Camera Shops have gone insane!

I had a very crazy weekend. 3 jobs. At the end of the formals on Friday's

job, the camera froze up. The mirror did not come down. First time this

digital camera broke in 4 years. I switch to back up camera, but get nuts over

having a backup for the next 2 days. Next morning before next job, I look up

the largest local camera store to buy a new body (time to upgrade anyway) and

see the price. I call the store to check if they have it in stock. They have

plenty. How many do I want? I told them one and I'll be over in less than an

hour to pick it up. Now, the price is no longer what it said in their site,

but $40 more. It seems to me that they want to charge me to deal with them in

person. NUTS!!!! What is wrong with these dealers? Don't you want me to come

into your store anymore? The sale was already made. All he had to do was give

me the box and put the money in the register. At this point, I just get angrey

and said to the owner to forget it and since I am no longer wanted in his store

without paying a premium for coming in, I will no longer shop there. I called

a friend and borrowed a camera, sent mine to Nikon for repair and will never

shop in that store again. It's not that I wanted him to lower his price. I

just wanted it at the price it was advertised and not be charged more. His

sale was so easy. I come in, I pay, I say thank you, he says thank you, and

puts the money in his register and we both go away happy. Now I will never be

back into his store. His Loss! I no longer feel sorry for the local camera

dealer. Let him fight it out with the ebays and the large internet

wholesalers, as long as he wants to be one of those scumbuckets. I'd like to

find a store that is happy to see me and take my money.

Abe: I agree. Good for you for standing up to them. At my camera store you get a discount for coming in and paying cash, otherwise the same price. Do not have digital though, only large format film.--Bruce

Yep, been there and done that. What's frustrating for me is that the store doesn't stock alot of the items I need. Now I pretty much skip the aggravation and order from B&H.

the salesman gets a certain amount of salary to be there on sunday whether you need him or not, and whether he spends a minute on your order or an hour. also, retail store rents per square foot in heavily populated areas are much higher than dot.com warehouses in the hinterland, no matter how long it takes to process your order. ditto, taxes of every sort.

 

Amazon is cheaper if you have a few days to wait for delivery. but, next time you have a photographic emergency on a sunday, try calling Amazon to have your order hand-courieried to you within the hour. then see who's 'cheaper' on an apples-with-apples comparison.

Gaetano, I have tried on a Sunday....twice in the past year and both times they don't stock the items.

It wasn't by chance "Cambridge Camera" in Manhattan was it? This really sounds like their MO.

"Gaetano, I have tried on a Sunday....twice in the past year and both

times they don't stock the items."

 

that's a different issue from whether there's added economic value to a walk-in store's being able to put an item they *do* stock in your hands at a moment's notice on a sunday, as compared with having to wait until monday for a dot.com-only vendor to even begin processing your order.

 

btw, dot.com-only vendors have been known to run out of stock, too. (and, unlike a walk-in store, they can spend weeks jerking you around before they admit it.)

"It wasn't by chance 'Cambridge Camera' in Manhattan was it? This really sounds like their MO."

 

are those gonifs still in business?

I was going to basically say what Gaetano did. This is true with other retailers also. there is an internet price which often says in very small print that is internet only price. I'd say it is because they need to pay rental space and employees for the store front but can sell on the net much cheaper. Plus, you would have paid for shipping if ordering online.

I wasn't looking to bargain for price. I need a camera, and wanted to have it on the spot so I can continue with my other jobs with confidence, knowing that if something goes wrong, I have a spare. I wasn't even haggeling over price. I saw the price they were advertising and said ok. But when they didn't want to give me at that price, I got angry. If I had the time, I would have ordered over the phone or internet, but when a camera breaks down on the job and you have two more jobs the next two days, the mail will not do. The store is in Long Island. I really don't want to mention his name because I've been doing business with him for a long time, but of course, my last time to walk or call or place an order over the internet. Let's hope there are no more emergencies. To the store owner I say "So long big shot! your competition will get my business!"

"... when a camera breaks down on the job and you have two more jobs the next two days, the mail will not do."

 

that was one of my points: having it in your hands right away confers an economic benefit to you, but at a higher cost to the seller.

