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N_Cook N_Cook is offline
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Default clueless shop staff

On 02/05/2014 08:13, Adrian Tuddenham wrote:
Gareth Magennis wrote:

"Mike" wrote in message ...

In article ,
Gareth Magennis wrote:

In the UK we have a chain of shops called Maplin, which sells electronic
goods and components.
I detest having to go there, because it is full of expensive crap, and
worse, the staff have no clue what they are talking about yet pretend they
do.


[snip]

That's why I detest Maplin.


It didn't used to be like that. When the shops first opened they had
staff that were very helpful, knowledgeable, helped customers design
stuff on the back of an envelope and then sell them the bits.

At some point it became a toy shop, with some electronics parts kept
in the little room down the back, where the odd people go. I suppose
changing times and all that

Once it got to the "strong possibility that if you need more than
two of any component, we don't have them" stage it became clear that
their stock control department hated the shops!






I know it didn't used to be like that.

I used to go to the only shop they had, in Westcliff.
I bought and built a String Synthesiser kit from that shop, and the staff
there were true enthusiasts and very helpful.


Which is probably why I hate so much what they have now become.
It's really very embarrassing to experience that.


The permanent staff at their Bath branch are usually pretty
knowlegeable; some of the 'temps' aren't quite so clued-up, but they
are generally enthusiastic. Most importantly, none of them have tried
to pretend they understand things that they don't and nobody has ever
tried to bull**** me.



They have been conducting the Beeching way of economics (cut the railway
service frequency so fewer people use the service , so they can then
close the line citing lack of use). Since they doubled the price of 2W
MO resistors and 16mm pots I never go in there for such. But I do get
the odd computery sort of item and whoever serves me those, obviously
knows more about it than I do.