Another Walmart Incident

I have used the local Walmart in my area to get quick, preliminary copies of

digital photos I shoot. Then after viewing, editing, etc, I order finished

photos from other companies.

 

Today at Walmart I went to pick up photos I had submitted online. When the

photo dept person came with the photos, they had seven separated from the

others. These were the ones I have serious use for, and the other twenty four

were just shot for fun, photos of family and our dogs. On the envelope I could

see COPYRIGHT in big letters with a question mark. The clerk took them out of

the envelope and asked me if these were copyrighted. I said yes, by me, I took

them. She them asked if I was a professional. I said I'm working on it. She

then proceeded to tell me that next time I would have to sign a waiver. I

should have told her that every photo they process is copyrighted by the person

who took it.

 

Has anyone else had this experience. I understand their intent, but the

personel don't seem too well trained and informed about copyright issues.

 

I suppose I could downgrade the quality of photos I use Walmart for. I could

only give them poorly exposed and composed images and ask them if that's all

they are willing to process. I'm contacting Walmart too to see what their

response is to questioning better than average photos coming thru their stores.

Just curious to hear their reply.

Oh my goodness! I can't believe you were upset about this. I was so honored the first time Walgreens called me, and asked if I took the pictures because they looked professional. I have waivers signed at a few Walgreens so that people can pick up pictures that I took.

Having this happen shows that they are on the side of the professionals, not against them.

It's not illegal like to get an enlargment from something that a relative took, but if I was trying to do that with a professional picture then it would be wrong.

Of course, in my experience, Walmart is horrible (but others like them). I just use Walgreens for proofs or something that I need like right now.

The general public wants it both ways. They want labs to Police everyone elses work; but are upset if theirs is questioned. Maybe folks should put up their houses and life savings as a bond when images are printed;; and if a copyright issue lawsuit erupts; they will be part of the loss. The facts are customers of labs really dont want any part of the risk taking; they want the deep pockets lab to take all the risk. Its the customers of labs that typically are not trained; they want nothing of theirs evern questioned; and are appalled if any questions result; plus they want the lab to lynch and jail folks if another chap brings in your CD for prints. Its like if folks want to be able to carry handgrenades and bombs on airplanes; and have others nailclippers grabbed as weapons. Walmart and many labs are targets for the typical fat get rich customers who do the trial lawyer lawsuit gig. <BR><BR>Folks on this board are upset if their images are questioned at a lab. <BR><BR>They are upset if another steals their image and has it printed at the same lab.<BR><BR>What shall it be?<BR><BR>are folks upset if their work is considered professional?<BR><BR>Professionals tend to shoot better images than amateurs. <BR><BR>An easy solution would be to allow labs to print anything; and get consumers to place their home and car titles on the line. labd then would have no risks; customers would. The fact is consumers want no part of a labs risks; they dont have the guts to be aprt of the risks. <BR><BR>Its human nature for many shady folks to get the other chap to hold the risk bag. Its typically those who object to copyright issues are the ones that bring in illegal work. Their hand is in the cookie jar and they have fibbed all their life; its in their DNA. Thus those customers who are ticked off at questioning typically are skirting the law; the hate questions since they are now having to fib.<BR><BR>Some few customers of labs cannot be pleased.

I can't believe with all the great, prolabs around anyone serious about their work, woudl use a bogbox retailer with $7/hr employees and hope their work came out, please tell me you were just "proofing" for your own use b4 sending to a real lab... J

 

whcc.com

imageexperts.com

Lets say you are a pro and you use ACME labs; or even Walmart. You have a CD at a client for looking at. The client doesnt like your print prices and goes to Acme or walmart for prints.<BR><BR>Do you want Acme to question your client about the hundreds of dollars worth of printing? or should they print regardless? In either case the lab will be damned by folks on the either side of the face. Thus this matter is the anus of dealing with the dumb public; terrible. Its a source of angst; the "incidents" are your customers who want it either way. Folks swear on both sides of the fence. Folks who are rabid against any of their work being printed by another later will bring in copyrighted work thats not theirs; and get ticked off if any questions get brought up. Some folks will even drop you and go to a sleazy lab. This horses rear behavior is the part of dealing with the public.<BR><BR>Its like folks want to speed on streets full of children; but want nobody to speed but them.<BR><BR>The incident if any is the consumer of labs; they dont know what they want; print all; print none;; or they are upset if they might be a pro.

