Maidenhead

Made the trip to Maidenhead today and was realy taken aback!!!!! O.K the shop is brand new but the experience started as soon as you walked in the door. Bright and airy, spotless, with banks of tanks and shelves filled with ALL the accessories you could wish for. The staff are very polite and willing to assist.
I will only comment on what I am interested in and let others do the same, that way we can get an overall impression.

Reef set ups.
They are truley well worth seing. all tanks spotless the Fish, Corals and inverts all in Pristine condition
The range of accesories is vast, also the different brands, For once I had a choice, and not a case of what they had. for example I was after a Water testing kit as the one I had was to say the least rubish although a brand name . Maidenhead gave me the choice of 6 different brand names!!!
Fish prices were very good also the corals. live rock was the cheapest I had come across.
You also get a loyalty card saving even more.
It is well worth a day out for the family as you also have the Arbouretum alongside

I hope the rest of our sponsors take note as competition is now knocking on your doors. this can only be good for the members. I hope that Maidenhead continues along the route they have set out, at last someone has realised that it is better to offer a fair price and sell more than just selling at ridiculous prices.
This is only my oppinion and leave it to others to add there own comments.
Russ

I would definitely second that motion Russell, very healthy lookin fish , knowledgable staff and only 10 minutes from me gaff, Rob and the crew out there are doing a great job and it is great that they are finally a sponsor on the forum. It is always good to have as you say a bit of competition and as Maidenhead have shown from the plentiful fish lists that were put on the forum and the positive feedback from all, i think this shop will set a bit of a benchmark, Touchet Russell........

Nice Shop, nice Staff, clean healthy stock and low prices on some things but is that worth the trip? I will stick my Neck out and say, I don't think so. In my honest opinion, what the heck is the hype all about? An hour there and back, two tolls not to mention the Gas to get there and back and your contribution to global warming.

Take Aquarium solutions for instance, A small outfit, dedicated and friendly staff/owner, they serve a small percentile share of the hobby, they cannot avail of the bulk prices offered by large retail outfits. This store offers a fabulous get back to you policy, if not by phone then by text or E-mail.

Yes, we have all experienced the poor service, high prices and lack of interest in some Irish retailers but I really think the Tide has changed and the younger , new blood is making it's way to the top.

The recent big change in ownership in an infamous store is showing signs of a big turn around in practice and business behaviour. These guys are now paying attention to service, stock availability and prices.

There is always this attitude that the guys working in the trade are able to drop prices on the spot, to be buddies and give stuff away for free, I even got in the habit of trying to haggle for a better price.

Maidenhead is backed by the Mother Company in Britain, it would be easy to drop prices and squeeze out the smaller retailers and then bump the prices back up later. I'm not saying they will but....

People cried shame when big food companies came here bought out suppliers and ousted the local shop through low prices that they could charge because they bought in bulk.

I genuinely believe it is unfair to continually throw low prices up in the air as a way to gain extra custom, remember, if you decide to shop where it is cheaper the smaller retailers may disappear, then what? competition disappears and then what happens?

Apologies for venting but I know some of the staff and owners personally as many of you do. I hope , at times, I didn't appear to be rambling I'm still recovering from the long journey

My two cent for what that it's worth.

Kev.

you should have taken your private jet down kev:laugh:
i go to dublin fairly often as you know just to see some different "oddballs" as you get sick of the "bread and butter" fish an alot of shops.until maidenhead opened there was nothing in the south fishwise and i had to go to dub just to get frozen food.maidenhead is only 15 mins away from me which is handy.still its nice to check out other stores on a day out.

hopefully you will be over your jetlag tomorrow:laugh:
get a good nite sleep

I agree with you, I shudda said the trip from Dublin:blush:

The store was nice but no nicer than Seahorse or Aquarium solutions.

I just couldn't see the reason for the wow and oh my Gawd reactions.

Kev.

stretnik wrote:

Nice Shop, nice Staff, clean healthy stock and low prices on some things but is that worth the trip? I will stick my Neck out and say, I don't think so. In my honest opinion, what the heck is the hype all about? An hour there and back, two tolls not to mention the Gas to get there and back and your contribution to global warming.

But not everybody lives that far away. I made my first visit yesterday and was really impressed (I travelled from Dublin South side). Nice clean, well stocked tanks. The larger Marine fish were cheaper then I expected and as already stated Live Rock was the cheapest I've seen. They didn't have that much Marine fish in though, I'm guessing they must be due a delivery.

A great selection of dry goods, although they were lacking a bit again in the marine department. Some of the freshwater fish were excellent value and it kind of has me wanting to set up another freshwater tank.

I didn't like the big tanks that were down at ground level under the stock tanks. I can't see the point of them really, even though most of them were empty, there was a few Cardinal Tetra's in one and the tank didn't look very clean.

Overall very impressed and I'll be back, M50, Naas Road and M9 for me so a handy drive, but the distance is a bit far for regular trips (for me anyway).

