B&H puts another local camera store out of business (with my help, unfortunately)

Yes, Castle Photo of Lansing, in business for over 25 years, is closing its
doors. I did buy all my darkroom chemistry from them, but B&H and all the
rest (meaning Adorama and a couple others) can't be beat for most items,
including paper, even though it commands a premium in shipping 'cause it's
quite heavy. Castle Photo was a great resource, though (if you talked to
the right individuals), and I will miss them.

The one good thing to come out of this is great sale prices as they seek to
dump their inventory. I picked up a bunch of stuff there yesterday for
40-50% off, including this ballhead for my medium and large format
equipment:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/sitem/sku=272989&is=REG (cost me $75--they
normally charged $125 for it). Also, a couple filters, some photo paper,
two fidelity 4x5 holders, a strobo frame reflective light modifier, and a
couple other odds and ends. Paid $250 for what would have cost me $450 (at
their prices, anyway).
Yes, yes, I know--I'm part of the problem.

--
www.mattclara.com

Matt Clara wrote:
Yes, Castle Photo of Lansing, in business for over 25 years, is
closing its
doors. I did buy all my darkroom chemistry from them, but B&H and
all the
rest (meaning Adorama and a couple others) can't be beat for most items,
including paper, even though it commands a premium in shipping 'cause
it's
quite heavy. Castle Photo was a great resource, though (if you
talked to
the right individuals), and I will miss them.

The one good thing to come out of this is great sale prices as they
seek to
dump their inventory. I picked up a bunch of stuff there yesterday for
40-50% off, including this ballhead for my medium and large format
equipment:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/sitem/sku=272989&is=REG (cost me $75--they
normally charged $125 for it). Also, a couple filters, some photo
paper,
two fidelity 4x5 holders, a strobo frame reflective light modifier,
and a
couple other odds and ends. Paid $250 for what would have cost me
$450 (at
their prices, anyway).
Yes, yes, I know--I'm part of the problem.

We're all part of the problem, but I don't think B&H is the culprit.
There is a general decline in the number of people who do darkroom work.
There is a general decline in the number of people who do prints at
the store. People are getting great (to them) photography from P&S
cameras and they can send the files to Wal*Merde and drugstore chains,
and others and pick up their $0.19 prints the next day... this after
doing whatever suits them in photoshop...

The two store/labs closest to me have closed, one was an E-6 processor.

A third store, a Nikon specialist, is now an "Apple Authorized Reseller"
and the Apple area of the store is about 2/3 of the customer walkin
area. They also process E-6. They do stock 120 negative but not 120 E6...

The times they are a changin and it is due to the internet, digital and
the fast paced lives that people live.

Cheers,
Alan

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.

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.

=(8)

In rec.photo.digital.slr-systems "=\(8\)" wrote:
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.

I agree with you about what is going on, but I think you
miss something important. A dealer that can order 1000
of a given lens will get a better price than a dealer who
orders 5.

The local guys will always have higher prices than the volume
sellers.

That battle has, in my opinion, already been lost by the locals.
The next battle will be over delivery systems and buying from
the on-line store with the best reputations *and* the best
delivery systems.

--
--- Paul J. Gans

In article , 8\
wrote:

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.

Well... if your local store charges list and didn't allow returns,
that's pretty extreme; BUT:

A small local camera store can never really compete on price. The
economics of purchasing and business expenses make it impossible.
They'll ALWAYS be higher, and must find ways to justify it; hopefully
ways that are cheaper than simply lowering the price.

This can be a better showroom, more knowledgeable employees; heck, even
a lounge/gallery with free coffee. All trying to win the customer's
business and loyalty.

And you know what? None of it means anything. Every year, customers pay
less and less attention to anything but the absolute lowest price. The
result is that the customer will never be able to handle cameras before
purchase, or ask questions after, because the local camera stores are
gone.

Does that make price conscious consumers part of a problem? Not really;
they're just voting for what kind of buying experience they want, and
will get.

Me, I wish it was otherwise, but my stores closed a long time ago. Much
as I loved the business, and honor the current survivors, the small
local camera store is a "dead business walking."

"=(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.

Ken Hart wrote:
"=(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".

Harvard Camera (that had a thread a while ago in one of the groups I'm
in) once told me they paid more for that model slide projector than the
advertised price at Caldor, and I should definitely buy it there.

David Dyer-Bennet writes:

Harvard Camera (that had a thread a while ago in one of the groups I'm in)
once told me they paid more for that model slide projector than the
advertised price at Caldor, and I should definitely buy it there.

And if memory serves they went out of business within the last year. It was
always somewhat sad when I went in there, where they didn't usually have stuff
that I wanted. So now, if I want to try stuff out or talk to a salesman, I
drive into Melrose to go to Hunts.

--
Michael Meissner
email:
http://www.the-meissners.org

Michael Meissner wrote:
David Dyer-Bennet writes:

Harvard Camera (that had a thread a while ago in one of the groups I'm in)
once told me they paid more for that model slide projector than the
advertised price at Caldor, and I should definitely buy it there.

And if memory serves they went out of business within the last year. It was
always somewhat sad when I went in there, where they didn't usually have stuff
that I wanted. So now, if I want to try stuff out or talk to a salesman, I
drive into Melrose to go to Hunts.

I was living in Hudson MA from 1981-1984, and used Harvard Camera then.
Back at that point they were looking fairly healthy. I've still got
the darkroom stuff I bought from them, including a 4x5 enlarger that
will probably never be set up again (I think we're past the point where
I can sell it to somebody who really wants to use it).

Wow, I don't know where to start. Retail is not about the
lowest price and has never been about the lowest price. A
mail order or online store simply doesn't have the overhead
that a retail store has and can sell on a much lower margin.

BUT: Try getting a couple more rolls of 120 BW on Saturday
afternoon to complete a job from your online buddy.

OR: talking them into special ordering a new kind of film
just so you can try a couple of rolls.

OR EVEN: trying camera after camera on a Saturday, with no
intention of buying, just to satisfy your curiosity.

TRY TO FIND: online free classes for new camera users.

Service and added value is the retailer's ally, try that big
far-away box. BTW my retailer always had a return privilege
and would handle warranty service for me. As well as
shipping for out of warranty repairs. They still folded
since there were jerks that ran them out of business based
only on price.

darkroommike

=(8) wrote:
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.

=(8)