Wallmart knows that professionals do not use there junk photo service. Probably just some manager thinking a little crazy because he is not allowed medical care, food or shelter. I wouldn't get fired up about it. Just go to a decent lab in your area. Get to know the folks that work there and they will treat you very nice.

I had a friendly shop I won't name (not Walmart of any big store), where I am a very frequent customer tell me that they're not supposed to print copyrighted works, whether digital or from scan. Then they explained that if the customer were to put tape over a copyright notation on the image, they [the shop] "wouldn't see the notation" and would print it. I'd rather hear stories of a store questioning the customer than turning a blind eye. I'd rather have a relative questioned if it offers more protection to the copyright holder.

<br><br>

What if I took a nice digital image by a famous photographer found on the web and went to get an 18x20 printed? I actually wonder what would happen, I guess it depends where you go.

first I note that the walamart bashing is still in effect!

 

Go pay $20.00 for your preseciptions.

 

a couple of years ago walmart refused to return photos to my wife because they were Professional portraits and copyrited.

that was true.

 

I took abuse here in both directions. mostly

by posters who could not read my whole post.

like: comments about " ripping off a hard working professional"

 

turns out the photograps were taken of my grandmother in 1898.

nd where is the photographer or his company today!

what can you say to a 150 year old man?

 

isn't there a limit in years. I complainmed on line and the district photo manager called me and apologized.

later walmart instiuted the waiver policy. They have to do this or they could be legally liable. the manager said the drug store chains had actually been sued by pro's.

 

Now you say " go to a pro lab" DREAM ON stop those funny cigarettes.

there are no pro labs here or in adjacent counties.

what is a person to do? There are not even mom and pop camera stores!

 

I constantly read about lab closings,

and how " my favorite lab is shut down"

I NEVER hear, "a new lab just opened up"

Be grateful SOMEBODY still does film.

 

the nearest camera store is inside a private home 40 miles away!

 

so quit complaining.

Stop your whining. Wal Mart employees are just doing their job and I'm glad to hear that they are finally actually doing it ! The reason they check copyrights is because Wal Mart has been hit with lawsuits from professional photographers that are blatantly ripped off all the time by people using Wal Mart for cheap copies and enlargements. I've been a wedding photographer for about 8 years. People always try to figure out ways to avoid having to pay the photographer. I had a bride actually come out and tell me that she wasn't going to buy any enlargements from me. She told me she was going to make all her enlargements at Wal Mart from the proofs, a blatant violation of copyright law. Wal Mart should settle this whole thing by just removing the copying machines. I can't tell you the number of professional photographers that have complained to me about the Wal Mart copying machines. I have a friend who actually witnessed a woman who took her wedding album into Wal Mart and was removing photos from the album to make copies. The Wal Mart employee refused to give the woman the copies and the woman threw a fit. If a person hires a professional photographer to photograph their wedding they are supposed to buy the enlargements from the photographer. Unless the photographer agrees to sell the negatives to the customer. I'd also like to say that anyone that expects professional service from teenagers that are working for minimum should probably be advised that Wal Mart is not a professional lab. You get what you pay for. If you want better service and/or results, Go to a professional lab.

I really do not have much to add other than that I HAVE been on the other side of the counter, usually 3-4x/day explaining to a customer why I cannot sell "their" pictures to them. The associate was doing his or her job. Honestly, is it so much an inconvenience to fill out four lines (seriously, four lines) on a form? Maybe if we got rid of all this pesky "copyright" business us "pros" could get our pictures printed wherever we want, and so could our customers. Oops, there goes the bottom line.

Talk about something raising the level of argument. Just one word. Walmart. Whatever your

opinion of them, it seems to me the obvious answer is that if you don't like their service, then

don't use it. It's obviously not the only lab where you live, so why aren't you using the other

labs for proof prints too? Or better yet, why not get yourself a good small printer for proof

prints and save the trip to the lab(s)?

Sad to say, I personally know people who try to steal pro photos. I don't fuss at 'em tho'. It's actually kinda funny watching them try to make 8x10 inkjet prints at home after scanning a tiny, watermarked sample print from their kids' school portraits. They waste more money on paper and ink than they would have spent by just buying the prints like parents did for generations.

 

I've occasionally been confronted by minilabs over my own photos. I take it as a compliment. They're just doing the best they can in the absence of any real information.

 

Just be grateful it ain't TSA.

I had to explain to the girl in the lab the concept of a tripod and timed shutter release when I

tried to pickup a family portrait a year or so ago. still had to sign a waiver.

But, even though I threw a fit then, I was somewhat relieved they are checking...even though

there was a women standing at the Kodak help-yourself-to-copyright-infringement kiosk

scanning in her Olen Mills family portrait.

