Talk:Maplin Electronics
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Maplin Electronics now has 114 stores and is expanding rapidly. The company continues to invest in the hoobyist unlike any other retialer in the UK with around 8,000 products including 5,000 components in an average sized store. Transporting 8,000 lines on a daily basis is a challenge but Maplin has acheieved record stock levels in the store network. Maplin staff provide excellent product knowledge which is important to the business as it continues to expand.
Wow, this article is an incredible advertisement. --86.41.106.118 17:33, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
I have cleaned up the article a bit and tried to make it more neutral. Now it just needs someone who knows what they are talking about to add some more information. alihaig 130.246.132.26 15:46, 5 February 2007 (UTC)
They do not hire skilled staff, they employ exactly the same kind of people as, say, Tesco do to stack their shelves. Did Keith Pacey write this entry by any chance? (Unsigned)
In my experience the level of skill of their staff can vary widely At best they can be very knowledgable about the products they sell at worst they can be as you describe 213.48.97.11 14:42, 10 March 2007 (UTC)
The staff can be "knowledgable" as you say, but to say " Maplin hire skilled staff" is completely untrue, it almost makes Maplin look like they do not hire from the same pool as every other retailer in the country. Tesco certainly don't hire "skilled staff" - and Maplin hire from the same pool, this is not a criticism of Maplin staff ( I'm quite sure they are perfectly able to do their job ) - it is just a correction of a misleading and incorrect statement.
Further to my previous entry, This whole thing throws up another argument ( one that has massive impact on the reliability of info on Wiki ) - and that is : How can we stop people or companies with an agenda creating entries that are clearly adverts for their own agenda / service etc etc?
"The target market is to the electronics hobbyist".This is an incorrect and untrue statement, Maplin' target audience is the same shopper as Argos, PC World and Staples have. Maplin is a welcoming place to all type's of customer.
I think someone should write a paragraph about their recent and ongoing image change ( new logo, new advertising etc ). You only have to call in to a Maplin store to see that most of what they sell is only readily available at Maplin, if they don't have it then its the internet and a wait before you can get your hands on the item. My point is that they should add a point to this entry about Maplin being the only place to get certain lines if you want the items instantly.
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[edit] Electronics?
I think there should definitely be an entry regarding their stock, and moving away from specialising in electronics, which they definitely don't do now. You used to be able to buy all sorts of electronic components from the shop and they used to specialise in this. Now, they're targetting far more at the general market (and pretty much selling stuff that will make money rather than specialist components) - a perfect example is selling paddling pools and inflatable snowmen. With regards to Maplin being the "only place to get certain lines" in the comment above, this is blatantly no longer the case, Maplin are now mainly selling generic computer and electrical parts that are available everywhere (and often cheaper!) Davetibbs 12:47, 25 August 2007 (UTC)
Clearly, you have not grasped the point made, I once again state that certail products are only READILY available at Maplin. Sure, you can get everything they sell on line ( and cheaper as you say ) but that would require a wait for delivery. Hence, READILY. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.152.209.131 (talk) 22:38, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
[edit] rubbish
Rubbish. i work in maplin electronics. we still sell individual components like resistors, motors, ICs and we also still do electronic "self-solder" kits like FM radios as well as cable by the metre. These are readialy stocked in all stores in my area
As for skills, no formal technical training is given but IMHO at job interviews applicants with superior techincal knowlege will be treated more favourably.
As for the new image, yes we do seem to be becoming more mainstream. maybe we should add a section about the change of logo too? from a harsh red/blue to welcoming blue/white
- No, your reply is rubbish. I worked in Maplins 12 years ago and so the change of direction/stock is blatantly obvious to someone like myself. You used to be able to buy tons of individual components, kits but these have long been made "special order" items and replaced with cheap Chinese crap (inflatable snowmen?) which they can flog on for a quick profit. Maplin would rather you bought a 4 gang extension lead or an AV lead at 3000% markup than a 28p IC, especially if you're going to quiz the salesperson about it for 10 minutes. It has long been Maplin policy that only one "technical" person is needed in any one store (presumably, so all the temporary staff can just ask them any questions) which is why most of the people in my local store are not technical in the slightest. It's basically turned into what Tandy used to be before they were taken over by carphone warehouse. If you want electronics components now, you have to go to RS. Shame - but I guess it's all made OK by their "welcoming" logo, right? Davetibbs (talk) 14:29, 23 March 2008 (UTC)
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- While Maplin's do not sell a lot of the electronics they used to, and indeed do sell a lot more "cheap Chinese crap", in my experience pretty much the only general retail outlet where you can get capacitors or relays in various shapes/sizes. The above reply smacks of a pissed off customer who wonders why he can't get something he bought in the same shop a decade before; so Maplin's have changed, but the dictionary definition of accuracy has not, and your assertions are not accurate. The smaller Maplin's don't carry much of this stuff anymore, but the larger stores do still do individual components and the kits. Maybe not to the same extent anymore, but I had no trouble getting several electrolytic capacitors and a relay today. It seems to me that the above poster doesn't really know much about Maplin's today other than that it's not the same as 12 years ago. Wouldn't hurt if they could stock more than 2 of every component though. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.205.110.52 (talk • contribs) 19:21, 31 May 2008
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[edit] Staffing
Yes, Maplin do seem to recruit from the same "pool" as other retailers, but this isn't always a bad thing. Yes, Maplin do need some knowledgeable staff, but at the same time they need staff who can deal with customers effectivly and efficiently. A delicate balance is needed, something Maplin have not yet discovered. Also, they insist on bragging about recruiting internally. This does not happen, certainly from my point of view.
[edit] Romanian Store/Tax Dodge
Anyone who worked for Maplin remember a store listed on the internal lists and in the catalogue that was based in Romania? I'm reliably informed that no such store existed, and that it was some sort of a tax dodge? Can anyone confirm? Davetibbs (talk) 07:52, 14 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Maplin logo.jpg
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BetacommandBot (talk) 14:11, 8 March 2008 (UTC)
