Walmart no longer returns negatives !!!

[rossb]

<p> The world of film gets stranger again. I guess eventually I will just have to quit photography as a hobby or just develop my own C41. However one thing is for sure and that is if Wall Mart was the last film processing place on earth I would not go there. </p>

[eddy_d]

<p>I agree with Ross . I will not set foot in Wallyworld either. They treat their employees like garbage and promote slave labor. Walter. Their prescriptions are 4 and 10 dollars because they are made in china Someone told me some of our prescriptions are made in china so read the label on the bottle then throw it away. Your negatives are your property and you deserve to get your memories back on your negatives. Just think of all the unenvironmental friendly waste they are promoting by throwing thousands of negatives away. Walmart is not good for the economy. Walmart is not good for you.</p>

[richard_eaton1]

<p>It seems really weird not to return negs. Why should the ordinary snapshotter (as opposed to the serious/hobby photographer) then bother with a film camera...it makes it seem a more difficult, slower and expensive way just to get their images onto computer when they could do it themselves with a digital camera (or phone). Or do Walmart simply want to get rid of film?</p>

[wblynch]

<p>All you <strong>cheapskates</strong> that get develop only. no prints, caused this. They don't make money on develop only. I always buy the prints for two reasons; to keep them in business and I have a backup in case the negatives get messed up. (I get the CD too, for the same reason)<br>

One time I got my film back and all the strips had been cut in the middle of the frame.</p>

[dr._karl_hoppe]

<p>Costco in northern NJ (Hackensack) still runs a great wet minilab with techs who keep it clean, change the chemistry often, and wet print everything on Fuji Crystal Archive paper, even the digital reprints are run through the chemistry, no dry inkjet crap. How long this will last is anyone's guess but the techs say they do a brisk C-41 business--used by some local pros--though they won't reveal how many rolls they actually run through on a daily business.</p>

[donbright]

<p>Costco is not the problem. They are the solution. They do great work, and their proud of it, I can sense it within the workforce at the Costco lab.</p>

[zensphoto]

<p>I'm with <strong>Horace</strong> about the negatives not being returned. The negative is your proof of copyright to the photograph in the event you just so happen to have a photograph that looks just like someone else photograph. If Wal-mart isn't returning your negatives I certainly wouldn't go there ever again and find a place that does.</p>

<p>Also, what is Wal-mart doing with your negatives now? Selling the photographs of excellent quality to stock picture places? Probably not, but what if that is what they are doing? Would you know for sure? and how the heck would you challenge them in court if they own the negative of the original photograph? It is definitely something to look into on the legal side of photography.</p>

[rossb]

<blockquote>

<p>All you cheapskates that get develop only. no prints, caused this. They don't make money on develop only. I always buy the prints for two reasons; to keep them in business and I have a backup in case the negatives get messed up. (I get the CD too, for the same reason) One time I got my film back and all the strips had been cut in the middle of the frame.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Well I guess the Wally family appreciates your concern for their vast fortune.</p>

[psul_aul]

<p>I agree with the above posts about Costco. They do a great job, the employees care and its very affordable. $3.99 develop and print a roll of 24. Add an extra 2.99 to burn a CD. We need to keep using them (and other film processors) so they will keep doing it!</p>

[walter_degroot]

<p>still no matter what is said, I WANT MY NEGATIVES BACK.<br>

I will find someone who does a good job and returns my negatives.<br>

As far as I still read HERE either Dwayes or Fuji does the work for walmart.</p>

<p>I hopy Ypork or someone else does not do the work.<br>

back in time when Two Guys ( from harrison) started the first big dicount department store.<br>

the story was they sold only "seconds"<br>

as far as I know kodak never sold "seconds"<br>

and all the other companies that sold brand name products.</p>

<p>I took my magnifier and looked at all my prescriptiosn, several in original bottles<br>

One was made in alabama and other was made by a known company in NJ<br>

If you believe everything in walmart is made in china, I agree do not ever go there.<br>

More fresh strawberries for me.. and the cinamon buns.<br>

I think what you said is an urban roumor<br>

sure many things are made in China. even pentax K100-.<br>

computer hard drives are made in SE Asia.<br>

My Va supplied lights are made in Germany ( Eshenbach)<br>

so are the better coffeemakers. so is my coffee ( really)<br>

it is an international world. yes lots of cheap plastic junk is made in third-world countries.<br>

