Re: FW: The demise of Maplin

[Nigel Orr <nigel@xxxxxxx>]

At 00:37 20/10/00 +0100, you wrote:

I should start (and not just to appease the Maplin staff member on the
list!) by saying that the Newcastle Maplins still seems to be holding out
against the tide and stocking a reasonable selection of components from the
dwindling catalogue ... but it seems to be a losing battle, according to
folk I've spoken to there, which is a shame.

>Thing is, who is left? are Cirkit still trading? Bull Electrical was
never
>that great, and seems to be hawking everything under the sun these
days...

I think Cirkit are still around- I'm sure I saw their catalogue in WH
Smiths recently.  Never did use them though.

Rapid are definitely worth looking at, reasonable range, good prices
(especially on PICs, cheapest I've seen), but the catalogue index is poor.
Farnell are good, I'd go for them as a 'main' supplier, but there's no way
of non-account folk putting in small orders- it's not that they charge
extra for them, you just can't place them!  IME, they're best for fast
deliveries, almost always next day.  One of my colleagues once ordered
something at 10am for home and went home _that evening_ to find it had been
delivered!
RS are a useful catalogue to have, but IME usually not the cheapest.  They
have a 'retail' arm called electrovalue, same prices, same catalogue, but
aren't fussy about who they sell to!
CPC are useful, particularly for manufacturers spares, but still manage to
keep their catalogue 'pinned down' to trade only.  My first memory of them
was a cross phone call from them, about 15 years ago, when they found out I
wasn't trade, and almost refused to sell me a replacement membrane for my
Spectrum+ keyboard- they've relaxed considerably since then!!!

I think that's all the ones I use regularly- I'd be interested to hear of
any others.  I no longer order from Maplin directly, but if I need
something urgently, I try the shop and they quite often have components in
stock.

Nigel


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