Model Boat Mayhem

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length.
Pages: [1] 2 3 4   Go Down

Author Topic: The end of Maplin ( and Toys 'R us )  (Read 14372 times)

Dave Cook

  • Cookie
  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 202
  • Keep on Rockin
  • Location: Lancashire
The end of Maplin ( and Toys 'R us )
« on: February 28, 2018, 07:35:41 am »

Just heard on the news Maplin are on the brink of closure . they will be really missed  :(( :(( :((
Dave
Logged

SailorGreg

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,326
  • Money talks - it says goodbye
  • Location: Hayling Island, Hants
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2018, 07:52:42 am »

They are not gone just yet, there's still hope. But their troubles are familiar, another victim of internet shopping and the general decline of practical hobbies.  {:-{


Greg

Atlantic Mouldings

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 110
  • Model Boat Mayhem is Great!
  • Location: Southeast
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2018, 08:37:50 am »

Simple answer to the shops closing.


STOP BUYING ON LINE !!!  Stop being lazy get off your a'#'# and go down and support your local shops and buy from them.
Logged

thegrimreaper

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 380
  • Location: Ellesmere Port
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2018, 08:56:31 am »

Agree with the sentiment buy local but Maplin are very much like W.H.Smiths were at one time out pricing themselves why buy from anywhere in the local shops when you can sometimes get a better deal on line at a much better price granted you will have to wait for the postie to bring it,   a lot of the time its down to the location of the shops and the rents the company have to pay so yes they have bigger overheads and more staff to pay a lot of gear that Maplin sell is available on line at a much cheaper price and as the majority of us are not millionaires we will shop where we can afford, its not as simple as you put it Atlantic Mouldings, " STOP BUYING ON LINE !!!  Stop being lazy get off your a'#'# and go down and support your local shops and buy from them." no matter how much we get off our bums and go down the shops, the landlords every year put rents up which has to be covered by prices going up, don`t know your company but how would you survive without the internet??? can people get off there bums and go down to your shop?

only my point of view and take on Maplin on the brink

 Mark
Logged
Don't lie, thieve, cheat or steal. The Government do not like the competition.

TailUK

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,672
  • Location: East Midlands
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2018, 09:33:49 am »

Simple answer to the shops closing.


STOP BUYING ON LINE !!!  Stop being lazy get off your a'#'# and go down and support your local shops and buy from them.

Some of us are supporting local retailers, I spent 50 quid in Maplins last Saturday but I, like a lot of other people, am not made of money.  Online purchasing can offer real savings and that's helpful in this day and age.
Logged
No human society has ever functioned without models to capture, explain,disseminate,
persuade, sell, reinforce and analyse all kinds of ideas, values, concepts and situations.

bfgstew

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 502
  • Comfortably Numb
  • Location: Retford (Robin Hood Country)
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #5 on: February 28, 2018, 09:43:13 am »

A 40 mile round trip to visit Maplin store. Go on line to check if the bits you want are in stock. Drive to said shop, traffic jams, time, put up with not very informative staff.
Or click on internet, visit the on line shop you want, click 'buy now'.......postie drops it off in a day or 2.......most of the time a lot, lot cheaper than the likes of Maplin.
Harsh, sad, reality, but shops cannot compete with the rise of internet shopping.
Until, local councils lower business rates, parking charges etc etc and landlords lower their rents........all down to money and how much people can make out of the paying public, or how much the paying public are willing to spend of their hard earned.
Logged
"Give me a ping Vasili. One ping only, please"

malcolmfrary

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6,027
  • Location: Blackpool, Lancs, UK
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #6 on: February 28, 2018, 09:46:17 am »

Maplin started off being mostly mail order, then becoming an engineering hobby shop chain with each shop covering a wide area.  Later, they opened a lot of local branches, but to support each branch having a smaller catchment area, had to expand the range of goods on offer into domestic goods and toys.  Effectively, they followed the "Toys R Us" model.  It appears that they followed it too closely.
Logged
"With the right tool, you can break anything" - Garfield

Plastic - RIP

  • Inactive
  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,255
  • Bobbing Along!
  • Location: Watford
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #7 on: February 28, 2018, 09:51:16 am »

I used to love the old Maplin catalogue & mail order service.

Any business with thousands of different product lines that have to fully stock hundreds of shops is at risk from the internet.
They are paying multiple business rates, staff costings, massive admin, internal transport issues and customer parking problems in pedestrianised town centres.
They have all their cash tied up in dead stock - every shop has loads of 10k resistors but only sells a couple every now & then. Same with all their small parts.

