120 developing at Walmart? Yea or nay?

<p>Can anyone confirm that they still do this?? I've been told no multiple times by a local Walmart, and yet....everytime I check, someone online claims they are still doing it.<br>

<br />Still looks significantly cheaper than Dwayne's...even though they probably use Dwayne's. Just getting past the shipping cost and hassle would make it worth it.<br /><br>

Thanks.<br>

Greg</p>

<p>The people behind the counter aren't told that this is an option so they're just trying to answer your question to the best of their ability. Frankly they know less than you do, but since you asked they're going to do their best to answer you.</p>

<p>Ask about their sendout service. There should be a spiral bound cardboard type flier there. I don't know if they stopped doing that. Ask where you'd put the sendout service envelope and where those envelopes are. Fill it out, put the 120 film in there, and drop it in the slot. Don't bother asking them, they're literally not told enough info to tell you anything. Even the managers don't have a clue (at least the managers that I've talked too). Just do one roll in case the guy on photo.net it wrong.</p>

<p>That being said I'd opt for any local service over Walmart's sendout service just for the reason's I've already stated. They don't know anything at all. If there's a problem they won't be able to help you. If the sendout service decides to charge you for prints when you stated "develop only or call if not available" they won't be able to help you. If there's dust all over the negs they won't be able to help you. If you need a rush, they definately won't be able to help you. If they lose the negs they won't be able to help you. etc...<br>

I've also never had the same cost to develop film from them, even from the same rolls of film at the same time with the same number of exposures. Every roll has a unique price apparently.</p>

<p>Dan,<br>

<br />Thanks for the input. Maybe I'll stick with Dwayne's directly. ;-)</p>

<p>I don't have any decent local places, unfortunately.<br>

<br />Greg</p>

<p>Greg, I'm going to be a little harsh here, please don't take it personally, but why are you using 120 film to then turn it over to some idiots at Wallly World? If you wanted 35mm snapshots developed through them, it might be more understandable, but anyone I have ever met that shoots 120 film is serious about their photography and wants the best in processing, handling, and customer service. Have you never read the horror stories from people who have used places such as Walmart, Target, Walgreens etc? Frankly, it is beyond me why anyone would entrust their work on this medium to places such as that. It just flies in the face of logic. Anytime I read about problems people have with these places, I feel for them, but also the words "what do you expect" have to come to mind. Sorry to sound like I am coming down on you, but it just makes NO sense to me to use 120 film and equipment to then subject it to anything other than a real PRO lab.</p>

<p>Sendout service isn't processed by Walmart people, it goes to regional labs run by... Walmart uses Fuji, right? Some films will end up at Dwayne's. Anyway, if it's sent out and screwed up, it was screwed up by normally competent people who made a mistake, not by Walmartians.</p>

<p>If you don't have a local lab that's good, this is a reasonable option. For me, I do B&W myself, C41 at a local shop that's good and E6 directly to Dwayne's.</p>

<p>I've used Wal-Mart for developing C-41 120, it cost under $1.50 for the negs only, takes about two weeks (at least from Oklahoma). The film comes back fine, no problems, and no scratches. I asked once where they send it out, the guy just they send it to Fuji, who often sends "weird" stuff to "some pro lab in Kansas". He specifically said no Wal-Mart employee touches film anymore. It's cheap and problem free in my experience, the two week turnaround time is annoying though, and I don't know how good their prints are since I scan the negatives myself and order prints from mpix. </p>

<p>oops the walmart haters come out of thje closet<br>

when " 2 guys from harrison" started in 1948 the popular theme was " they only sell seconds"<br>

I bought a lot of film at 2 guys and kodak does NOT sell seconds.<br>

but the same thing was said about brand name tv sets and household applinces.<br>

I think the same blast is being used against walmart.<br>

In a few years ALL the custom labs will be out of business ( except in huge cities)<br>

and nobody in the walmart store ever touches or sees the send out envelopes.<br>

when was the last time " that pipley faces school drop out rifled thru the send out envelopes to run kodachome thru thje c-41 machine" ( quote from pnet)<br>

be honest now be truthful. if you can't trust Dwayes or Fuji who can you trust.<br>

My former boss in CA where walmart is banned, said " why are tv sets sold at half price in walmart" I don't know as I cannot afford one.<br>

I really think the protesters are the same folks who worked or owned local stors that were affected when walmart opened a new store. small local stores treat the help terribly.</p>

