07-07-2015, 04:19 PM
I'm away from home just now, down in Putney, where they have a small shop on the High Street. I looked online to see if they had an PCB pins in stock - 1mm and 1.3mm. Yes, allegedly they had one pack of each, which is probably all they stock. Popped into the shop, yes, they popped up on the screen as in stock. Assistant went into the store - the bin was empty.
Annoying thing is that I'd ordered some bits and bobs from ESR and could have added them to the list.
Of course, the stuff that interests us is just an unprofitable irrelevance to Maplin, even at their uncompetitive prices - low value, low turnover, and nowadays, a limited inventory. The worst of all worlds for Maplin and for its customers. Really, if Maplin is to survive into the future, with shops on High Streets and in out of town locations, as well as online, it needs to decide what its core business is, and I would assert that it's most certainly not in stocking such a wide range of low value items such as resistors, caps and other bits and bobs just in ones and twos.
Don't know if anyone has got the current catalogue. It's only about 5mm thick, just has bits and bobs in it (comms stuff, test gear, tools, cables, plugs/socket, batteris etc) and costs £1.00. I asked why so slim, and the guy said that so much of their stock changes so rapidly over the year, that the catalogue is no sooner printed than it's out of date. All the rest of the inventory is online.
I did buy three PP3 batteries as they have an offer on just now - 'buy one get two free'. Their PP3s are £2.99, so with two free, that comes down to a pound each. I'd rather have theirs than Poundland, but that's purely subjective, not based on any sound knowledge that Maplin's are any better. (Same factory in China maybe?).
The clock's ticking for Maplin, and if the present owners have their wits about them, they should be carrying out a strategic review of the directon of the company into the future (assuming that it has a future). As things stand, it seems to me that the direction with be clockwise, down the gurgler.
Annoying thing is that I'd ordered some bits and bobs from ESR and could have added them to the list.
Of course, the stuff that interests us is just an unprofitable irrelevance to Maplin, even at their uncompetitive prices - low value, low turnover, and nowadays, a limited inventory. The worst of all worlds for Maplin and for its customers. Really, if Maplin is to survive into the future, with shops on High Streets and in out of town locations, as well as online, it needs to decide what its core business is, and I would assert that it's most certainly not in stocking such a wide range of low value items such as resistors, caps and other bits and bobs just in ones and twos.
Don't know if anyone has got the current catalogue. It's only about 5mm thick, just has bits and bobs in it (comms stuff, test gear, tools, cables, plugs/socket, batteris etc) and costs £1.00. I asked why so slim, and the guy said that so much of their stock changes so rapidly over the year, that the catalogue is no sooner printed than it's out of date. All the rest of the inventory is online.
I did buy three PP3 batteries as they have an offer on just now - 'buy one get two free'. Their PP3s are £2.99, so with two free, that comes down to a pound each. I'd rather have theirs than Poundland, but that's purely subjective, not based on any sound knowledge that Maplin's are any better. (Same factory in China maybe?).
The clock's ticking for Maplin, and if the present owners have their wits about them, they should be carrying out a strategic review of the directon of the company into the future (assuming that it has a future). As things stand, it seems to me that the direction with be clockwise, down the gurgler.
Regards, David.
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
