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Calumet files Chapter 7
http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...s-zero-notice/
-- Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , Usenet Account
wrote: http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...tcy-gave-emplo yees-zero-notice/ no surprise there. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , Usenet Account
wrote: http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...tcy-gave-emplo yees-zero-notice/ The negative comments about the company following the linked article. Sad for everyone involved, but it's not uncommon. Publicly talking about a possible closing guarantees you'll go over the edge; I can only assume the owners (perhaps foolishly, but optimistically) held out hope to the end. If anyone remembers the Camera Craft chain in NY/NJ in the middle 70's, that's what happened there. I was a store manager at the time, and wound up being chased out the door by the sheriff, who chained it shut. A couple of the managers who got wind of it the day before, basically brought vans and stole the stores empty. Far as I know, it was never even noticed. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , Scott Schuckert
wrote: The negative comments about the company following the linked article. Sad for everyone involved, but it's not uncommon. Publicly talking about a possible closing guarantees you'll go over the edge; I can only assume the owners (perhaps foolishly, but optimistically) held out hope to the end. there will always be negative comments when a store closes and people lose their jobs. however, anyone that didn't see it coming is blind. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/13/2014 1:56 PM, Scott Schuckert wrote:
In article , Usenet Account wrote: http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...tcy-gave-emplo yees-zero-notice/ The negative comments about the company following the linked article. Sad for everyone involved, but it's not uncommon. Publicly talking about a possible closing guarantees you'll go over the edge; I can only assume the owners (perhaps foolishly, but optimistically) held out hope to the end. If anyone remembers the Camera Craft chain in NY/NJ in the middle 70's, that's what happened there. I was a store manager at the time, and wound up being chased out the door by the sheriff, who chained it shut. A couple of the managers who got wind of it the day before, basically brought vans and stole the stores empty. Far as I know, it was never even noticed. You hit the nail on the head. There is no way a company in poor financial condition would let the public know, unless it was forced to. Suppliers would stop extending terms; the good employees would look elsewhere; and customer attitudes would change. I was litigating a case in Bankruptcy Court and ran into the owner of a local restaurant. The man was grateful when I told him that I never saw him. Later in the week we had a fight. I told him that I would never eat in his place again if he didn't let me pay for my food. I did let him buy me a drink. -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/13/2014 2:01 PM, nospam wrote:
In article , Scott Schuckert wrote: The negative comments about the company following the linked article. Sad for everyone involved, but it's not uncommon. Publicly talking about a possible closing guarantees you'll go over the edge; I can only assume the owners (perhaps foolishly, but optimistically) held out hope to the end. there will always be negative comments when a store closes and people lose their jobs. however, anyone that didn't see it coming is blind. Did you make a published prediction? -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
"PeterN" wrote in message
On 3/13/2014 1:56 PM, Scott Schuckert wrote: In article , Usenet Account wrote: http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...tcy-gave-emplo yees-zero-notice/ The negative comments about the company following the linked article. Sad for everyone involved, but it's not uncommon. Publicly talking about a possible closing guarantees you'll go over the edge; I can only assume the owners (perhaps foolishly, but optimistically) held out hope to the end. If anyone remembers the Camera Craft chain in NY/NJ in the middle 70's, that's what happened there. I was a store manager at the time, and wound up being chased out the door by the sheriff, who chained it shut. A couple of the managers who got wind of it the day before, basically brought vans and stole the stores empty. Far as I know, it was never even noticed. You hit the nail on the head. There is no way a company in poor financial condition would let the public know, unless it was forced to. Suppliers would stop extending terms; the good employees would look elsewhere; and customer attitudes would change. I was litigating a case in Bankruptcy Court and ran into the owner of a local restaurant. The man was grateful when I told him that I never saw him. Later in the week we had a fight. I told him that I would never eat in his place again if he didn't let me pay for my food. I did let him buy me a drink. -- PeterN The classic camera store is a thing of the past for most folks. We have two within a short walking distance of each other that we can go to: Cameta Camera and Berger Bros. I do like Cameta a lot and bought my first camera from them about 30 years ago. I'm not a fan of Berger Bros. Fortunately, Cameta is doing so well as an eBay business that they'll be around for quite a long time. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 2014-03-14 12:54:22 +0000, "PAS" said:
"PeterN" wrote in message On 3/13/2014 1:56 PM, Scott Schuckert wrote: In article , Usenet Account wrote: http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...tcy-gave-emplo yees-zero-notice/ The negative comments about the company following the linked article. Sad for everyone involved, but it's not uncommon. Publicly talking about a possible closing guarantees you'll go over the edge; I can only assume the owners (perhaps foolishly, but optimistically) held out hope to the end. If anyone remembers the Camera Craft chain in NY/NJ in the middle 70's, that's what happened there. I was a store manager at the time, and wound up being chased out the door by the sheriff, who chained it shut. A couple of the managers who got wind of it the day before, basically brought vans and stole the stores empty. Far as I know, it was never even noticed. You hit the nail on the head. There is no way a company in poor financial condition would let the public know, unless it was forced to. Suppliers would stop extending terms; the good employees would look elsewhere; and customer attitudes would change. I was litigating a case in Bankruptcy Court and ran into the owner of a local restaurant. The man was grateful when I told him that I never saw him. Later in the week we had a fight. I told him that I would never eat in his place again if he didn't let me pay for my food. I did let him buy me a drink. -- PeterN The classic camera store is a thing of the past for most folks. We have two within a short walking distance of each other that we can go to: Cameta Camera and Berger Bros. I do like Cameta a lot and bought my first camera from them about 30 years ago. I'm not a fan of Berger Bros. Fortunately, Cameta is doing so well as an eBay business that they'll be around for quite a long time. One of our last local bricks & mortar camera stores in San Luis Obispo, Jim's Campus Cameras had to close its doors last March. http://jimscamera.com -- Regards, Savageduck |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , PAS
wrote: The classic camera store is a thing of the past for most folks. exactly why it's no surprise calumet closed. those that claim to be surprised are blind to what's happening. certainly the workers there must have noticed there weren't very many customers anymore. it's rare that a camera store can offer services to where they can stay in business. We have two within a short walking distance of each other that we can go to: Cameta Camera and Berger Bros. I do like Cameta a lot and bought my first camera from them about 30 years ago. I'm not a fan of Berger Bros. Fortunately, Cameta is doing so well as an eBay business that they'll be around for quite a long time. they might close their store and be just an online seller. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
"nospam" wrote in message
... In article , PAS wrote: The classic camera store is a thing of the past for most folks. exactly why it's no surprise calumet closed. those that claim to be surprised are blind to what's happening. certainly the workers there must have noticed there weren't very many customers anymore. it's rare that a camera store can offer services to where they can stay in business. We have two within a short walking distance of each other that we can go to: Cameta Camera and Berger Bros. I do like Cameta a lot and bought my first camera from them about 30 years ago. I'm not a fan of Berger Bros. Fortunately, Cameta is doing so well as an eBay business that they'll be around for quite a long time. they might close their store and be just an online seller. They certainly can. If the store closed down, Bill Cameta will still do very, very well with his eBay business. He does a lot of business in used gear also. If it ever closes, I'll miss the place. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , PAS
wrote: We have two within a short walking distance of each other that we can go to: Cameta Camera and Berger Bros. I do like Cameta a lot and bought my first camera from them about 30 years ago. I'm not a fan of Berger Bros. Fortunately, Cameta is doing so well as an eBay business that they'll be around for quite a long time. they might close their store and be just an online seller. They certainly can. If the store closed down, Bill Cameta will still do very, very well with his eBay business. He does a lot of business in used gear also. If it ever closes, I'll miss the place. that's the point. many stores are no longer needed when it's easier to get products online. for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
"nospam" wrote in message
... In article , PAS wrote: We have two within a short walking distance of each other that we can go to: Cameta Camera and Berger Bros. I do like Cameta a lot and bought my first camera from them about 30 years ago. I'm not a fan of Berger Bros. Fortunately, Cameta is doing so well as an eBay business that they'll be around for quite a long time. they might close their store and be just an online seller. They certainly can. If the store closed down, Bill Cameta will still do very, very well with his eBay business. He does a lot of business in used gear also. If it ever closes, I'll miss the place. that's the point. many stores are no longer needed when it's easier to get products online. for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. That would be personalized expert service and the ability to handle the goods before buying. That's something the brick & mortar store still offers. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , PAS