<p>Every time I get film developed through the send-out service at Walmart, they don't seem to count the development part. It's like they don't have a code to use for MF film, so they just don't bother to ring that part up. It's been under $3 total for the last three envelopes I just checked on my shelf, and those were 220, not 120 -- twice as many prints! I've requested 5x7 prints on the custom field the last few times, and have actually gotten lucky a couple of times and gotten those for the same cost. Usually not, though, so don't count on that.</p>

<p>Of course, it's been a couple of years since then, but I don't have any reason to think anything's changed -- Fuji is still around, and so is Dwayne's.</p>

<p>I was REALLY unhappy with the colors of Fuji NC film processed through Walmart, so I switched to Ektar, and it was really really nice in comparison. No visible grain either. I can't swear I did that roll through Walmart though, that might have been the local place that charges $11 per roll of 120, and $27 for a single 5x7 reprint from negative.</p>

<p>-Kelly</p>

<p>WalMart happens to be about 100 yards from the back of my community. I use them for C-41 and for E6 120 film developing. You use the standard WalMart mailer, which says nothing about 120 anywhere. One roll per mailer. Put the film type, and what you want done with it in the "special instructions" box, seal it, tear off the tab for your records, and hand it to the photo person behind the counter. It's one of those things that you just do as though you really "know", and never ask the person behind the counter first. They might not have a clue. They put it in a box of similar film orders, and it goes out with the corporate pickup for that store. When it returns, they call you.</p>

<p>That is the extent of the work a WalMart employee does with your film. The packs are said to be sent to either Dwaynes, or Fuji direct, depending on geography. Either is fine though, as the prices are right, the results are outstanding, and WalMart tracking & shipping of every envelope from an individual store to the lab and back is more reliable than dropping a prepaid mailer in a corner box on the street.</p>

<p>WalMart didn't kill the local photo lab. There just wasn't enough work for the local store to break even. Even this WalMart store (5 years old) stopped in-store C-41 35mm work going on two years ago. I'm sure that the combined workflow provided by WalMart to either Dwaynes or Fuji (or both) is helping them keep their operations going, and prices down far more than if WalMart quit their mailer service altogether. Beach Camera is 3 miles west on the same road, and they do fine selling higher end digital gear than WalMart, but they stopped selling all film before the WalMart store was even built.</p>

<p>People quit buying enough film and high end cameras to keep the Mom and Pop shop in business. Thank God for WalMart, or I wouldn't have a well organized drop off service for my 35mm/120 film that happens to be within walking distance of home. I print my own work, but the constant flow of shoppers lined up at the fantastic Fuji digital printing complex that replaced the 1 hour wet lab in WalMart tells me that they are doing something right. Besides, the printing equipment they have now looks to be a step or two above anything I ever saw in a corner 1hour lab, and the prices are affordable.</p>

<p>Walter, I remember Two Guys from when I was kid. "Grants" was another name that used to be standard in NJ discount shopping, and is now gone..... Anyway, yours is the first mention of Two Guys I came across in years! </p>

<p> </p>

<p>Cool responses...thanks! I guess I forgot to ask...if I put Kodachrome in the mailer, will it get routed to Dwayne's? :-)</p>

<p>Here's a recent thread about Walmart and Kodachrome, <a href="../film-and-processing-forum/00Ve0J">http://www.photo.net/film-and-processing-forum/00Ve0J</a>.</p>

<p>BTW, Walmart's send out processed an old roll of 110 last week for us, so that service is still available.</p>

<p>John,<br>

<br /> Ah, thanks....that's what I expected to find. To quote one John Tobor...</p>

<p>"I honestly don't know why people are still taking Kodachrome to Walmart. Just to save a few bucks? It's just not worth it. We're too close to the end. Why risk it? You're not going to get another chance to shoot any more pictures on Kodachrome...this is it. Just send it DIRECTLY to Dwayne's Photo."</p>

<p>One more batch direct to Dwaye's, then I'll testdrive Wallymart with a Holga roll. ;-)</p>

<p>Sam's and Walmart (same ownership) definately send to Fuji...have used them for several 120 rolls with fine results.</p>

<p>i tried dwayne photo for development for both 120 & 220 c-41 and black and white processing + scans. my negatives were returned with scratches and the black and whites were incorrectly scanned at a lower resolution than normal.</p>

<p>also, the all scans had a terrible banding since the machines used at dwaynes were out of calibration. </p>

