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#21
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B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with my help, unfortunately)
In rec.photo.digital.slr-systems David Nebenzahl wrote:
Lobby Dosser spake thus: Paul J Gans wrote: I have no idea what shopping will look like in 2015, but I'm quite sure it won't look anything like it does today. I can remember 20 or so years ago reading about what shopping would look like Today. Seemingly we were going to go online and design precisely the product we wanted - a 2.735 meter long couch, for example - and it would be delivered the next day. I still need that couch. Just as I'm still waiting for that backyard nuclear power plant ... Yeah, but you can't buy that at your local mom and pop shop either... -- --- Paul J. Gans |
#22
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B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with my help, unfortunately)
In rec.photo.digital.slr-systems Nicholas O. Lindan wrote:
B&H gives you what you want. Mom & Pop's Photo Shop gives you what you need. You can't always get what you want You can't always get what you want But if you try sometimes you might find You get what you need. M. Jagger/K. Richards All true. But in the end, mom and pop are going away. We don't have to like it, but we didn't spend enough with them to keep them going. -- --- Paul J. Gans |
#23
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B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with my help, unfortunately)
In rec.photo.digital.slr-systems Mark B. wrote:
"Matt Clara" wrote in message ... Yes, Castle Photo of Lansing, in business for over 25 years, is closing its doors. According to B&H's website, they've been in operation for more than 30 years. Castle Photo apparently didn't do something right. Once upon a time I had a number of local camera stores within walking distance. One was Adorama. Another was B&H (then on 17th Street). And the third was Cambridge Camera, well known to folks who bought from magazine ads as a group of slightly marginal ethics. Yes, I live in New York. I bought in person from all three. Cambridge had some knowlegeable folks working in their storefront and I was never ripped off or badly treated. Nevertheless, their storefront is now gone. Adorama has a small, crowded storefront and though the sales staff was nice, they were often too busy to deal with my touchy-feely desires. But they saw the handwriting on the wall and have a splendid web operation. B&H was then a couple of blocks away from Adorama. They too had a small storefront and very nice clerks. But even then they took the time to cater to each customer. That meant that I often had to wait a while for a clerk, but it was worth it. All the while, they grew their web business. In particular they have paid special attention to their web customers. Many of you have noted that Henry Posner of B&H is a sometimes poster in these groups. He used to be even more active a while back. Judging from these three (and a few other smaller stores that never really had a chance) what was and is needed for survival is both good walk-in karma *and* a strong, reliable web operation. B&H's current store is huge. It is certainly the largest camera store in the US and is perhaps the largest in the world. It is packed most of the time. And it is packed by not just natives like me who can walk to it, but it is packed by folks from around the world. They are all treated well. Certainly I'm treated well and they don't know me by sight at all. I think that both the walk-in and web aspects help B&H. They've been very clever, but mostly they have been doing honest business for a number of years. They will likely be around for many more. -- ---- Paul J. Gans |
#24
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B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with my help, unfortunately)
In rec.photo.digital.slr-systems David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Mark B. wrote: "Matt Clara" wrote in message ... Yes, Castle Photo of Lansing, in business for over 25 years, is closing its doors. According to B&H's website, they've been in operation for more than 30 years. Castle Photo apparently didn't do something right. I've been buying from B&H for more than 30 years. You didn't think "mail order" started with the Internet, did you? Thirty years ago New York was awash in photo stores. My favorite then was 47th Street Photo, which, oddly, was actually] on 47th Street... -- --- Paul J. Gans |
#25
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B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with myhelp, unfortunately)
Happy Traveler wrote:
With the states pushing online retailers to collect their sales tax (and some large retailers already complying), the equation is changing back in favor of the locals. I priced several carbon fiber tripods and ballheads yesterday in a local store, then compared to B&H. In most cases the difference was between zero and $10. And then there is shipping: the expense, the delay and the hassle if you are not at home when the brown truck arrives. Well, the solution to that is to shop places that don't use UPS. UPS sucks and is the most inflexible of all the delivery services. With FedEx everywhere I've lived I've been able to pick my package up at a FedEx or Kinkos the very same day I've missed deliveries. And the farthest a FedEx/Kinkos has been from me is 3/4 mile, UPS is far too centralized and the UPS depot is 15 miles through heavy traffic, and their hours are much poor. Greg -- The ticket******* Tax Tracker: http://www.ticketmastersucks.org/tracker.html Dethink to survive - Mclusky |