As this all contributes to their outrageous pricing, I'm surprised Maplin have lasted this long.
Logged

Martin (Admin)

  • Administrator
  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 23,359
  • Location: Peterborough, UK
    • Model Boat Mayhem
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #8 on: February 28, 2018, 10:06:25 am »


Unfortunately .....
  “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”

Logged
"This is my firm opinion, but what do I know?!" -  Visit the Mayhem FaceBook Groups!  &  Giant Models

bfgstew

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 502
  • Comfortably Numb
  • Location: Retford (Robin Hood Country)
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #9 on: February 28, 2018, 10:22:12 am »

Look at Amazon.........their buying power, their overall competitive edge in the world of on line shopping, next day delivery (prime membership). On line retailers using Amazon as a selling platform......how on earth can the smaller retailer, Maplins, compete?
I visited the new Amazon hub at Doncaster the other week........HUGE........and this was the 'larger parcel hub'. It took nearly 1 minute to drive the length of the hub at 30 mph! There are 2 other hubs just as large for 'smaller parcels' on the same estate and they are expanding! This and nearly 40 hubs across the country.
I can see Argos going the same way as Maplin and Toys R us.
It needs a massive cultural and political change which is never going to happen as they are all in the payroll of multi billionaires.......money money money! The day of the high street retailer is over and now it seems so it is for the retail park outlets!


Just my opinion and do not want to start a political debate......... %)
Logged
"Give me a ping Vasili. One ping only, please"

Stan

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3,465
  • Location: West Yorks
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #10 on: February 28, 2018, 10:38:53 am »

When the first Maplin store opened in Leeds it was like breath of fresh air. You could and buy electronic components and everything you needed to make your own circuit board's. The build you own projects proved to be very popular and I still have 2 E S C  that came in kit form from them. Sadly with more rules been applied  they were all withdrawn from sale. The component side of things was sadly scaled down many years ago and with the internet offering things a much lower price it was obvious that customers would  seek the best deal. I hope this well known name does not disappear from the high street and I feel for the staff who may lose there jobs. :(( :(( :(( :(( :((
Logged

Martin (Admin)

  • Administrator
  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 23,359
  • Location: Peterborough, UK
    • Model Boat Mayhem
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2018, 10:46:50 am »

Logged
"This is my firm opinion, but what do I know?!" -  Visit the Mayhem FaceBook Groups!  &  Giant Models

Martin (Admin)

  • Administrator
  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Online Online
  • Posts: 23,359
  • Location: Peterborough, UK
    • Model Boat Mayhem
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2018, 10:49:53 am »

Logged
"This is my firm opinion, but what do I know?!" -  Visit the Mayhem FaceBook Groups!  &  Giant Models

Plastic - RIP

  • Inactive
  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,255
  • Bobbing Along!
  • Location: Watford
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2018, 10:53:58 am »

Shame.
Back in the day, just when I was earning enough to afford kits from their E&MM synth range (the Spectrum & 3600 & 4800), they dropped them.
Always wanted the Powertran music kits too. I remember the Trancendent 2000 kit being £165.
Logged

Bob K

  • Bob K
  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3,686
  • Location: Windsor
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2018, 11:50:45 am »

Sad.  I was in my local branch only yesterday to get a special power lead and soldering iron tips.

Online may be convenient, but popping in to your local shop is even more so.
Logged
HMS Skirmisher (1905), HMS Amazon (1906), HMS K9 (1915), Type 212A (2002), HMS Polyphemus (1881), Descartes (1897), Iggle Piggle boat (CBBC), HMS Royal Marine (1943), HMS Marshall Soult, HMS Agincourt (1912)

Neil

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,334
  • Location: near Fleetwood
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #15 on: February 28, 2018, 11:56:14 am »


Just heard on the news Maplin are on the brink of closure . they will be really missed  :(( :(( :((
Dave


not for their prices they won't be missed.................last time I went in to the Blackpool store for a replacement battery 12v 4amp/hr for the Jupiter Ferry that I built, they wanted £27.50 for one.............I bought two and got a third free from Howes for £14.99......£7.50 each or a fiver each if you take all 3 into account...............so why does a large company like Maplins have to charge such a ridiculously exorbitant price..............after all, the stuff  all comes from the same source.............just greed. >>:-( <*<
Logged

TheLongBuild

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4,748
  • Build em, and play hard..
  • Location: Everywhere, But Nowhere !! But mainly in England....
    • Runcorn & District Scale Model Boats
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #16 on: February 28, 2018, 02:54:37 pm »


At one time you could get practically any electrical component, lately this has decreased to almost nothing and just silly toys, Not long ago I went in and asked for a drive belt The member of staff did not know what one was !!, luckily an older staff member did.


And as others have said heavily overpriced.. 

Dave Cook

  • Cookie
  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 202
  • Keep on Rockin
  • Location: Lancashire
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #17 on: February 28, 2018, 03:04:59 pm »

They are or were the only place you could nip out to and get mechanical and electrical components 7 days a week as i have said many times before you sometimes need to see things in the flesh to be sure it will do the job  ,it really is a shame , and as Stan says i feel for the staff .  <:( <:( <:(
Dave
Logged

TailUK

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,672
  • Location: East Midlands
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #18 on: February 28, 2018, 03:06:36 pm »

I'm just glad I didn't fork out for the extended warranty.
Logged
No human society has ever functioned without models to capture, explain,disseminate,
persuade, sell, reinforce and analyse all kinds of ideas, values, concepts and situations.