<p>i am very dissapointed with dwaynes photo. perhaps try northcoast or sfcamera?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>YES they do it.<br>

You cant ask the Walmart employees, they simply dont know, and they will only mislead you saying it cant be done.<br>

Use the film sendout envelope, and call the 800 number printed at the top if you doubt this.<br>

I am the guy who "discovered" this a few years back when I called the Fuji Labs 800 number asking about slide duplication services, and just by chance asked about 120/220 film development. I have been trying to get the word out ever since. I use them all the time for this, and so do many others now.</p><p>BTW, they also do exotic, nearly extict services such as slides from negative film, nad copy slides.</p>

full details can be found here:

 

 

 

 

http://www.flickr.com/groups/ishootfilm/discuss/72157601574874556/

<p>Well, one never really knows abut these things. I have a local film developing place and they do the customary 35mm stuff as C-41. However, I asked their film guru one day about 120 and he stated that their film developing machine would do 120 C-41 negatives, but that he could not print them. So, on occaison, I have him develop a roll or two and then scan them myself. It might pay to ask.</p>

<p>All this talking is making me think that my enlarger is getting more & more valuable every day.</p>

<p>I'm going to test this out in NJ tommorow. It's just some nonsense I shot, I just want to see what happens. There are three Wallys near me so it's time for action being that I'm running out of places and getting stressed over it ;( There's exactly ONE pro lab left around me that I can drive to and talk to a photo-head. I think my friend still has a commercial account at Miller's maybe that's an option. B&W is no problem I can do all my own.</p>

<p>I took the plunge and dropped my film off at Walmart. Like Dave, a couple Holga rolls. It wasn't worth the hassle to save a couple bucks.</p>

<p>But like George said, I think I'll ask the Walgreens guy if they can run 120 through their machine. Or even Costco? That would be even easier...and probably just as scratchy. ;-)</p>

<p>Walmart farms it out; the same thing they did 40 years ago too.</p>

<p>*WHO* they farm it out varies with time/era and location.</p>

<p>If one is the assuming type with a 1 bit brain you can assume the same lab used for an Ames Iowa Walmart is the same one used by an Oxnard Calif Walmart.</p>

<p> In reality the strike a good deal with a lab the best pricing; and it does vary by location; thus results can vary. </p>

<p>Most all the drugstores over the last 100 years have farmed out with a bag service the processing of 120 films; the kids Brownie format. Most all 120 ever shot is by amateurs; eons ago it what was Joe Six Pack used before Instamatic came out in 1963.</p>

 

<p>Dropping off your 120 film to Walmart, Target, Walgreens, Savons,Kmart, Sears,Krogers, A&P *just* means it gets farmed out with a bag service; the same way it has been done since before any of us were born.<br /> <br /><br /> The key thing is to see if the results are ok.<br>

<br /> Eons ago B&W was often perfect; today even a so called pro lab's results are worlds worse than A&P's bag service 50 years ago.<br>

<br /> I can look at the family glossys 1950's and 1960's from 120 and 620 from the drugstore's bag service; and they are *WAY* better than todays pro labs stuff; thus here I rarely send 120 b&W out anywhere.</p>

<p>So, the results have been good so far. Two week turnaround for the original set...they said it took longer for "that type of film". Got a B/W and a C-41 roll done for $5 total. Can't complain.<br>

<br />Then I risked a K-14 roll, and surprisingly got it back in a week. The same $7.50 (including tax) as Dwayne's charges, but no shipping of course. They even stuck the "K-14 ONLY" warning label I put on the film on the bag.</p>

<p>For some reason, the 220 C-41 roll wasn't there, but they called when I got home and said it was there. So it appears there is no real consistency to pickups and dropoffs. I thought they said "Wednesdays", but it seems otherwise.<br>

<br />All good so far, though.</p>

<p>Walmart has been sending film to FujiLabs, at least since I started doing medium format in January. The results were fine and they were very inexpensive ($2.33 for a roll of B&W, 3.22 for color neg).</p>

<p>However, I was told today that Fuji has stopped offering its develop only service. It will develop 120 films and scan them (I'm trying to find out at what resolution) but they won't return the negs.</p>

<p>According to Norma at my local Walmart, the cost of the CD will be an additional $2.50. </p>

More like five bucks. Developing is now $ 7-10,

including prints, versus under $ 3 before. I put in

a sample of Ektar (apropos)...we'll see what they do

(if anything).

 

No other cheap place...I may ditch film.