wrote: they might close their store and be just an online seller. They certainly can. If the store closed down, Bill Cameta will still do very, very well with his eBay business. He does a lot of business in used gear also. If it ever closes, I'll miss the place. that's the point. many stores are no longer needed when it's easier to get products online. for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. That would be personalized expert service and the ability to handle the goods before buying. That's something the brick & mortar store still offers. but not necessarily at a competitive price. stores have an overhead that an online seller does not have and almost always have higher prices, sometimes by quite a bit. what ends up happening is people might go to a store to check out the camera or other product and then go order it online for much less. the store not only doesn't get the sale but they spent time helping someone buy elsewhere. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 14/03/2014 11:48 AM, PAS wrote:
"nospam" wrote in message that's the point. many stores are no longer needed when it's easier to get products online. for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. That would be personalized expert service and the ability to handle the goods before buying. That's something the brick & mortar store still offers. That's one issue that brick & mortar shops have faced for sometime now. People try out the product(s) in store tie up the sales person's time, then they go home and (1970-90's) mail order, or now, buy online. -- Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , Usenet Account
wrote: that's the point. many stores are no longer needed when it's easier to get products online. for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. That would be personalized expert service and the ability to handle the goods before buying. That's something the brick & mortar store still offers. That's one issue that brick & mortar shops have faced for sometime now. People try out the product(s) in store tie up the sales person's time, then they go home and (1970-90's) mail order, or now, buy online. the difference is that people can now get all of the information they need without going to a store, including watching online videos of someone using the camera, examine sample images taken in a variety of situations and much more. plus, many online sellers have generous return policies. a store needs to offer something to justify their existence, or they go away, as many of them have, with more to follow. for instance, a camera store could offer free loaner equipment, or maybe discounted lens rentals or something that a customer might actually want to utilize at some point. they used to make their money on film processing but that's all but gone now. otherwise, it's a far more pleasant experience to buy online and have it show up in a couple of days, or even the next day if needed, without any idiot salespeople trying to upsell you overpriced filters or other garbage. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , Tony Cooper
wrote: otherwise, it's a far more pleasant experience to buy online and have it show up in a couple of days, or even the next day if needed, without any idiot salespeople trying to upsell you overpriced filters or other garbage. Yes, and we know that no online retailer has *ever* tried to upsell over-priced filters. not reputable ones. there are sleazy stores too. big ****ing deal. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/14/2014 8:54 AM, PAS wrote:
"PeterN" wrote in message On 3/13/2014 1:56 PM, Scott Schuckert wrote: In article , Usenet Account wrote: http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...tcy-gave-emplo yees-zero-notice/ The negative comments about the company following the linked article. Sad for everyone involved, but it's not uncommon. Publicly talking about a possible closing guarantees you'll go over the edge; I can only assume the owners (perhaps foolishly, but optimistically) held out hope to the end. If anyone remembers the Camera Craft chain in NY/NJ in the middle 70's, that's what happened there. I was a store manager at the time, and wound up being chased out the door by the sheriff, who chained it shut. A couple of the managers who got wind of it the day before, basically brought vans and stole the stores empty. Far as I know, it was never even noticed. You hit the nail on the head. There is no way a company in poor financial condition would let the public know, unless it was forced to. Suppliers would stop extending terms; the good employees would look elsewhere; and customer attitudes would change. I was litigating a case in Bankruptcy Court and ran into the owner of a local restaurant. The man was grateful when I told him that I never saw him. Later in the week we had a fight. I told him that I would never eat in his place again if he didn't let me pay for my food. I did let him buy me a drink. -- PeterN The classic camera store is a thing of the past for most folks. We have two within a short walking distance of each other that we can go to: Cameta Camera and Berger Bros. I do like Cameta a lot and bought my first camera from them about 30 years ago. I'm not a fan of Berger Bros. Fortunately, Cameta is doing so well as an eBay business that they'll be around for quite a long time. Gotta put in another plug for Jimmy Koh. I deal with him as much as possible, and he has always been friendly, helpful, and honorable. -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/14/2014 11:07 AM, nospam wrote:
In article , PAS wrote: The classic camera store is a thing of the past for most folks. exactly why it's no surprise calumet closed. those that claim to be surprised are blind to what's happening. certainly the workers there must have noticed there weren't very many customers anymore. it's rare that a camera store can offer services to where they can stay in business. We have two within a short walking distance of each other that we can go to: Cameta Camera and Berger Bros. I do like Cameta a lot and bought my first camera from them about 30 years ago. I'm not a fan of Berger Bros. Fortunately, Cameta is doing so well as an eBay business that they'll be around for quite a long time. they might close their store and be just an online seller. they get a lot of local support, and they match Internet prices. -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/14/2014 11:36 AM, nospam wrote:
