WALMART does return NEGATIVES

<p>There is below a 6 part thread entitled:<br>

Walmart does NOT return negatives"<br>

a lot was said. I camme=d Bentobville friday evening.<br>

I was called back from a manager at the local Lehighton PA store<br>

Saturday at 2 pm.<br>

walmart does return negatives. he assured me.<br>

The two ladies who work there had never heard about this and told me last week<br>

that they had a Lot of negatives in the bins.<br>

I personally think a lot have an anti-walmart attitude.,<br>

it is possible they are Union supporters or small business people.<br>

That is people who are hurt when walmart comes to town<br>

Walmart pays local rates not big bucks like an auto worker ( that is why automobiles are so costly)<br>

but better than local small businesses and smaller manufacturing companies.<br>

Could this be started by someone with a axe to grind.<br>

I am awaiting the results of someone who said they were sending out a roll to be processed.<br>

Although I have a stock of c-41 film, I have no reason to go out amd shoot a roll " just to see".<br>

Film processing is a useful and convenient thing to have locally.<br>

It helps us who still love film. and having it done By a top quality lab<br>

at a reasonable price is even better.<br>

I was beginning to think in terms of finding a mail-order lab or buying a<br>

c-41kit. Or even using the wrong chems as suggested by david in philadelphia.<br>

( flexixolor os ra-4) <br>

I am greatly relieaved if this is 100% true.<br>

since I have a manager's name it likely is true.<br>

I will send my next roll to walmart send-out.<br>

but I hope someone else will post a report.<br>

As said most of us cannot afford a expensive dslr.<br>

I do not envy those who do and those that have hassleblads. I only hope they use them frequently.<br>

Now I am off to search for my bulk loaders so I can use some of that B&W film other mebers sent me last year.</p>

people I know who work there are not complaining<br>

but jobs that can last a while are hard to get in<br>

many parts of the country.<br>

I notice that walmart does hire a lot of seniors.<br>

amd I have seen handicapped people as well</p>

<p>Walmart is one of the largest companies in the world. Not every store is identical. There are some products carried at the store 2 miles away that are not at the other store 10 miles away and vice versa. One store has a Fuji Frontier that would print 12x18. The other store's machine was older and would not print that size. If I was in charge of Walmart and I was opening a new store I would not put a film developing machine there. I would only do digital printing. For me it is very easy to imagine that one store develops negatives on site and returns them while a new digital only store another sends negatives away, gets scans sent to them via the internet and prints locally while the negatives are discarded. </p>

<p>Walmart owns Asda in this country. Asda does very cheap processing and returns negatives as well.</p>

<p>I have no reason to use or trust walmart for photo processing. </p>

<p>I would rather use a higher quality, honest, business or do it myself.</p>

That's good to know Bill.

<blockquote>

<p>walmart does return negatives. he assured me.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I doubt he meant all of Walmart. Even if he did, it seems unlikely to be accurate given the information we were told about the particular location described in the thread cited.</p>

<p>I see someone else has quality issues with walmart<br>

we are talking about SEND OUT service.<br>

If Dwaynes or possibly Fuji is not good enough<br>

go digital . How many time do we all have to post before<br>

people realize we are talking about 'send out"<br>

the old walmart had a lab and BTW they always did good work.<br>

but that time is OVER. A few stores of all kinds may still have a c-41 machinre.<br>

But they are not in the new stores<br>

So leave your bad feelings at the door and talk about what is disussed.<br>

If you do not like walmart ( or sam;'s or someplace else)<br>

do not go there go someplace else. mail the film to Dwayne's<br>

it;s up to you. But don;'t slander the walmart send-out service.<br>

it goes to Dwaynes. You seem to unaware of that fact.<br>

gee whiz if you EVER read a posting you would know<br>

as said maybe some stores work differently.<br>

someone will get back to us and tell us.<br>

There are likely quiet people out there who took a roll to walmart<br>

and may get it back next week. and tell us.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>it goes to Dwaynes. You seem to unaware of that fact.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Really? That's a fact? Care to post a picture of your send out service envelope with the 800 number on it? It's doesn't ring Dwaynes. I've had too many problems with the send out service to ever use it again. That's not a slander on Walmart, that's just my own personal experience.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>gee whiz if you EVER read a posting you would know<br /> as said maybe some stores work differently.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>According to your own posting titled "<strong>WALMART</strong> does return NEGATIVES" a manager said that "<strong>walmart</strong> does return negatives". Since you own posting doesn't differentiate between different stores, you shouldn't expect readers of it to conclude that it does.</p>

<p>My local Tar get (Tanforan mall, San Burno, Ca.) has removed its film processing machine as has the CVS pharmacy down the street in South San Francisco, Ca. No big loss.</p>

<p>The only film I had processed at Tar get received disgusted looks from the clerk when I asked for "develop only", had a transport roller crease the full length of one roll, and deposits from contaminates in the chemicals due to no filtering or running them to the absolute limit.<br>