Liverbudgie2

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 99
  • Model Boat Mayhem is Great!
  • Location: Earth.
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #19 on: February 28, 2018, 04:55:35 pm »

Simple answer to the shops closing.


STOP BUYING ON LINE !!!  Stop being lazy get off your a'#'# and go down and support your local shops and buy from them.

Would love to but, you can't buck the market. If trader A sells at one price then the rest have to follow no matter the wholesale price; and as has already been said the cost of rent, council tax, rubbish collection, light and power and the cost of employing people has to be covered one way or another.

For instance I needed bonnet struts for the Jag so I enquired at my local motor factors, one didn't stock the type I needed and the other quoted £64 each plus vat, each. I bought on line in the end from a company in Berlin for £57 the pair inc delivery. The only problem was that they took 7 days to get here, not good admittedly.

LB
Logged

dreadnought72

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,892
  • Wood butcher with ten thumbs
  • Location: Airdrie, Scotland
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #20 on: February 28, 2018, 06:20:18 pm »

I can see Argos going the same way as Maplin and Toys R us.


Bfgstew, as Argos is now owned by Sainsbury's, there'll be lots of baby Argos' opening up in the biggest Sainsbury's stores over the next few years. They'll do the electrical/homeware sort of stuff, and will exist as a collection point for online orders for those wanting to pick things up.


The Sainsbury's distribution organisation is huge and likely to handle this well, while the joint company saves money by having two outlets under one roof - Argos is therefore going to be around for a while.


We'll see how well it works in practice!


Andy
Logged
Enjoying every minute sailing W9465 Mertensia

ballastanksian

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6,447
  • Model Boat Mayhem inspires me!
  • Location: Crewkerne
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #21 on: February 28, 2018, 10:06:34 pm »

T'is already happening Andy, I purchased my sister's 2016 Christmas present at an in store Argos at Sainsburys.
Logged
Pond weed is your enemy

Peter Fitness

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7,376
  • Location: Wyrallah, near Lismore NSW Australia
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #22 on: February 28, 2018, 10:36:00 pm »


so why does a large company like Maplin have to charge such a ridiculously exorbitant price..............after all, the stuff  all comes from the same source.............just greed. >>:-( <*<


Maybe not entirely greed Neil, as others have pointed out shops have high overheads such as staff, sick leave, long service leave, rates etc, and some of that high price is needed to cover these expenses. We had a similar situation here with a company called Dick Smith Electronics, which was started to cater for hobbyists, and was a fabulous source of all types of electronic components. It expanded to a point where just about every decent sized town had one. Eventually, its founder, Dick Smith, sold the business for a lot of money, and the new owners decided it should become another chain selling TVs etc, and let the electronics section disappear. Unfortunately, so did a large number of their customers, with the result it finally ceased trading several years ago. I don't think that the internet contributed much to DSE's demise.


As a footnote, Dick Smith has become a philanthropist contributing large amounts of money to many worthy causes. As he is reported to have said, "why do I need more than a million dollars when the money is surplus to my requirements, and could do so much good?"


Peter.
Logged

RST

  • Guest
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #23 on: February 28, 2018, 10:55:48 pm »

I'm a massive supporter of buying from local shops and I'm quite proud to say I go out my way to pay quite a bit more for something in a shop rather than order on-line for cheaper.  I also point blank refuse to buy cheap foreign imports which are offered at a fraction of the price.  I just tend to order a little bit less, or end up paying a bit more, but I feel it gives me more right to argue to keep the shops going.

BUT I HAVE NO SYMPATHY WITH MAPLIN.  Over the past 5-6 years they have become impossible to buy from either because they carry no stock of anything or I have found them anything up to 500% more for exactly the same product from pretty much any other retailer (not comparing with EBay).

They have never been the cheapest but I was always happy buying from them.  But this price-hiking over the past few years has been laughable.  I went for a phone line socket with built in filter -Maplins price £24 when EXACTLY the same product was available anywhere else for between £4-8.  I went for batteries recently £24.99 from Maplins when virtually everywhere else was selling the equivalent for just under £6.

The other thing is the almost zero stock policy.  I often need 2 or 3 components the same.  Maplins almost never have anything more than 1 in stock.  Sorry -but if I have to order the other 1 or 2 in, then I'll just place the complete order elsewhere for cheaper.  Also, the expertise available in my local shop has steadily reduced to zero.  It pains me to listen to some of the absolute "guff" I've heard explained to other customers.  Sorry Maplin, I feel sorry for your staff but I feel this is your own creation.  I can't say you'll be missed much in my house -you made it just too hard to be able to buy anything from you! 
Logged

roycv

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3,389
  • Location: S.W. Herts
Re: Maplin on the brink
« Reply #24 on: March 01, 2018, 01:46:29 am »

Hi Peter, re Dick Smith, I think was last year that they had a big sell off and I bought rechargeables as they were so cheap and brought them back to the UK.  Gone now as you say just got Jaycar left for electronics which is a lot better than the UK.
regards Roy
Logged
Pages: [1] 2 3 4   Go Up
 

Page created in 0.093 seconds with 21 queries.