![\"Maplin](\"https:\/\/www.diaryofanadi.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/maplin.png\" "\\"Maplin")
Back in the day, when I first got into technology, the go-to place for all your bits and pieces was Maplin Electronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBack in the day, when I first got into technology, the go-to place for all your bits and pieces was Maplin Electronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back then, pretty much all they supplied was electronic components, and it was all done through mail order using order forms, with items being selected from a catalogue which rivalled the old-style phone directories in size. When I was very young, the Dandy or Beano annuals were the most eagerly anticipated publications of the year. If you were into electronics, the new Maplin catalogue was the thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maplin was the cheapest source of small quantities of components to the hobbyist. It also had the most extensive range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I built my first AM radio receiver from a Maplin circuit (making my own printed circuit board). I also built my first modem from a Maplin kit – a 300 baud device in a large blue box (I might still have it somewhere). I also built or repaired dozens of other things thanks to them, and learned a lot, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I got older, and computers appeared on the scene, I spent less time building varied circuits and began to focus on computer-specific ones. As more time passed, there was an ever-declining need to build anything at all. This shift affected Maplin, and they branched out into retail consumer electronics. In those early days of supplying components, I think they only had two actual shops, and I dreamed of one opening near me. Nottingham has two Maplin stores now, and there are 217 around the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my opinion, a large part of the problem was that most of the stuff they began selling was overpriced and non-branded. You could get better for much less money online. Electronic components were still available, but hidden in the back of the store, and the range was drastically reduced – even more so if you wanted it to be in stock right now for an emergency. And the staff were not always as helpful as you’d expect. I remember one time not that long ago waiting to be served at the click-and-collect in one branch, and the staff repeatedly walked past me, looked at me, and ignored me as they congregated in a group on the other side of the shop floor (until I yelled across that I was waiting to be served). Don’t get me wrong – other times they were great… but not always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if only for the sake of nostalgia, it was a shame to hear that they have gone into administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Irrespective of my own potted history linking to their current situation, Maplin as a retailer has been hit hard by the fall in the value of the GBP due to Brexit. Indeed, Brexit is cited as a significant factor in their collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n