How is that a higher cost to the seller? He has plenty in his shop, he wants to sell, the price advertised was the price he set, not me, and when I go to the store and I get what I want, I come back again. Over the years I have spent many dollars at the stores. The question was not about money. The man had many to sell, but if I come in, it's $40 more. I really don't see any higher cost to the seller. He is in business to bring me in, not keep me out, as it turned out to be.

You live close enough to NYC that if you want to frequent a camera store and get the same price as the web price you should go to B&H Photo or Adorama. If you don't like their speed you thru the process type sales......Calumet Photo, a little higher in price, but store and web are the same price, you get the old style camera store experience....at least the one I frequent in Philadelphia (never visitted the NYC store). I do order most of my equipment on line from B&H, Adorama, or KEH....but when I feel the need to touch and play with the equipment before purchase, Calumet has alwasy been a pleasant experience and even though the prices are a little higher, I do end up buying it in the store for some reason.

Abe, Just for fun, I'd check out the ad you saw again. If it does not indicate in some small writing somewhere on the site that the advertised price is for internet and not the store or say price is only good until... Then they would be practicing false advertising I would think (if the website is under the same name as the store and they do not distinguish it being an internet price only)

I've always been a fan of writing letters when I have a complaint. It rarely gets me anywhere as most businesses today are so big, they could care less if you're unhappy. I once stormed out of a store and I'm sure the teenagers behind the counter had a great laugh over it. Maybe this shop is small enough they would want the chance to keep and satisfy a loyal customer if you gave them that chance. I realize the emergency is over, but a $40 coupon wouldn't hurt.

<i>"How is that a higher cost to the seller?..."</i>

<p>

from Samy's Camera:

<p>

<b>"Why are the prices on this web site different from those in your stores?

<p>

"Our stores are staffed with a wide variety of product specialists and support staff, each of whom make an effort to be responsive and pleasant to deal with. We're also able to provide a customer with any item from our inventory to inspect and test. The cost of this customer service is an increased overhead for our in-store prices, to pay for the store space, the training of our employees, and other considerations not present online. We're happy to offer reduced prices online and hope that you will be satisfied with your purchase no matter where you decide to buy."</b>

<p>

source: <a href="http://www.samys.com/help.php#webpricing">http://www.samys.com/help.php#webpricing</a>

Reputable stores don't charge different prices for on line sales vs. in store prices unless they make it clear in their ads. Berger Brothers and Cameta Camera don't have notices to different pricing on their web sites. (I don't know of other large stores on Long Island.) Also, if Abe's lab is anywhere near where he lives, it's a PIA to drive into NYC compared to the above mentioned stores. The closest reputable NYC store to him, is Focus Camera in Brooklyn, and that's an hour away.

Good answer if you have to spend time teaching and selling to a customer. I just came for a pick up, not to look, try, or be sold to. It couldn't be any simpler than that. By the way, the ad did not say internet only. All the salesman had to do was take my money. It would take more than that to mail it to me. If I was in Ca. Sammy's would be my store! I like your attitude and honesty.

perhaps brick-and-mortar stores should place a clock with a digital readout above each salesman that progressively increases the price of the item the longer the customer spends with the salesman. people such as Abe would pay the least. people who took up the most of a salesman's time would pay the highest price. it's only fair.

In ebay sales one can send out 5 to 10 items in the time it takes to deal with one local ebay pickup with the typical zillion questions. Thus some places charge more or a handing fee for local pickups versus mailorder. By the same token photographerss could spend 10 times more time at weddings and teach uncle Joe about photography. Today we had a local pickup of an Ebat sales item that sold for 17 bucks; the customer took 45 minutes to deal with. If are a goverment employee or a person with fixed hours none of theis make sense. If you have to say late due to customers who add now value and absorb ones time it gets old. Selling via internet or mailorder takes order of magnitudes less time to deal with than an actual customer. Often we are explaining stuff about how to use items you bought via mailorder. Lets face it a local store is used to dump in, a place to return internet items claiming you bought them in our stores. Here we stopped selling inkjet cartridges for this reason. Many stores sell higher and lower than internet or mailorder prices with local sales. As a practical business practice when items involve time then there has to be a way to charge for it. Folks that you have never seen before or heard of want to open store credit; have you not pay sales taxes. How items where there is a customer relationship to be grown; then spending a hours on 17 dollar item and locking up late might pay off. For users who just want free consulting; the payback can be less. If you pay for an item with actual cash; the store has a HUGE reason to dicker with prices. If you waste their time and pull out a corporate card that has a 4.5 percent fee; this can be more what you got angry over maybe. The overhead of an internet sale can be radically lower than a face to face sale. What if each of your jobs took 10 to 50 times longer; and you still got paid the same?

