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Where To Get Sets and Parts For discussions about swapmeets, rallies, NVCF and BVWS, car boot sales, antique and charity shops, dealers, newspaper adverts, the local tip and just about any other source of equipment (other than eBay). |
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14th Mar 2018, 9:16 am | #281 |
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 22,903
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Re: Maplin stores
Tandy were the first ones I noticed getting insistent on collecting personal information.
I always gave them 1601 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, District of Columbia. It seemed appropriate. My fallback in case they insisted on a UK address was a tribute to British radio comedy: Mrs Hilda Gronk, 48 Ironside Terrace, Scunthorpe. Tandy and the later Maplins were parallel in so many ways, except Tandy was a franchise operation. David
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Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done |
14th Mar 2018, 9:23 am | #282 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,687
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Re: Maplin stores
A good point. Data and the inability for humans to discard the bad bits of it might actually be the cause of this mess to start with. My one spell in retail was when I worked for a new Homebase store in the 1990s for a few weeks as a student. This wa opened on the basis that information collected from other stores said people were travelling too far and wouldn’t spend as much money. On the fanfare opening day, total sales were £230. Ultimately after having an Argos integrated into it recently it closed. It was always empty. I wonder how long that mess was propped up by other stores.
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14th Mar 2018, 10:19 am | #283 |
Administrator
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Cardiff
Posts: 9,073
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Re: Maplin stores
I just declined to give my personal information, and they still sold me the products. Though like many I haven't bought much from them in years.
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14th Mar 2018, 1:26 pm | #284 |
Nonode
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Tintinara, South Australia, Australia
Posts: 2,343
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Re: Maplin stores
We have a national chain that keeps wanting all that sort of info, for "warranty purposes".
Yeah, right. I just ask them if they want my money or not, they aren't getting anything else. |
14th Mar 2018, 1:51 pm | #285 |
Banned
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Location: Middlewich, Cheshire, UK. & Winter in the Philippines.
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Re: Maplin stores
I wonder if sometimes the men in suits at the boardroom table lose sight completely of what they are there for.
I have seen many cases of this aberrant behaviour, usually by the accountants in "re-organisations". Several good companies have gone to the wall in the last 10 years in a similar fashion, (BHS?) some have survived the trauma, just (Tesco?) |
14th Mar 2018, 2:57 pm | #286 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Solihull, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 4,872
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Re: Maplin stores
About 30 years ago the business schools started propagating a false meme, that 'business' was an academic field and a skill in its own right. To succeed you just needed a highly-paid MBA at the helm; domain knowledge could be hired in and treated like dirt. The results of this policy are visible all around us.
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14th Mar 2018, 3:00 pm | #287 |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Resolven, Wales; and Bristol, England
Posts: 2,614
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Re: Maplin stores
Hear, hear.
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Richard Index: recursive loop: see recursive loop |
14th Mar 2018, 3:38 pm | #288 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 14,009
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Re: Maplin stores
Quote:
Businesses going-bust proves that the market-economy is working. Evolution demands extinction; let's not grieve over the fate of the dinosaurs. |
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14th Mar 2018, 4:05 pm | #289 | |
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Re: Maplin stores
Quote:
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14th Mar 2018, 4:49 pm | #290 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Royal Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 471
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Re: Maplin stores
Just been on the Maplin website ... a pop-up asked if I'd like to 'share my location' (Erm, I already do, wife, kids, cats, old radios & classic cars is more than enough!)