In article , PAS wrote: We have two within a short walking distance of each other that we can go to: Cameta Camera and Berger Bros. I do like Cameta a lot and bought my first camera from them about 30 years ago. I'm not a fan of Berger Bros. Fortunately, Cameta is doing so well as an eBay business that they'll be around for quite a long time. they might close their store and be just an online seller. They certainly can. If the store closed down, Bill Cameta will still do very, very well with his eBay business. He does a lot of business in used gear also. If it ever closes, I'll miss the place. that's the point. many stores are no longer needed when it's easier to get products online. for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. It's called personal service. -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , PeterN
wrote: for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. It's called personal service. most stores don't offer that, and of the ones that do, not that many people are willing to pay for it. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/14/2014 12:07 PM, nospam wrote:
In article , PAS wrote: they might close their store and be just an online seller. They certainly can. If the store closed down, Bill Cameta will still do very, very well with his eBay business. He does a lot of business in used gear also. If it ever closes, I'll miss the place. that's the point. many stores are no longer needed when it's easier to get products online. for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. That would be personalized expert service and the ability to handle the goods before buying. That's something the brick & mortar store still offers. but not necessarily at a competitive price. stores have an overhead that an online seller does not have and almost always have higher prices, sometimes by quite a bit. what ends up happening is people might go to a store to check out the camera or other product and then go order it online for much less. the store not only doesn't get the sale but they spent time helping someone buy elsewhere. Cametta & Jimmy Koh match Internet pricing, and give personal service. BTW B&H gives superb personal service and advice. -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , PeterN
wrote: BTW B&H gives superb personal service and advice. b&h is an online seller, unless you happen to live near there. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/14/14 11:07 AM, in article , "nospam" wrote: In article , PAS wrote: they might close their store and be just an online seller. They certainly can. If the store closed down, Bill Cameta will still do very, very well with his eBay business. He does a lot of business in used gear also. If it ever closes, I'll miss the place. that's the point. many stores are no longer needed when it's easier to get products online. for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. That would be personalized expert service and the ability to handle the goods before buying. That's something the brick & mortar store still offers. but not necessarily at a competitive price. stores have an overhead that an online seller does not have and almost always have higher prices, sometimes by quite a bit. what ends up happening is people might go to a store to check out the camera or other product and then go order it online for much less. the store not only doesn't get the sale but they spent time helping someone buy elsewhere. THAT is EXACTLY what people would do to me when I was a store manager for a local mom n pop store here. Even though, Nikon, Olympus and Canon would give us deals and quantity breaks in wholesale to us, folks would come in and waste hours of my and my staff's time and then leave and buy from B&H or some other mail order outfit back in the late 70's. Like you said, a local store doesn't stay in business without something. Even though we tried to discount the hardware to match mail order, we sold accessories like filters, cases and bags at full retail to help. The REAL money came from our photofinishing operations. Keep in mind "One Hour Labs" were not around just yet, but we could get a 24 hour turnaround with local printing and overnight Kodachrome, depending on when the customer brought in the film before courier pickup. Another pure profit area per square foot was a card rack we kept in a corner when the customer would first walk in. Today, the trick is having a large used equipment department. The only two surviving operations here in the third most populated county in the US thrive on this, along with VERY knowledgeable staff. 1. Camera Co/Op 2. Houston Camera Exchange Neither have web pages it seems but if Googled, one can find several favorable reviews. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , George Kerby
