Maplin "Insurers cast doubt over future of Maplin" (now CLOSING stores)

[bob225]

Been in to a local branch today - shop fittings are now for sale - its been well picked over, mix bags of components there asking way to much for even with 70% off, 50 pack of resistors £1

ex shop fitting figure of 8 mains leads - 2  quid each, what a joke

I did pick up some 2.5mm heatshrink 5M for £1.20 not too sad and its reasonable quality


The ones in Kent are going in the first 2 week in June

[CJay]

Oh for pity's sake, I'd just started to standardise on the storage boxes they have for all my bits n pieces, I bloody hope they keep selling them or I can find them elsewhere.

[bob225]

A few years ago I started getting the odd storage case I went for the slightly dearer Raaco boxes, Farnell, rapid and RS all stock Raaco luckily

[bd139]

Yep only buy stuff you can get more than one place if you plan on buying it again.

[Astrodev]

I was in Maplin's today and was talking to the manager who had apparently got a new job lined up with Homebase - so I would imagine he is not feeling too good this evening.

[tggzzz]

I was in Maplin's today and was talking to the manager who had apparently got a new job lined up with Homebase - so I would imagine he is not feeling too good this evening.

... Someone with his hand on the pulse of things.

Is there a name for a person that is an anti-pattern?

[Cerebus]

I was in Maplin's today and was talking to the manager who had apparently got a new job lined up with Homebase - so I would imagine he is not feeling too good this evening.

... Someone with his hand on the pulse of things.

Is there a name for a person that is an anti-pattern?

Usual Trevor, Nigel, Damien or Zac, depending on generation. 

[bd139]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsutomu_Yamaguchi

[NivagSwerdna]

Yesterday I was near Liverpool Street station in Londinium and passed a Maplin on the way home... there was a sign saying 9 days left and a guy on a loudspeaker pushing the "bargains"...

I bought 10x button cells for £2 in various sizes... I thought that was OK and a roll of labels for my Brother Label printer was lying around on the £1 shelf but at the checkout they sold it to be for 10p

They said various stock was coming back from other closed branches but to be honest there wasn't much worth having however if I find myself passing in another week I'll probably pop in for a look.

[Howardlong]

Yesterday I was near Liverpool Street station in Londinium

Ships that pass in the night... I am working on a job at Broadgate at the moment, and commute into Liverpool Street most days as a result.

[CJay]

And I shall be there tomorrow. Small world.

[bd139]

Indeed. I am there on Monday. Business meeting. Why the hell cant people just use Skype. Going to drive in and get shafted for NCP and congestion charge. Did too many years of tube.

[KJDS]

Indeed. I am there on Monday. Business meeting. Why the hell cant people just use Skype. Going to drive in and get shafted for NCP and congestion charge. Did too many years of tube.

Skype stops you extending the meeting into Dirty Dicks

[bd139]

Actually we’re in the compliance industry so that ain’t gonna happen

[Howardlong]

Indeed. I am there on Monday. Business meeting. Why the hell cant people just use Skype. Going to drive in and get shafted for NCP and congestion charge. Did too many years of tube.

Skype stops you extending the meeting into Dirty Dicks

Can someone explain to me the lure of Dirty Dick’s? I only ever go in that place when someone from out of town feels the need to dictate somewhere to meet. There are so many other much nicer pub options, for example Wetherspoon’s Hamilton Hall is a far nicer venue and even closer to the station, physically next door in fact. If you don’t mind a five minute walk, there are some really awesome proper unique pubs nearby, like the Swan or the Lamb in Leadenhall Market, or the Jamiaca Wine House (Jampot) or the Old Tea Warehouse to name but a few.

[bd139]

Not a fan of any of the pubs down there. Depends on context but we aren’t allowed to frequent such watering holes as someone got in trouble down there. Gives the wrong impression.

Honest Burgers is nice near Bank though. Worth the walk.