My nearest Walmart is 40 miles one way away and I would much prefer to have them here as Tar get is out of stock on brand name products 50% of the time and always in stock on their inferior store brand product and careful shopping will beat Tar get's prices.</p>

<p>When I go to Walmart, Tar get, CVS, Walgreens, Costco, or local photo shop to get film developed I do not expect to get negatives that will produce more than a 8x10 proof as they were oriented to providing 4x6 snapshot prints to the casual shooter and the occasional 8x enlargement.</p>

<p>Many retail chains including Walmart have different store levels with a base product and service level and two or more higher store levels that carry a wider product line and offer more services.</p>

<p>While a corporation will have a base policy there will be stores that are an exception to that policy.</p>

<p>charles Monday, while I do not agree with you 100%, you mak valid points. and like others you do not simply<br>

blast off and not worry about facts.<br>

I somehow get the implication - correct em if I micunderstand you--<br>

that the developing is not sufficient for large peints ?<br>

eith the film is developed right and not creased scratched of damaged in any way, of it is not.,<br>

the ability to make a 4 x6 or 8 x 10 or 16 x 20<br>

is inherent in the film and camera lens resolution.<br>

not in the processing. bad or exhauted chamicals can cause problems as well but not sharpness.</p>

<p>I am also aware thet several complaies make Kits to develop c-41.<br>

many if the kits besides Kodak and Fuji-hunt are copycats and do not have access to information and knowledge they kodak and fuji have. These kits seem to work well.<br>

but still there is a question., what does Kodak and Fuji know that they are not telling the others?</p>

<p>I still see the QUALITY word and great seeds of doubt being cast about.<br>

it has been establicjed here over the years that dwaynes does the c-41 work for Wal-Mart. if it is not so.<br>

someone tell me who does ?</p>

<p>as far as Cheap stuff and good stuf,<br>

I agree my belts are made from a strange abimal related to a tree as they break and fall apart in a few months. I will not buy a cheap belt from walmart.<br>

DEXTER and Steer hide come to mind.<br>

the cowboy boot people.<br>

USB card readers.<br>

Buy direct from Hong Kong. avoid all the middlemen.<br>

Sure some may be poorly made of may fail after several months,<br>

But you have just lost a Dollar and free shipping.<br>

instead of $10.00 at the local store.<br>

Of course there is the language barrier. I now have 6 pairs of PK back and body caps<br>

when I wanted m42. But they cheerfully refunded my money.</p>

<p>The Kitchen / darkroom LCD timer is good and easy to see for $3.00</p>

<p>OK. I just telephone two different Walmart stores in my area and spoke with their respective Photo Centers. Both confirmed that Walmart SEND OUT service is still available. According to the employees I spoke with, the film goes to FUJI for processing, is picked up twice a week, and takes 7-10 days to be returned. Both prints AND negatives are returned.<br>

<br /> I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather have FUJI develop my film than do it in my bathroom.<br>

<br /> As far as I'm concerned then, nothing has changed. I never found any 1 hour film processing service to be of remotely creditable quality, so the loss of CVS, Target, or Walgreens 1 hour is to my mind no big loss.<br>

Properly processed and printed, I still prefer the look of consumer grade C-41 film to digital. And with films like EKTAR & PORTRA, it's not even a competition. There are even a few places that still do optical prints if there is anything particularly nice you'd like to enlarge. It costs a little $$, but the results make the EPSON produced stuff look like crud.<br>

VIVA LA WALMART!!!</p>

<p>Walter,<br>

If the processing chemicals are not kept fresh or filtered then residue from previous processing sessions gets redeposited into the film being processed. This shows up as small colored dots of various size and shape that become noticeable at 11 x and higher enlargements. They are very apparent in high resolution scans and will require hours of retouching/ electronic editing to remove. I have a few rolls with some quality images on them that have so much redeposited crud in them that I will not consider printing larger than 8x10 and the time it would take to clean the print or scan up is excessive. I no longer use and have not used the economy services for anything that is important or potentially important for many years.</p>

<p>In your first post you mentioned you called Bentonville. Bentonville, Arkansas is headquarters for Walmart. Referring the response to a consumer question to your local store management is common business practice. I am not associated with Walmart in any way. I shopped in my first Walmart in Northern Arkansas in 1964.</p>

I have never used Walmart. The local Costco (Hackensack, NJ) does a

bang-up job. C-41 developed in a Noritsu minilab, optical wet prints on

Fuji Crystal Archive paper, decent CD for $2.99, cheaper than Walmart,

CVS, et al., techs baby the machinery and keep on top of the chemistry,

very knowledgeable and friendly. How long it will last is anyone's

guess.