But I do bypass local stores and buy MY cheap plastic junk directly and save a lot of money.<br>

All my money is Government money anyway ( ss retirement)<br>

and the VA gives me a big break on their prescriptions.<br>

and things made by BD in New Jersey.</p>

<p>OH yes what happened to the American camera inductry.<br>

OOPS gotta stop this soapbox is getting shaky.<br>

Must be made in China or somewhere.</p>

[rossb]

 

<blockquote>

<p>I agree with the above posts about Costco. They do a great job, the employees care and its very affordable. $3.99 develop and print a roll of 24. Add an extra 2.99 to burn a CD. We need to keep using them (and other film processors) so they will keep doing it!</p>

</blockquote>

<p> Sadly but our local CostCo stopped processing film. Apparently an expensive machine broke and the manager decided it was not cost effective to repair or replace it and dropped film service. Film for me has not been the same since then. Right now i have Target process the film only and then I scan it. However on my last roll they did a poor job on cutting the film and ruined every 4th frame. </p>

 

[david_m]

<p>"Target no longer processes film". Notice in photo dept at Target store here in Tempe, Arizona.</p>

[David_Cavan]

<p>Its pretty obvious that film processing is no longer a profitable business for Walmart. If you go to their website you can't even find film processing among their photo department products. I think its time to find another processor.</p>

[dr._karl_hoppe]

I picked up several rolls I had left off last week at the local Costco. A different tech told me they are lucky if they run 10 rolls

of C-41 through the Noritsu a day, but as they continue to wet print all the digital reprints there is no plan to stop film

processing or go over to dry inkjet printing. BTW, the colours literally pop off the Crystal Archive paper in a way that dry

printing can't, at least to my old retired eyes.

[James G. Dainis]

Mr. Eaton, it seems even if film was returned you could still stay, "Why should the ordinary snapshotter (as opposed to the serious/hobby photographer) then bother with a film camera...it makes it seem a more difficult, slower and expensive way just to get their images onto computer when they could do it themselves with a digital camera (or phone). "

 

The vast majority of snapshooters do nothing with the negatives, now or in the past. Photos were passed around or put into albums and the negatives disappeared. Contex not quality are what snapshooters are interested in. A poorly exposed, off color photo of Uncle Harry sneaking an extra piece of birthday cake would draw comments of "What a great photo!" If they have a photo and want to make copies they just scan it on a flat bed scanner and print it either on photo paper or on computer paper.

 

Even if the snapshooters of the past only shot one or two films a year, that added up to millions of rolls of film processed. Now with digital cameras and camera phones they can shoot hundreds of poorly exposed, poorly composed photos on every and any occasion and they don't have to worry about throwing away theose funny looking strips that came back with their film photos.

 

I'm a bit surprised that Walmart doesn't realize that it is no longer snapshooters who use film but serious photographers who use film for the qualities that they admire about film and will want their negatives back.

[william_y]

<p>Regarding WalMart not returning your negatives................<br>

<br />Try your local Walgreens. Mine still develops film, makes prints, and burns cd's at my local store with 1 hour service. You can get a coupon for $2 off of film developing here: <br>

http://photo2.walgreens.com/walgreens/storepage/storePageId=SEM3?ext=gooPhoto_NB_Roll_Film_Developing_Broad_film_developing_coupons&sst=6e1e904a-da16-1048-d3cd-0000709bd143</p>

[william_y]

<p>Wal Mart is not returning negs because they want to eliminate film from the face of the earth. Makes life easier and more profitable for them if they don't have to actually provide SERVICE.</p>

 

[eddy_d]

<p>Wouldn't it be more profitable for these stores to keep doing film? Isn't film more expensive to process, develop, make prints, scan then digital prints? Wouldn't they be losing money if that was the case?</p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>Wal Mart is not returning negs because they want to eliminate film from the face of the earth. </p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

I seriously doubt Walmart cares about eliminating anything other than corporate taxes and employee benefits. If they don't want to carry something, they don't. There's no law compelling them to carry film.<br>

</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Makes life easier and more profitable for them if they don't have to actually provide SERVICE.</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

If that were the case, they would simply stop developing film. That's common logic, there is no law compelling them to develop film.</p>

[donbright]

