Maplins - Total RIP-OFF merchants!

[Skint Gull]

Have used them for a couple of things before and remember thinking at the times 'that seems a bit pricey' but it was always easier than to go somewhere else.

Popped in the other night cos i needed a new adjustable power cable for my mums DAB radio, and a simple adaptor to plug 2 phones into one line. I checked with the assistant that i wasn't going mad because they wanted £20 for the power cable and £6 for adaptor.

Next day i phoned a local trade electrical outlet and picked up the power cable for 3.99 and the adaptor for 69p!

Just to recap:
Maplin - £26.00
TLC - £ 4.68

Like i say, i did expect to pay a little more in Maplin but thats takin the ****in piss, they must be making a 600-1000% mark up on some products!

Just thought i'd warn everyone cos i'm sure most people wouldn't expect that sort of difference!

 

[Fungus]

Same old story - you have to shop around. I've found Maplins cheap (and handy) for some stuff, like network cable kits.

 

[KneeOn]

Have used them for a couple of things before and remember thinking at the times 'that seems a bit pricey' but it was always easier than to go somewhere else.

Popped in the other night cos i needed a new adjustable power cable for my mums DAB radio, and a simple adaptor to plug 2 phones into one line. I checked with the assistant that i wasn't going mad because they wanted £20 for the power cable and £6 for adaptor.

Next day i phoned a local trade electrical outlet and picked up the power cable for 3.99 and the adaptor for 69p!

Just to recap:
Maplin - £26.00
TLC - £ 4.68

Like i say, i did expect to pay a little more in Maplin but thats takin the fuckin piss, they must be making a 600-1000% mark up on some products!

Just thought i'd warn everyone cos i'm sure most people wouldn't expect that sort of difference!

God they are awful. An ARM CPU 7 Inch netbook running WinCE. 200 quid. An 8 and a half hour battery life, 10 inch asus netbook running WinXP, 239.99 from amazon.

I've worked with the MIPS equivilent of that 7 incher, and thats 150 from there, 100 everywhere else. And its god awful.

 

[Northstander]

their holiday camps are crap too

 

[beorhthelm]

did you just compare a highstreet retailer to a trade supplier? and they make money this is how the economy works. you have the advantage of access to trade, most dont. compare what B&Q or Currys might charge, probably same or more.

agree above about their IT stuff, it is generally low spec for premium price, even PC World are probably better.

 

[clapham_gull]

I love Maplin, just to go in and browse around.

They sell Metal Detectors for f*ck sake.

 

[Billy the Fish]

I love Maplin, just to go in and browse around.

They sell Metal Detectors for f*ck sake.

Same here, I'm always tempted to buy some CCTV equipment. I don't need it of course, but it looks pretty cool.

 

[Sir Norman Gull]

Hi de Hi

 

[Left Footer]

Ho de Ho

 

[Insel affe]

Not keen on there sales staff uniform

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

 

[Skint Gull]

did you just compare a highstreet retailer to a trade supplier? and they make money this is how the economy works. you have the advantage of access to trade, most dont. compare what B&Q or Currys might charge, probably same or more.

agree above about their IT stuff, it is generally low spec for premium price, even PC World are probably better.

Errrrr...... no, thats pretty much my whole point! People don't realise that almost ALL trade places will do a cash sale to anyone, but unless you are in a trade and go into these places nobody knows it!

The other time we got that i forgot to mention was a HDMI cable that was £30 in Maplins but £8 at TLC. I own a retail showroom so fully understand the difference between a trade merchant and retail so don't appreciate the sarcasm, I was just pointing out that a 10x mark up is outrageous.

 

[beorhthelm]

maybe you need to speak to TLC about their promotion. the perception most trade places give is of trade only even if you do know of them. bring on the competition.

 

[Rowdey]

Errrrr...... no, thats pretty much my whole point! People don't realise that almost ALL trade places will do a cash sale to anyone, but unless you are in a trade and go into these places nobody knows it!
.

..but most trade places will happily rip off Joe punter if they blunder through their door too.

Travis Perkins and CEF are two example's of whose marked price is outrageous.

I recently had a CEF invoice, that gave me 98.5% discount on some 10mm T+E cable..and that was still high..!

 

[Rowdey]

maybe you need to speak to TLC about their promotion. the perception most trade places give is of trade only even if you do know of them. bring on the competition.

Think i've read this correctly, but from a trade perspective, we don't want trade outlets selling direct to consumer, and negotiating deals - too often it happens that they will offer my trade discount out to Joe Public, who will never use them again. Just undermines the whole point of supply and hits profits.

Just have to put up my day rate to cover it..