[KJDS]

Indeed. I am there on Monday. Business meeting. Why the hell cant people just use Skype. Going to drive in and get shafted for NCP and congestion charge. Did too many years of tube.

Skype stops you extending the meeting into Dirty Dicks

Can someone explain to me the lure of Dirty Dick’s? I only ever go in that place when someone from out of town feels the need to dictate somewhere to meet. There are so many other much nicer pub options, for example Wetherspoon’s Hamilton Hall is a far nicer venue and even closer to the station, physically next door in fact. If you don’t mind a five minute walk, there are some really awesome proper unique pubs nearby, like the Swan or the Lamb in Leadenhall Market, or the Jamiaca Wine House (Jampot) or the Old Tea Warehouse to name but a few.

It's become somewhat gentrified recently, but five or ten years back it was about the only place in the area that didn't mind a group of blokes getting properly drunk.

[Howardlong]

Not a fan of any of the pubs down there. Depends on context but we aren’t allowed to frequent such watering holes as someone got in trouble down there. Gives the wrong impression.

Honest Burgers is nice near Bank though. Worth the walk.

Back when I started work in the City, the drinking culture was rather different than it is today. Particularly when the US banks moved in in the mid 90s and took over, the lunchtime drinking thing pretty much disappeared, although it still pervades to some degree in the insurance markets around Leadenhall Market. Insurance, by the very nature of the need to spread risk, fundamentally remains a personal networking thing.

The City pubs used to close at 8:30pm when I started working there, I guess that gave enough time to sober up for the next morning, although typically for those of us working in the boiler room with a thirst on and not let out until 6pm, we headed into the West End after that. I can't do that now on a regular basis as I did in my 20s, I'm far too old and far too aware of my own mortality!

In the investment banks, it turned into a permanent case of watching your own back, everyone afraid to leave their desks for fear of missing a call from across the pond and you weren't there.

[Howardlong]

It's become somewhat gentrified recently, but five or ten years back it was about the only place in the area that didn't mind a group of blokes getting properly drunk.

Oh, I don't know about that ;-)

[bd139]

It has just gone a bit Nathan Barley.  In Hoxton I saw someone smoking a crack pipe pushing a double Quinny buggy around with two kids in it.

Not a fan of any of the pubs down there. Depends on context but we aren’t allowed to frequent such watering holes as someone got in trouble down there. Gives the wrong impression.

Honest Burgers is nice near Bank though. Worth the walk.

Back when I started work in the City, the drinking culture was rather different than it is today. Particularly when the US banks moved in in the mid 90s and took over, the lunchtime drinking thing pretty much disappeared, although it still pervades to some degree in the insurance markets around Leadenhall Market. Insurance, by the very nature of the need to spread risk, fundamentally remains a personal networking thing.

The City pubs used to close at 8:30pm when I started working there, I guess that gave enough time to sober up for the next morning, although typically for those of us working in the boiler room with a thirst on and not let out until 6pm, we headed into the West End after that. I can't do that now on a regular basis as I did in my 20s, I'm far too old and far too aware of my own mortality!

In the investment banks, it turned into a permanent case of watching your own back, everyone afraid to leave their desks for fear of missing a call from across the pond and you weren't there.

Yep. I was a bit of a later start in that space but the tales of the 80s-90s were hilarious and mostly centred around “well we started drinking here and....”. Then again I did some contract sql work for some currency traders in about 2001 and that was possibly the most mental group of people I’ve ever met.  Ended up being woken up by the fuzz in a skip once.

I am a boring sensible suit now.

[Towger]

Cleared out apart from the till counters.

[grumpydoc]

Yesterday was the last day for the last few stores.

May the soul of Maplin rest in peace.

[bd139]

In hell where it belongs 

[stj]

they wanted to be just like Tandy - and they managed!

so what happens with unsold stock i wonder.
comercial auction, ebay, skips?

[bd139]

It’ll probably turn up on a liquidator’s web site in a few weeks. Either that or they’ll sell it and the brand for a quid to a Phoenix company and start an online shite merchant. Like radio shack