Then another 'nag', would I like to complete a feedback survey? Bit late, isn't it? The store in Reading (no idea if it has signs up etc, it's too far away to have a nosy), I bought a set of phono sockets, some fuse holders & a power switch ... less than £15, about 4 years ago, they still requested my contact details ... Another retailer on the same park who can supply & fit wiper blades and bulbs ... BULBS? As in, Daffodils, Tulips & the like? I think they mean, lamps ... they always ask for contact details ... I always refuse ... They once asked if they could fit said items to my car, it was only when the chap 'donned' the hi-viz I confessed to the car being 15 miles away & wasn't actually outside ... As for businesses failing, trouble is, at certain levels, the people are only working on the very things they're being measured on, and usually, it's not the business! (Cannot remember the term for it now ... something to do with metrics). More often than not, they don't understand the business model & loose sight of who the customer is. Mark |
14th Mar 2018, 5:43 pm | #291 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Royal Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 471
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Re: Maplin stores
KPI's, that's what I was thinking of, Key Performance Indicators ...
The sort of people who are rather pleased at holding 'Kaizen' events, drawing business maps to discuss a strategic plan going forward, EBITDA etc, lean, 6 sigma, then discuss lower level objectives, Gemba (where work is done or, the shop floor) to identify 'wastes' ... though not actually speaking (you'll note) to the workers. This, is what 'they're' measured on ... who ever 'they' are I wonder how many Kaizen events were held at Maplin HQ? Mark |
14th Mar 2018, 6:50 pm | #292 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,687
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Re: Maplin stores
Ack. Been through six sigma before. Could be right. Fad management is dangerous.
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14th Mar 2018, 9:51 pm | #293 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cottingham, East Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 5,768
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Re: Maplin stores
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David. BVWS Member. G-QRP Club member 1339. |
14th Mar 2018, 10:36 pm | #294 |
Hexode
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Northampton, Northants, UK.
Posts: 380
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Re: Maplin stores
My current SLA is whenever I get round to it.
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15th Mar 2018, 1:47 am | #295 | |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK.
Posts: 708
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Re: Maplin stores
Quote:
dramatic conversation on radios(one was obviously some distance away) about a shoplifter...now considering they follow you around everywhere I considered the absurdity of the situation and thought at the time 'you cannot run a business like this it's mad' |
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15th Mar 2018, 10:33 am | #296 |
Heptode
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Heysham, Lancashire, UK.
Posts: 669
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Re: Maplin stores
I heard a company "mission statement", I believe from Sir William Lyons of Jaguar fame but it applies to any company, that "The fundamental aim is to make money by satisfying customers"
You need both parts. Stuart |
15th Mar 2018, 10:51 am | #297 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Southport, Merseyside, UK.
Posts: 646
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Re: Maplin stores
I have recently purchased items from the local Maplins store and found their
staff extremely helpful. The things I want are often not in stock but if you have the stock numbers to hand, the assistant will load the numbers into the till and they will be delivered to your home address with a few days without extra charge. My nearest stores are in Liverpool which is quite convenient. Maplin have three stores in Liverpool; one in the city centre, the other two in the suburbs. This seems an expensive overhead to me and if replicated in other cities it must contribute to Maplin's financial woes. Last edited by rontech; 15th Mar 2018 at 10:52 am. Reason: typo |
15th Mar 2018, 12:34 pm | #298 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Oxfordshire/Bucks borders, UK.
Posts: 1,604
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Re: Maplin stores
How much did the MT2017 multimeter used to sell for say 6 months ago as I've been thinking about buying one for maybey the past 6 months or so and since they are closing, I thought now is the time to buy one, so bought two.
Web order only so won't know how much I like them until I get them.
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Avometer, vintage Fluke and Marconi collector. Also interested in vintage Yaesu and KW. |
15th Mar 2018, 2:21 pm | #299 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Surrey, UK.
Posts: 4,400
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Re: Maplin stores
It seems that, up until around 7th March, it was £10 plus post, now down to £7 (I refuse to be hoodwinked by the £x-99 game....). I bought one a couple of years ago, it's not at all bad.
There may be a rush for the remaining ones at that price, it would be difficult to find a 50uA movement alone for that! |
15th Mar 2018, 10:27 pm | #300 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 1,740
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Re: Maplin stores
They are definitely closing all the stores, there was a closing down sale advert in the newspaper today, still only "up to 50% off" though.
David |