wrote: That would be personalized expert service and the ability to handle the goods before buying. That's something the brick & mortar store still offers. but not necessarily at a competitive price. stores have an overhead that an online seller does not have and almost always have higher prices, sometimes by quite a bit. what ends up happening is people might go to a store to check out the camera or other product and then go order it online for much less. the store not only doesn't get the sale but they spent time helping someone buy elsewhere. THAT is EXACTLY what people would do to me when I was a store manager for a local mom n pop store here. Even though, Nikon, Olympus and Canon would give us deals and quantity breaks in wholesale to us, folks would come in and waste hours of my and my staff's time and then leave and buy from B&H or some other mail order outfit back in the late 70's. you didn't offer them a reason to buy from you. people will generally pay a little extra when they get a little extra. what they aren't inclined to do is pay extra for the same service (or sometimes less). Like you said, a local store doesn't stay in business without something. Even though we tried to discount the hardware to match mail order, we sold accessories like filters, cases and bags at full retail to help. The REAL money came from our photofinishing operations. yep, and film processing is just about all gone now, so that won't work anymore. a local camera store near me tried setting up custom kiosks/printers for digital prints, larger than what someone could print at home, but that failed. they are no longer in business. Keep in mind "One Hour Labs" were not around just yet, but we could get a 24 hour turnaround with local printing and overnight Kodachrome, depending on when the customer brought in the film before courier pickup. Another pure profit area per square foot was a card rack we kept in a corner when the customer would first walk in. the one hour labs were fast. they weren't generally good. i used to use a local camera store that did excellent work, but it took longer than one hour. that was worth paying a little extra. Today, the trick is having a large used equipment department. The only two surviving operations here in the third most populated county in the US thrive on this, along with VERY knowledgeable staff. used equipment is a different market segment and a shrewd owner can do quite well if they know the value of equipment. on the other hand, there are those who overprice used stuff and i have to laugh at some of the prices i see. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , George Kerby
wrote: THAT is EXACTLY what people would do to me when I was a store manager for a local mom n pop store here. Even though, Nikon, Olympus and Canon would give us deals and quantity breaks in wholesale to us, folks would come in and waste hours of my and my staff's time and then leave and buy from B&H or some other mail order outfit back in the late 70's. Me too, with three stores that survived into the mid-80's. We had a used department, we had a public darkroom, we had rentals, we had a DIY mounting and framing area, we had a gallery, we had contests, we had free training, we had free friggin COFFEE - but at the end of the day, people basically sucked it up and bought from the big New York stores. Then of course they'd bring their new toy in for help or in-warranty repairs; at that point, the pretense was off, so they'd whip out a copy of Shutterbug before they buy so much as a filter. (Gee, bitter much, 30 years after I went out of business...?) The worst part was, the not-customers usually weren't really being mean or selfish - for the most part, it never occurred to them I had rent and salaries to meet: "Geez, Fred, it was seventeen damn dollars! I'm always here for you, and you don't even give me a chance!?" Then you'd get the blank look, and explain to them about profit and loss: "Doesn't Nikon pay you to demonstrate their stuff?" |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/14/2014 6:03 PM, nospam wrote:
In article , PeterN wrote: for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. It's called personal service. most stores don't offer that, and of the ones that do, not that many people are willing to pay for it. Just to be clear, we are talking about camera stores, not big box stores. If so, again you have demonstrated a total lack of knowledge. Tell us the factual basis for your statement bout "most stores" not offering service. -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/14/2014 6:05 PM, nospam wrote:
In article , PeterN wrote: BTW B&H gives superb personal service and advice. b&h is an online seller, unless you happen to live near there. that does not mean they are not a brick & mortar store that gives excellent personal service and advice. -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , PeterN
wrote: for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. It's called personal service. most stores don't offer that, and of the ones that do, not that many people are willing to pay for it. Just to be clear, we are talking about camera stores, not big box stores. no kidding. If so, again you have demonstrated a total lack of knowledge. Tell us the factual basis for your statement bout "most stores" not offering service. having shopped in them. if they offered service, they'd still be in business. very simple. most didn't and they aren't. many of the camera stores were more interested in closing a sale than helping a customer. often, the salesperson knew very little about what it was they were pushing. often, they push the product with the highest spiff and then push the filters, bags and other high markup crap. i remember one time i went to a relatively major camera store and i asked about a nikon slide copier for coolpix cameras. he told me there was no such product from nikon. i said oh yes there most certainly was. he insisted if such a product existed, he would know and since he didn't know about it, there was no such product. i told him to look it up in the catalog. he did and there it was, plain as day. now tell me again why i need to bother with idiots like that. and people wonder why so many camera stores are closing. heck, even staples is closing a bunch of stores because most of their sales are now online. things change. either the store adapts to the changes or they go away. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , PeterN