#26
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B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with my help, unfortunately)
Paul J Gans wrote:
bought in person from all three. Cambridge had some knowlegeable folks working in their storefront and I was never ripped off or badly treated. Nevertheless, their storefront is now gone. And their web presence is, well, Pathetic. |
#27
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B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with my help, unfortunately)
"=(8)" wrote in message ... Thats the problem with local shops they don't feel that they have to compete with the places on the internet. A local store here closed up after nearly 50 years because they didn't feel they had to compete. They sold everything at suggested retail, all sales were final even if a product was defective they wanted you to deal with the maker, etc. I told them that they can do that and stay in business and they couldn't now they are gone. We have one more store here a Shutterbugs they charge suggested retail for nearly everything, they too didn't have a return policy until I e-mailed them and told them that without a return policy I would have to continue to shop online so they now have a 15 day return policy though the stress that it isn't to be used to buy something, test it out and then return it if you don't like it. It is incase there is something wrong with the item (defective). It floors me how many local stores simply don't get it. I will always shop online when I can get a better deal. They need to understand this or they go bye bye plain and simple. I have no sympothy for businesses this stupid. This is a global world now when it comes to shopping we don't have to put up with high priced local stores with poor customer policies, support and before sale support. Screw'em is what I say if they can't keep up or are too worried about the extra couple of bucks. Most small stores do not get the price breaks from the manufacturer that the big online sellers get. That's why their prices are typically higher. It's not because they don't care, or "get it". Every business has a certain amount of fixed costs to cover: It costs XX dollars to turn on the lights, have phones, pay property taxes, etc. If a store sells one $500 camera a day, the profit from that camera has to cover the fixed costs. If the store sells 10 $500 cameras a day, each camera's profit only has to cover 1/10 of the fixed costs. It does not take ten times as many employees to sell ten cameras as it takes to sell one. The big online sellers have a larger customer base and can afford a smaller profit on each sale. |
#28
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B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with my help, unfortunately)
On Sun, 27 May 2007 03:54:39 +0000 (UTC), Paul J Gans wrote:
Thirty years ago New York was awash in photo stores. My favorite then was 47th Street Photo, which, oddly, was actually] on 47th Street... I bought a lot of stuff there, but oddly, no camera gear. If there was ever a time when their business was primarily photographic, it must have been long before I discovered them, which IIRC was some time in the 1980's. |
#29
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B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with my help, unfortunately)
"Rita Ä Berkowitz" ritaberk2O04 @aol.com wrote in message ... David Nebenzahl wrote: snip o spending money in your own community, instead of enriching someone else out of town TOTALLY IRRELAVANT! I don't believe in passing out subsidies nor do I feel I have an obligation to enrich a local merchant. The merchant need be very competitive if they want loyalty and a chance at survival. Spending money in my local community does the following: -- provides employment for other local people who would otherwise have to drive miles to work elsewhere. -- provides a tax base to pay for essential services such as police, water, sewer, etc -- allows local merchants to support organizations that enrich the local community (churches, civic groups, scouts, etc) -- brings more business to my local business. Follow the logical conclusion: if all the local merchants in your area close down, what will your community be like? Deserted buildings? Homes for vermin (both four foooted and two footed)? No money for municipal services? Whenever possible, I will buy from the hardware store down the street rather than Home Depot ten miles (and a county) away. |
#30
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B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with my help, unfortunately)
"Lobby Dosser" wrote in message news:SC16i.121$J76.65@trndny03... Paul J Gans wrote: I have no idea what shopping will look like in 2015, but I'm quite sure it won't look anything like it does today. I can remember 20 or so years ago reading about what shopping would look like Today. Seemingly we were going to go online and design precisely the product we wanted - a 2.735 meter long couch, for example - and it would be delivered the next day. I still need that couch. UPS delivered it to my place by mistake. You really picked an ugly fabric! |
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