumped my stuff and walked out....<removed> em'

 

As for Toys'r'us... I think it says it all when a 6yr old asks can we go home after only being in store 20 minutes!!

 

Feel sorry for the staff a lot of livelihoods being played with, it must be extremely worrying for them.

Edited February 28, 2018 by nikki-red
Masked swearing

[choogling]

Maplin's turned into toys r us it used to be an Aladdin's cave of electronic stuff built amps, mixers ,light controllers and repaired loads of stuff using their parts must agree most stuff nowadays cant be fixed easily with surface mount and unmarked component values.

[tzijlstra]

Maplins doesn't surprise me, although it saddens me. A good electronic retailer is valuable. The problem I, and many others, had with them was that their website was pretty awful for finding 'just that part' and once you found it they expected you to either go over to the nearest store that had the part (ie. not the one nearest to you) and that you were prepared to pay 20-50% more than online retailers.

 

I did buy stuff from them throughout the years, but my last purchase was a gaming mouse that I fancied and picked up as browsing the shop. Once I got home I realised I paid over double what I would have paid for that mouse at most online retailers and, shockingly, even PC World.

[phil752]

I dont know which stores you used to visit but the Leeds and Wakefield ones were certainly run like that on the odd occassion I needed a component there and then. It was basically a service desk and a few catalogs and web browsers to pick and choose from.

 

There is a shop on Eccleshall road that sells all electronic. They also give better advises than maplins.

[mickey finn]

Maplins are high priced..

 

Not just the price, long gone are the days of the tv repair man, home brew electronics are almost dead in the water, add to that the price and then factor in the crap stock levels they carry its no wonder they have problems.

Edited February 28, 2018 by mickey finn