Maplin

Maplin have saved my life on lots of occasions.
When my minidisc broke three hours before an interview, they provided me with a new one and all the discs and batteries to go with it. When the microphone I had started to sound fuzzy and distorted, they recommend I use a computer one which was smaller, more discreet and cost a bargain £5. When my laptop started to slow down, they recommend a good external hard drive that would back everything up and make my Mac go faster.
The fact they did all of this quickly and smoothly means I’ll be going back next time I need new cables, computer equipment or electronics.

I decided to check out Maplin after a friend told me about a DVD player they bought there. I had a look around and did not find the item I recognised. I saw similar items but wanted some advice.
Unfortunately the only staff member I could see on the shop floor appeared to be chatting to another customer, and not about products, they definitely seemed to be flirting with them and chatting them up.
I waited patiently in their eye line for 10 minutes but I was still ignored and I left the shop very disappointed.

So you’ve got plenty of big DIY stores dotted in and around the city selling electrical goods and supplies. But what if one of your new goods needs a new fuse or essential component? Where will you run to then? Maplin of course! It’s the essential one stop shop for all the little fiddly electrical components that you can’t find elsewhere!
My old man swore by this place when he needed a little hand held Sat Nav for his boat fixing. He came online and rang Maplin directly from their website, and sure enough they had what he needed!
They do stock a range of home appliances but they’re better known as the guys that have the USB lead you’ve been after, or the HD cable that didn’t come with your PS3 from Ebay!
So don’t blow a fuse… buy one! Helpfully located bang in the centre of town, by the big TV. I wonder if they sell a universal remote I can change the channel with?

Far less lauded than other high street electrical stores, Maplin will often go unnoticed in many city centres and this store has benefited from many of the shops at this end of town moving to new premises closer to Liverpool1.
Maplin’s lower profile comes mainly from the fact that it is surprisingly more techy than your more domesticated Curry’s and Comet stores. Maplin focuses more on the components, switches and fuses that will help anyone proficient with electrical DIY as well as professionals and their choice of electrical goods therefore encompasses everything from speakers, DVD players and mobile phones to electrical testing kits, scanners and two-​way radios.
You can therefore expect that their staff know more than your average electronic store floor worker — phew!

Maplins is a fairly techy place to get random bits from ranging from DIY items to random kits that make personalised doorbell sounds. It’s a bit of a geeky place to be honest it’s hard to ignore!
This particular example has very helpful and knowledgable staff and stocks the regular array of products. Although Maplins must have a bit of a questionnable existence, because as a source for advice it is certainly a useful asset, but most answers can be found these days on forums online and it has become the worlds worse kept secret that everything technology wise is cheaper online.

Good things about Maplin —
1. The staff are really excellent; no question too stupid, no electronics related matter too complex. When it comes to helping out with your hardware problems or advising you on your hardware needs the staff are it.
2. Whatever you need they usually have in stock — from memory sticks to lighting rigs. What they don’t have they are happy to order in for you.
Bad things about Maplin —
1. The stuff in here is hugely overpriced. Paying £15+ for a HDMI cable (which connects blu-​ray players, Playstations and Xboxes to HD televisions) when you could get an almost identical one ordered over the internet for less than £3 including postage just seems daft. It’s not only internet prices — they wanted almost £20 for a 2GB SD card (which are used in most digital cameras) when at WH Smith i paid less than £7 for the same size.
2. The shop itself is a little bit baffling, with tiny information markers and unclear pricing. Maybe I’m just easily confused. In fact, that’s definitely true. Still though, it all could be made a bit simpler.