Local pickup/purhcase being higher is really ancient. Many NYC camera stores did this in the 1960's; edmund did this in the 1940's thru 1960's; Johnson and smith did this in detroit in the 1960's. Surplus stuff at C&H sales was often a buck or two cheaper via mailorder than the same item at their store. Items at Harbour Freight are often higher or lower than their catalogs or internet same items. In buying steel in LA a local pickup fee was 50 bucks; they delivered every other week for 20 bucks even to NewBerry Park, Camarillo, or Ventura. Recently we sent an item to Canada 8oz; a dinky package. The USPS site gave 2.86 for first class; we went to the post office waited in line an it was 16 dollars with first class not available. The local postmaster says it only good for a internet paid first class. Onw has the privilage of wasting 20 minutes in line to pay 13 dollars more; even when paying with cash. What if your camera cost 5x more locally; but you had to wait 20 minutes to find this out?

Even large retailers like Bestbuy, Costco and Walmart have internet only prices. Camera dealers have been doing this for a long time have separate prices for mail order and retail. I'm no quite sure what your complaint is.

The complaint is about customer service. If you're looking for the neighborhood mom/pop photography shops that cater to pros, they're going extinct. The few that remain will moan/groan about trying to compete with the large volume internet retailers. But in my area they've all become consumer-level friendly and no longer cater to the pros and rarely keep pro items in stock. Completely gone are the days where you could get a discount because you are a pro. Their argument about better customer service -vs- the impersonal mail-order/internet outlets no longer holds any water. For me the choice is easy, I deal with B&H pretty much exclusively. Over the years I've noticed their participation with pro groups like the PPA and WPPI and I appreciate their integrity and reputation. If I lived in New York, I'd happily pay for the convienence to stop in the shop, pay a little extra instead of an "internet" price and get the item the same day that I wanted it.

Samy's in L.A is the same way. I let them know that they lost a $6500 sale to B&H because

their walk in prices were higher than their online prices. They didn't care. I won't walk in

unless it's an absolute emergency. Good job standing up to them. It's BS.

sounds like my local "pro" shop abouut 2 hrs N of NYC. i shoot film. almos everytime i go in there they do not have wqhat i am looking for for filma nd darkroom related stuff. evertime i go there i have to listen to all kinds of doom and gloom re: film. it makes me not want to go there! all the stuff is way ioverpriced too. i mean i can order everything (or go there) from B&H, pay the shipping AND the tax and save huge amounts of cash! (AND get everything i could ever want)....the onlyy reason i still go to that shop is cause i get a good deal on "fresh" outdated film har har har! i can not figure out how they have been in business for so long, related to their pricing stratagy.

 

eddie

My local pro shop (near Philadelphia) matches B&H pricing. He also offers the same price

in the store vs. mail-order, phone sales. He is one of, if not the, largest Canon dealer in

the area. Does a high volume of Nikon sales, too. So, it can be done.

 

Not sure what the real costs of walk-in vs. internet/phone are. However, there is alot of

time involved in processing phone orders. You talk to the customer, youwrite up the order,

you fill the order, you pack the order then you ship the order. Packing and shipping costs

you don't have with walk-in customers.

 

I wouldn't waste my time with a store that offered two tier pricing.

 

Also, the argument that the in store sales costs more because a salesman is involved

doesn't hold much water. The saleman's salary is a fixed cost. Commisions may apply (in

my local shop they do not) and those would be offset by add-on sales generated at time of

purchase. I would be willing to bet that even though places like Samy's offers two tier

pricing, the internet sales are helping to cover the store costs.

 

If my local store can turn a profit without resorting to two tier pricing, then I suspect

others can, too. Oh, and he closes at 3pm on Saturdays and is not open on Sundays.

Professionals should have back-ups (as did Abe.)

 

One of the great benefits of capitalism is that one can purchase from whomever they wish.

Ok, time to get some work done!