They have been there since the dawn of time. I would go there for my bits when I was at school and…read moreI am now 57. They have the usual resistors and ICs but bins you can rummage in and find a something you didn't know existed but you know you are going to need sometime. Staff are well friendly as well as knowledgeable. Maplin has come and gone but these guys know their stuff.

Simply my first point of call if i need an electric cable, screw or obscure electric fuse of some…read moredescription. Fair enough, most larger items (mixers, teevee, CCTV, kettle etc) can be found cheaper online, but attentive customer service and an answer, if not product, for most queries.

Located on Liverpool's Lord Street, this branch of CeX is a decent sized store, albeit on the first…read morefloor you enter the store on it is slightly small. It specialises in selling second-hand technology such as consoles, games and even phones, where it buys from the public and then sells on. From the outside the store looks nicer and modern modern than other CeX stores, ditching the standard red sign and simply writing Entertainment Exchange with the CeX logo on the side, makes it has a nicer, more modern and higher class feel which is a smart idea I hope to see at more stores as that is simply what CeX stand for, to the point where it is one of my favourite parts of the store where it ditches its usual branding which I find hideous to something cooler. Going into the store the modern vibe seems to disappear, it is located up a large step and there are no lifts once you get into the store, so that's worth noting if you have trouble with them. The range of products available was decent, yet the store inside had more of a slightly cheap and more of a typical CeX vibe, not too modern, the overall cleanliness of the store also could have been improved drastically. Prices can be a little hit and miss, with some prices often costing the same to buy "new" elsewhere, CeX argue this is to give the person trading in or selling their used product back to them the best price, but in most prices one of the two prices isn't the best, so it is finding the balance to that. The store looks nice and inviting from the outside and it is in a good central Liverpool location, yet as you go into the store it doesn't scream a modern city centre location which I feel my closer branch Manchester Arndale in a way does, so I feel CeX on Lord Street only deserves a two-star rating due to the issues discussed.

CeX is a store where you can trade in your unwanted electronics goods (as long as they are in full…read moreworking order and in adequate condition) to be resold at the store. All items you trade in are fully tested to meet specific criteria, so there are no shortcomings when buyers decide to purchase pre-owned items. If an item you buy is faulty, there is a refund policy as long as you return the item with the receipt. I have been a registered member with the store for about 3 years and ever since, I have traded in many items (mostly dated mobile phones) as I often like to keep up with the trend when it comes to anything technology related! Once trading in, there is the option of 'exchange' or 'cash' but whichever you choose, there is not much difference in terms of value. It all depends on your preference. It's an ideal store for those who are into gaming, mobile phones, computers and mp3's however it if you decide to buy any of their goods, items will usually be more expensive than the RRP which in a way does not make sense because products are pre-owned; this is actually their way of making profits so be warned. Personally I would suggest this store if you wish to trade in for cash or want to buy second-hand games (these are always cheaper) but everything else is has a bigger price tag.

This branch of Maplin is a fairly small store, located in Liverpool city centre in what is classed…read moreas the Clayton Square Shopping Mall, it is also near enough opposite a Tesco Metro store and within a few minutes walk of St John's and Liverpool Lime Street (Train Station). The staff here didn't seem too friendly, and the overall vibe from the store wasn't great, it seemed slightly darker and old-fashioned and not a really nice place to shop. Maplin is an electronics retailer, and the overall layout of the store didn't show that it didn't seem bright, vibrant or modern as one would expect a store of its' nature to be. The store layout made it a little bit tricky to find things, and in a way it felt like they were selling junk in parts, which also worsened the vibe. This place had huge similarities between a small section of Clas Ohlson selling similar products, which is a Swedish department store chain with a few stores in the UK, including one a few minutes away also in Clayton Square, Liverpool. Overall, due to the poor service and the poor overall feel of the branch, this isn't a very nice place to shop and probably somewhere I wouldn't visit again, and would also advise people against visiting, sadly warranting a single one-star rating.

Good things about Maplin -…read more 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.