<p>Never had Any problems w/ Walmart Photo Processing other than it takes forever to find someone to wait on you.</p>

<p>I do not shop at WallMart. </p>

<p>Dr. Hoppe, I concur with the Costco experience. Let's hope it lasts, and lasts!</p>

<p>I'll add a third voice for the Costco experience. As Don said: "Let's hope it lasts, and lasts!"</p>

<p>I am thankful that someone has 1 hour lab.<br>

we are over 100 miles and $70.00 dollars worth of<br>

gasoline from Hackensack. I realize that ! hour labs vary.<br>

Recall the poster who was FIRED from a drug store chain<br>

becaue he wanted to follow reccomendations for replentiching and cleaning?<br>

it depends on the management.<br>

If you go to Costco and see the photo of the manager is changes and new people are running the machine. Only give them one roll of film. In thia area there is an abandoned camera/film developing store.<br>

there is a full service lab / store 30 miles in allentown.<br>

But in NJ where I iived for many years there were several camera stores, Only one is left.<br>

and it is now only a hole in the wall. </p>

<p>For me it comes down to trust.</p>

<p>Seeing the inconsistency between Wal-Mart stores and the manner in which they manage communications between their stores and customers tells me I do NOT trust Wal-Mart.</p>

<p>You may think you are getting one service today only to return tomorrow to a very different scenario.</p>

 

<p>That's just the thing, it's not even Wal-Mart that you'd have to entrust. It's whomever they entrust it too, and there seems to be a lot of confusion as to whom that is.</p>

<p>Walter,</p>

<p>I guess we are lucky here as the same three people have been staffing the photolab at Costco for at least 4-5 years, probably unusual.</p>

<p>The local Target (Edgewater, NJ) had a great wet minilab with a very conscientious tech who kept on top of the chemistry, always cleaning everything, but the "suits" upstairs -- as he put it -- ostensibly said they were going "green" to "save Mother Earth," pulled the wet minilab, now it's just Kodak kiosks with dry printing. He warned the regulars that we would not be happy with the quality of the digital prints.</p>

<p>There was another Target (North Bergen, NJ) that had a wet minilab as of a year ago, haven't been there since. But the quality was horrendous: scratched negatives, streaking, terribly off-colour prints, chemistry left to rot by totally disinterested operators, almost annoyed you were interrupting their day to do business.</p>

<p><a href="../photodb/user?user_id=1469423">Dr. Karl Hoppe: </a>back in OLDEN days ( not olden;s camera and lens)<br>

there was broadway photo just off rt 3 on the border of Bloomfield/.clifton.<br>

near Ploch's. they moved to blfd ave and passaic ave in caldwell/faifiels. they were a huge room 100 x 200 feet.<br>

and at the time I used them ( up to 1995) did a good job., likely now gone.<br>

Vut I see many posters complaining about walmart and still thinking of the inconsistancies of locally run labs.<br>

or possibly somne walmart stores sending film to a sloppy guy in a garage on the wrong side of town.,<br>

I cannot see where some still insist on believing all this warped ideas.<br>

I can see it if each lab was independent of management was that fickle.<br>

I do not think this is the case with a huge company like walmart..<br>

they have to be consistant, and there are likely strict guidelines.<br>

If local managers or employees "cut corners" all it would take is one phone call and it would end.<br>

I think some are still living in a by-gone era. I think the day of local one-hour labs is over..<br>

I was told walmart as a policy or financial reasons, renews or refurbs or replaces store on a 5 or 7 year cycle.<br>

this would mean since none of the new stores inb this area have one hour labs.<br>

that the arguments for dirty tanks and "rotted" chemicals are pointless.<br>

They are thinking and living in a bygone era.<br>

"that's my story and i.m sticking to it" The wife tells him the hammock was put in the trash 4 years ago<br>

but he insists that's where he slept last night when he did noit come home<br>

<strong><em>( word of a county song)</em></strong><br>

I suspect there are other reasons for walmart bashing.<strong><em><br /></em></strong></p>

<p>But for you and your film, I am happy that you can get it developed and printed locally.<br>

that apparently is a convenience and luxury that we out here in the hills do not have anymore.<br>

I used to be able to drive to fairlawn and drop off Kodachome and get it back in two days..<br>

I knew the back way so I did not havbe to go up the GSP and zig west..<br>

but those days are gone forever as are the great films.</p>

<p>Walter,</p>

<p>I used to drop off all my Kodachrome and E-6 in Fair Lawn, all my C-41 at Fuji (much cheaper then).</p>

<p>My niece came back from Costco and reported they are using two Noritsu QSS-3111-1 minilabs, which use the regular chemistry and print with a laser. She did some research for her uncle and found out from the Noritsu website that after-sale support for these machines ends as of March 2015.</p>

<p>My guess is that once that deadline is reached, Costco will get rid of the machines and replace them with newer digital dry printing machines. Time will tell. But I'll keep shooting film as long as I can get it processed.</p>