wrote: BTW B&H gives superb personal service and advice. b&h is an online seller, unless you happen to live near there. that does not mean they are not a brick & mortar store that gives excellent personal service and advice. it means that the vast majority of their customers do not shop *in* the store. it's also a hassle to buy there because it's so crowded. they are also the exception. most stores are not anything at all like b&h, which is why most of them are gone. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 2014-03-15 04:29:33 +0000, nospam said:
In article , PeterN wrote: BTW B&H gives superb personal service and advice. b&h is an online seller, unless you happen to live near there. that does not mean they are not a brick & mortar store that gives excellent personal service and advice. it means that the vast majority of their customers do not shop *in* the store. They are a global store, making sales to many nations. I shop at B&H online, I receive their catalog several times a year, and I have yet to walk through their front door. it's also a hassle to buy there because it's so crowded. There is a reason they are so crowded. On top of being a comprehensive media oriented store, they are a destination for many. There are some folks who travel to NYC just to go to B&H. they are also the exception. most stores are not anything at all like b&h, which is why most of them are gone. They are also not just a camera store, so there is a wide diversification among their customers. -- Regards, Savageduck |
Calumet files Chapter 7
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Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/14/2014 9:21 PM, Scott Schuckert wrote:
In article , George Kerby wrote: THAT is EXACTLY what people would do to me when I was a store manager for a local mom n pop store here. Even though, Nikon, Olympus and Canon would give us deals and quantity breaks in wholesale to us, folks would come in and waste hours of my and my staff's time and then leave and buy from B&H or some other mail order outfit back in the late 70's. Me too, with three stores that survived into the mid-80's. We had a used department, we had a public darkroom, we had rentals, we had a DIY mounting and framing area, we had a gallery, we had contests, we had free training, we had free friggin COFFEE - but at the end of the day, people basically sucked it up and bought from the big New York stores. Then of course they'd bring their new toy in for help or in-warranty repairs; at that point, the pretense was off, so they'd whip out a copy of Shutterbug before they buy so much as a filter. (Gee, bitter much, 30 years after I went out of business...?) The worst part was, the not-customers usually weren't really being mean or selfish - for the most part, it never occurred to them I had rent and salaries to meet: "Geez, Fred, it was seventeen damn dollars! I'm always here for you, and you don't even give me a chance!?" Then you'd get the blank look, and explain to them about profit and loss: "Doesn't Nikon pay you to demonstrate their stuff?" I patronize the local family owned hardware store. there prices are a bit higher than Home Depot, but the service is great. I go in, get what I need am an out in a few minutes. When I first moved into the area,forty years ago, I did not know what size I needed of something. The owner, gave me the part in two sizes, and said bring back the size that doesn't fit, and pay me when you come back. Today, I can still but one or two screws or bolts, and they will take my old one and figure out the size I need. I pay several hundred dollars a year more for our meds, because I think it's important to keep the small pharmacy in business. And they too give me service. OTOH I know where you are coming from. A friend of mine owned a shoe store, and people would come in for a fitting, then purchase the shoes on the Internet. camera stores, With one exception, our local stores match Internet pricing, and give good service. I leave it to PAS to say which one doesn't. -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/15/2014 12:29 AM, nospam wrote:
In article , PeterN wrote: for a store to survive, it needs to offer something you *can't* get online. It's called personal service. most stores don't offer that, and of the ones that do, not that many people are willing to pay for it. Just to be clear, we are talking about camera stores, not big box stores. no kidding. With you, history has taught me to make absolutely certain we are talking about the same thing. If so, again you have demonstrated a total lack of knowledge. Tell us the factual basis for your statement bout "most stores" not offering service. having shopped in them. You have shoped in "most stores?" if they offered service, they'd still be in business. very simple. most didn't and they aren't. you may be a decent programmer, but you are a lousy business analyst. many of the camera stores were more interested in closing a sale than helping a customer. often, the salesperson knew very little about what it was they were pushing. often, they push the product with the highest spiff and then push the filters, bags and other high markup crap. i remember one time i went to a relatively major camera store and i asked about a nikon slide copier for coolpix cameras. he told me there was no such product from nikon. i said oh yes there most certainly was. he insisted if such a product existed, he would know and since he didn't know about it, there was no such product. i told him to look it up in the catalog. he did and there it was, plain as day. now tell me again why i need to bother with idiots like that. Calument was not like that. and people wonder why so many camera stores are closing. heck, even staples is closing a bunch of stores because most of their sales are now online. things change. either the store adapts to the changes or they go away. So! What's your point. Calument matched Internet prices and gave reasonable service. There were other reasons, that I am not privy to, but I saw signs of. i will just mention one, in NY, they were flakey about running classes. -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/15/2014 12:29 AM, nospam wrote:
In article , PeterN wrote: BTW B&H gives superb personal service and advice. b&h is an online seller, unless you happen to live near there. that does not mean they are not a brick & mortar store that gives excellent personal service and advice. it means that the vast majority of their customers do not shop *in* the store. it's also a hassle to buy there because it's so crowded. Have you been there within the last ten years? If so, when? they are also the exception. most stores are not anything at all like b&h, which is why most of them are gone. -- PeterN |
Calumet files Chapter 7
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Calumet files Chapter 7
On Thu, 13 Mar 2014 12:31:07 -0400, Usenet Account
wrote: : http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...s-zero-notice/ That's very sad. (I've been pretty busy and hadn't heard about it until now.) Calumet has been very good to CIPNE ("Commercial/Industrial Photographers of New England"), whereof I think I'm still a member. Come to think of it, CIPNE isn't doing too well itself, I'm afraid. Anybody who could spare a few hours a month could probably take over as President, with the heartfelt gratitude of the membership. But anybody who blames Calumet for screwing its employees should get a grip. That's the way capitalism works, and is intended to work. That too is sad, but it's the way it is. Bob |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On Wed, 19 Mar 2014 22:32:54 -0400, Robert Coe wrote:
On Thu, 13 Mar 2014 12:31:07 -0400, Usenet Account wrote: : http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...s-zero-notice/ That's very sad. (I've been pretty busy and hadn't heard about it until now.) Calumet has been very good to CIPNE ("Commercial/Industrial Photographers of New England"), whereof I think I'm still a member. Come to think of it, CIPNE isn't doing too well itself, I'm afraid. Anybody who could spare a few hours a month could probably take over as President, with the heartfelt gratitude of the membership. But anybody who blames Calumet for screwing its employees should get a grip. That's the way capitalism works, and is intended to work. Rubbish. That too is sad, but it's the way it is. But not the way it should be. -- Regards, Eric Stevens |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 20/03/2014 4:50 AM, Eric Stevens wrote:
On Wed, 19 Mar 2014 22:32:54 -0400, Robert Coe wrote: On Thu, 13 Mar 2014 12:31:07 -0400, Usenet Account wrote: : http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...s-zero-notice/ That's very sad. (I've been pretty busy and hadn't heard about it until now.) Calumet has been very good to CIPNE ("Commercial/Industrial Photographers of New England"), whereof I think I'm still a member. Come to think of it, CIPNE isn't doing too well itself, I'm afraid. Anybody who could spare a few hours a month could probably take over as President, with the heartfelt gratitude of the membership. But anybody who blames Calumet for screwing its employees should get a grip. That's the way capitalism works, and is intended to work. Rubbish. That too is sad, but it's the way it is. But not the way it should be. Employees should be considered as secured creditors, and IMHO should have a level of protection. In an era where we see bank and wall street executives with gold and or palladium parachutes, while the working class gets nothing? There has to be some fairness. Don't give me that it's capitalism.. so sad too bad nonsense. -- |
Calumet files Chapter 7
In article , Usenet Account
wrote: Employees should be considered as secured creditors, and IMHO should have a level of protection. They are, to some extent. I don't recall all they details, but wages get a fairly high (but not the highest) level of protection. I've had companies go out from under me more than once, and I've always gotten at least some percentage of what was owed. Admittedly, it can take years. However, the outrage seems to be that employees weren't given any warning, and essentially told not to show up to work tomorrow, or ever. As I've previously said in this thread, that's entirely normal, and in fact more notice than I'VE gotten in same cases. |
Calumet files Chapter 7
On 3/20/2014 8:21 AM, Usenet Account wrote:
On 20/03/2014 4:50 AM, Eric Stevens wrote: On Wed, 19 Mar 2014 22:32:54 -0400, Robert Coe wrote: On Thu, 13 Mar 2014 12:31:07 -0400, Usenet Account wrote: : http://petapixel.com/2014/03/13/calu...s-zero-notice/ That's very sad. (I've been pretty busy and hadn't heard about it until now.) Calumet has been very good to CIPNE ("Commercial/Industrial Photographers of New England"), whereof I think I'm still a member. Come to think of it, CIPNE isn't doing too well itself, I'm afraid. Anybody who could spare a few hours a month could probably take over as President, with the heartfelt gratitude of the membership. But anybody who blames Calumet for screwing its employees should get a grip. That's the way capitalism works, and is intended to work. Rubbish. That too is sad, but it's the way it is. But not the way it should be. Employees should be considered as secured creditors, and IMHO should have a level of protection. They are to some extent. I am too lazy ot look the cut off up, butt in New York, management has limited personal liability for unpaid wages. -- PeterN |
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