This branch of Game seems to have had overwhelmingly positive reviews since it was first reviewed…read more(and last reviewed) in 2010, which is great but sadly they seem to have slacked as over 6 years since this place was last reviewed, it seemed to have gone down-hill by a dramatic amount. This store has the decor of a former Game store, after the merger with Gamestation where both brands were later taken over and converted under the one name - Game. One thing which frustrated me about the store is the size, it was so small and is even smaller than other branches in much smaller cities such as Blackburn or Bolton, or even the Manchester Fort, which certainly is really bad for a big city like Liverpool, and there only branch as I recall. This branch is close to Mcdonald's, CEX and Ed's Diner in the Liverpool One and is classed as Lord Street. The store was so busy on my visit, despite being 8 days until Christmas how everything was dealt with was unacceptable, it was hard and you had to fight just to see a game, let alone pick it up making it near enough impossible, to get through the store and then look at what's on offer. I asked a member of staff whether they stocked a certain item, he told me yes after he went to check, he put it aside for me, but he has to keep going back to check certain things such as the price and the stock, and he took his time too, eventually I was just deciding to walk away as he had took so long, but he cam back asking for a price which was £7 more than the offer at Tesco and Amazon and £0.99 more than ASDA, which shows that Game offer high end pricing and pass them off as a good deal, they're certainly not a high-end store to warrant that, especially how it felt like a safe haven in a warzone because it was so small and crowded which are the main reasons this store is one to be avoided, rather than to go to, it just doesn't do well with crowds hence deserves a single one star.

Game is a great place for young and old alike who love video gaming. Most of the products here are…read morethe latest additions, so you'll usually find whatever you're seeking. If you're a die hard fan too, you can also become a loyal member where you'll gain benefits for purchases at the shop. The majority of games and consoles are a standard high street price but if you're on a budget, they do have pre-owned games too (these obviously tend to be a bit older) but are still in good working condition and usually ones in-demand. Plus, if you have any unwanted games or consoles, you can trade-in for cash or exchange. I once traded in an XBOX360 and received about 60% cash value of the price I originally bought it. And I chose to trade-in at Game because the cash amount was substantially more than competitive stores such as CeX and Cash Converters. Game at Liverpool One is a shop that has dedicated and knowledgeable staff to assist you. It is easy to see why Game is the UK's number one leading games retailer.

I like this Apple Store in Liverpool, it has got better of late, so an upgraded rating is surely…read moredue. The location is central, being on the upper floor of Liverpool One, next to John Lewis. The store has improved their staffing issues from my previous visits, they now have a satisfactory amount of employees working, who seemed very welcoming and friendly. As you'd expect from any Apple Store, they had a nice selection of the latest Apple products, I was able to take a look at the new Macbook Pro models, which are certainly one of Apple's most impressive products yet. The store could still be improved, to create a larger and more comfortable area for their Today at Apple sessions, although with this being a mall location, they could be limited due to the size of the store, which they have still worked hard to make look nice despite that. 4*

A beautiful store as expected from Apple. Helpful staff and lots of fun activities for kids.read more

Menkind is a little shop full of little gadgets and the perfect store for his gifts! The store…read moreranges from a variety of electronic items for novelty fun and some stuff educational; for example, I saw a hovering toy UFO in front of my very eyes and my word did it look so convincing yet this was no illusion; in fact, this was due to the laws of physics and electromagnetism as I knew from my studies! Well, I have actually learnt something unique and interesting from my days back at school!! The products are generally suitable for all ages from infants to adults and sells popular games and boys toys. This store is quite inviting to the eye and ideal for buying gifts for little and big boys!

I'm always wary of the kinds of 'big kids toys' places like Menkind sell and the sort of arrested…read moredevelopment they seem to encourage; we're breeding a country of man-children more interested in tinkering with polystyrene remote-controlled helicopters or playing around with miniature foozball tables than they are with trying to support their families. It's a serious problem. I'm seriously super-serious. As well as all those sort of easy stocking fillers and birthday gifts - beer glass cufflinks, Rocky bathrobes and Top Gear related memorabilia - there is a small selection of overpriced watches by Police and some far stranger items including the BBQ branding kit - "The BBQ Branding Iron makes customizing food from the outdoor grill easy" - I always fancied branding my meat before but it would have just been too difficult, thank the lord those days of eating meat without words seared into them are over. Fun for a look around but does anybody really want or need any of the stuff in here? Well, except the crossbow. I desperately need that.