Bob, I agree with your bitter comment on Maplin, a good idea but wreaked by financial stupidity. Potentially hugely profitable and with a real chance of being a useful addition to the hobbiest’s tool box, it became a financial black hole. Loaded with ever more high interest and totally pointless debit as each previous owner sold on to another foolish ‘investor’ who saw only the gross margin that was being made, not realising that a 60~75% margin was being swallowed by the interest that ensured a no hope situation.
Our local PC World has been a right ‘curates egg’, cheaper than Maplin sometimes holding interesting or useful stock, but with a staff who ranged between mildly helpful at the good end to rather dumb sales pushers and commission hunter/harvesters at the other. As Dave said, most are technically devoid of anything useful.
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