Perhaps a bit of sour grapes coming in!!!! It's fair does for you that have the luxury of 4 or 5 shops on your doorstep & don't have to drive a 4 hour round trip. As for big company's I have traded with Maidenhead for more years than I care to remember and as for pricing increasing, well I don't think so.
At least the southern counties now have a LOCAL and I know where my custom is going.

the marine section is small alright
hard to compete with seahorse
but the freshwater is the biggest i have seen on my travels
great to have in the sunny south east

now you know what its like for us culchies from kilkenny havin to travel to croke park every september for the all ireland hurling final:woohoo: ye dublin football fans dont get there to often:laugh:

Sorry but sour Grapes intimates envy and I am afraid that isn't the case, Fish-keeping is my hobby, not my life.

I'm just tired of the superlatives directed at a newcomer while there are good stores throughout Ireland, We seem to trade allegiances at the drop of a hat, I'm pleased that those who were without a dependable outlet for a long time now have one and hope the Sun continues to shine there.

What you seem to have forgotten is my last post where I admitted to having forgotten to say that I was referring to driving from Dublin's Northside my reference is totally for the benefit or otherwise of Hobbyists living within the Pale, nothing else.

Kev.

I have to agree, it's a better selection of Freshwater fish of any of the Dublin shops..............

Gav,

I'd trade with you in a Heartbeat, I Looooooooooove Kilkenny.

Best place but bestest in Summer don'tcha know.

Kev.

good man kev
will bring you up that kilkenny jersey before the all ireland:laugh:

your now an adopted kilkenny man:laugh:

Yey..... 45 INCH CHEST!!!!!!!


Cash or Cheque?

Kev.

I am afriad the GOOD stores in Ireland are few and far between. As for value for money I am jut simply P*****d off with the Rip off's. I gave an example some time ago with a comparisons of the price difference in 3 shops selling the same stock/goods.
Fish keeping is my hobby also, and has been for well over 50 years.
I worked hard for my money and don't like giving it away.

i agree with you russell
we are lucky down here with maidenhead opening
for the guys in dublin it pays to shop around(with in distance)

rgds gav

stretnik wrote:

Yey..... 45 INCH CHEST!!!!!!!


Cash or Cheque?

Kev.

jesus thats some chest you hav kev
should be on page 3

freebie:laugh:
will i get the kilkenny team to sign it aswell:laugh:

Maidenhead is great for the south east, quality fish from our LFS........... Keep it Carlow........

Point taken. All I am saying, from the point of view of someone traveling from North County Dublin is, that there is new Blood in Dublin retailing Fish-wise . The cost of traveling to Carlow, a 150 km in total, in my car @ 8km per liter and the two Tolls, doesn't make it financially beneficial to save a few quid, unless I am buying a totally new setup and stocking it from there.

I will stress this one last time.

FROM NORTH COUNTY DUBLIN.

I do remember how difficult it was for anyone outside larger cities to get Electricity and indoor plumbing and that the rural/less developed parts of Ireland were left on the periphery, excluded from technology and business and I agree that it was unfair so kudos to you guys getting the long awaited service you deserve.

I don't mind spending Money but I am not stupid.

Kev

Jeez Gav, ur a breath of fresh air, ya always manage to make me laugh:laugh:

Kev

russell wrote:

I am afriad the GOOD stores in Ireland are few and far between. As for value for money I am jut simply P*****d off with the Rip off's. I gave an example some time ago with a comparisons of the price difference in 3 shops selling the same stock/goods.
Fish keeping is my hobby also, and has been for well over 50 years.
I worked hard for my money and don't like giving it away.

Can you define value for Money?

Kev.

any day we can have a laugh kev things are not to bad
life is to short we hav to enjoy it while we can

come on the cats
the drive for five:woohoo:

Good man Kev, brutally honest and pulling no punches. Keep it up . Its good to see the lads hear have somewhere decent to shop now though. As the place is only new Im sure the teething issues will be dealt with to make it more worthwhile for folks to make the journey. That said, with Aquarium Solutions and Seahorse both pretty close by I doubt Id make the trip on a whim. Might do it with a gaggle of fellow hobbyists for a day or something but when it comes to spending big bucks, I keep it local.

Jay

i live in cavan,have to travel at least a hour to get any fish and then may not find what u r looking for

you should pick up the phone first mate
i always ring the shops before i go to dub

Lets get a few points straight. Compare UK prices with the Republic. then convert the sterling to euro and you will see a great diffence. The euro in no way reflects the conversion table. Maidenhead has struck a balance between the two.
Secondly Maidenhead has only just opened not ALL stock has been priced up yet, The stock they opened with has fast deminished and if you read the site report they have a large shipment coming in. so be patient.
First impressions are excellent and I can't see a large organisation letting this opportunity slip by.
I am in no way attacking the Good stores in the Dublin area. but I would hate to think that there could be price fixing going on.
As for Value for money. well it saves me over 2 hours of travelling. No Motorways and they have a varied selection. The stock is first class, The prices as I said are between Euro and Sterlig, some in fact are UK priced, that has to be good.

It's horses for courses and i and it seems a few more are happy with Maidenhead.

For me competition is a Benefit to the consumer. Seahorse [/b]have a great set up but for me it's a bridge to far and a nightmare to get to. as well as distance.

Oh hum, here we go again, does anyone take the time to read previous posts? FROM DUBLIN CITY DUBLIN CITY DUBLIN CITY !!!!!!

I really do hope I am not rattling anyone's Cage but OUT OF DUBLIN CITY should suffice.

Now, a question, anyone here on the Forum got shares in this company?

Ooooh, I can hear blood makin it's way to an aneurysm.


Kev.