Olan Mills, hmm? She's already been adequately punished.

Maybe I'm clueless, but I didn't see that much criticism in the post. He stated that he was going to proof them.

 

I read into it that he wasn't going for quality at Wal-Mart and was more or less telling his experience and probably thought he would get neutral feedback.

 

Chill.

<i>I was so honored the first time Walgreens called me, and asked if I took the pictures because they looked professional.</i>

<p>

Yep, you know you've hit the big time when you start impressing the Walgreens clerks.

maybe the advent of the minilabs, will help keep film for a few more years. I can remember waiting for over a week.

and paying more dollars than I do now, for color developing.

I did my own B&W and my worst was still better than the few times I sent B&W out to a lab. ( always mostly gray)

before rc paper it was hard to make flat glossy prints.

 

The newer C-41 films and advanced P^S cameras and even halfway decent disposables. Has made snapshots available and simple to non-technical people. Believe me most people are simply NOT INTERESTED in learning or being serious about photography.

" you push the button we do the reast" is still real for most.

 

the minilabs provide a needed service, it deplorable that some have poorly trained and inexperienced people, but that is a management problem. Nobody under 35 at out minilab. our walmart pays more then other stores in the area.

"Yep, you know you've hit the big time when you start impressing the Walgreens clerks."

 

I had a roll of C-41 Kodak BW400CN developed at Walgreens a few weeks ago. I usually use Acros and develop it myself but this was a class assignment to photograph a photograph and it was suggested that we use the BW400CN. The Walgreens clerk remarked that he liked my photos, I guess since they developed the negatives there wasn't much question that I'd shot them. The clerk actually used to take art classes and develop and print his own film, so we got into a nice discussion. He wanted to get back into developing real Black and White film but didn't have access to a darkroom anymore. I recommended taking classes at the local college as it's inexpensive and gives you access to a nice darkroom. When the next schedule comes out soon, I'm going to drop him off a copy.

I have a letter on file at Sam's Club stating that I take the photos I send in, and they are mine. I don't see the big deal. It's protection for them - and the photographer.

Walgreen processes 6x6 less then they charge for a roll of 36 35s. Odd eh? Thye actually came out pretty nice, cute little 4x4 prints. I'll take it, c41 film that expired 8 years ago, with a sunny 16 exposure meter.

My take on it - Walmart is covering their arses against getting sued or accused of something.

 

I had a copy shop refusing to do a copy of one of my exam certificates because it was an original certificate. The fact it was mine and a copy had been requested didn't seem to bother them. In the end I went to the local library and copied it myself, wasting a lot of time in the process.

Fcuk Wal-Mart.

Its a big deal for many customers who want it both ways.<BR><BR> The same folks often buy a single set of evaluation houseplans for 150 bucks; and not the reproducable set thats 600 and allows copies to build a house. Then come to a copy shop with the 150 buck set all stamped in red; copyright notice in 2" letters watermarked across the pages diagonally; with red stamps saying its a 100,000 dollar fine per page to copy; and to call if in doubt.<BR><BR> These customers are not retarded; just con artists they just want the copy shop to make illegal copies. If you call the cry like the little turds they are; babies; total children who have since childbirth cried when folks challeenge their con. So one call up the 1-800 number on the plans and finds out the shop cannot copy them unless they fork out 600 bucks. Thus the customer bitches; yells out 4 letter words; says they will never do businesss with you again; slam the door; says they well tell everyone on the planet. Then they go to another shop with the two year old childish "hand in cookie jar rant"; pouting and try the same con. <BR><BR>Thus the shop must weigh illegal activity versus lawsuits; and the customers dont have the balls to place anything of their own on the line. Typically they NEVER want a shop to question any grey activity; or call up the toll free number since its like calling their parents. Typcially those who balk at a call get angry; this is the anus of the copy business. Folks want shops to take the hit; they want no part of the liability<BR><BR>Its sort of like asking a cab driver to drive to the airport at 130MPH; and with all the risk on the cab driver. You ask the driver to go that fast but want no part in the ticket or possible jail time. Its part of the con; you get the shop; employee or firm to to the work and hold the risk bag; and pout if your way is not met; like you did when a two year old over cookies and milkst<BR><BR>

Maybe the same folks want a local gun dealer; pharmacist ; car dealer to sell them illegal guns; illegal drugs; stolen cars with the dealer/firm holding all the risks; and then be able to sell them illegal stuff too; in the spirit of breaking rules.