<p>Imagine that there are no outlets to process film, scan and print. What would you have? Nothing! What would be the point of a so called, 'LAB', Just printing from digital camera's. There's definatly no money in that. What if all digital shooters bought their own printers? Good for the printer business, but thats not going to happen. No, I think ignorance on film is rampant. Ignorance on Photography in general is rampant. This whole confusion thing on the subject is getting old with me, and this not returning negatives to its rightful owner is ridiculous.</p>

[brian_quinn2]

<p>I used to work at a major drug store chain. I did the books there and I know we earned very little money on film developing even when film was at its peak in the late 1990s. We often ran sales on developing and then we made no money at all.<br>

The reason we did it was film developing is great for business in that it gets you to come into the store 3 times for one roll of film. When you first buy the roll, when you drop it off and when you pick it up. Once a customer is in the store you make your money on all the other things they buy.<br>

So digital also cost the drug stores a lot of money too. I used to go to the local store a couple of time a month when they still offered film developing. They stopped and I have not been back in over a year. All my film is mail order now.</p>

[jeff_sudduth]

<blockquote>

<p>All you <strong>cheapskates</strong> that get develop only. no prints, caused this. They don't make money on develop only.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Bill, well that's too bad. The only reason I use them for developing is they send them out to be developed. And making prints is far more difficult than developing. I don't trust the pimply kids at Wally World to make decent prints. If I can't get developed negatives back they are useless too me. I see no reason I should have to buy sh---y prints just to subsidize a multibillion dollar company. Like I said if the Sam's near you is competent go there. You are still taking a chance with in store staff but at least developing is tougher to screw up than printing.</p>

[william_y]

<p>So based on what Brian says, it seems foolish for a big drug store (CVS, Walgreens, etc.) to drop their film processing even if it's not a high profit margin item. He's right - it does get me in the door and I do buy other things. I always order prints with my film processing as well as a CD. And then while I'm there I pick up some milk and Excedrin and the other little things I need. And I think we all know that Walgreens and CVS are not exactly cheap on most items compared to Wallyworld or Target, so they make a lot of money off of me taking my film in there to process. I go in to drop off my film, and walk out with $50 worth of stuff (retail value) that cost the store $10 wholesale.</p>

<p>Here's what I don't understand about digital. It's supposed to be so convenient - that's the whole selling point, right? I can load my pics from my camera onto my PC, and then order prints from there if I want to. So why the hell would I want to order prints and then drive to the store to pick them up? That's not convenient. If I'm going to drive to the store, I'll shoot film and take it in.</p>

<p>It's like somebody else said - these big chain stores have a bunch of pubescent pimply-assed MBA punks working for them in Chicago and Manhattan trying to figure out how to pinch a few more cents of profit. In the process of doing that, they just shoot themselves in the foot. I really enjoy figuring out ways to screw up their customer behavior probability models. I was taking pictures before they were a twinkle in their daddies' eyes, and I sure as hell don't need them telling me how to take pictures and get them processed now.</p>

 

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>these big chain stores have a bunch of pubescent pimply-assed MBA punks working for them in Chicago and Manhattan trying to figure out how to pinch a few more cents of profit.</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

This is not true at all and it's really unpleasant to see insults hurled at people who happen to be working there, especially when the typical MBA hired by the big box chains is going to be over 25. Having worked closely with a big box chain, and in the upper echelons of a very large broadcast retailer, and for internet retail, I can say that you are way off the mark.<br>

<br>

The way it works for every department these days is that they have to analyze the cost and revenue by square foot of each department. The cost includes labor, equipment, etc. There is a residual amount of value to pulling in new customers, but film hasn't been doing enough of that for years. Instead, the "MBAs" are typically analyzing the square foot cost and revenue and determine how to improve that. But they don't set the targets. The targets are set well above them.<br>

<br />The result of their work can be ways to improve the goals for a department, or it may be elimination or shrinkage of another department. Look at what Best Buy has done to the music section. Selling CDs is obviously a declining business, and Best Buy shrinks the footprint of that section and grows space for portable devices. So when you look at in-store film processing, the big box stores will do a huge amount of analysis and determine if the space for the photo processing and printing department, which is substantial because of the equipment and storage of what is given to the customers (with or without negatives), it's not going to last if the volume is declining and the footprint of another department, existing or new, can be expanded.<br>

</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I sure as hell don't need them telling me how to take pictures and get them processed now.</p>

</blockquote>

<p> <br>

I don't know any store doing that, or trying to do that. They are making decisions based on their business models, not telling you anything.<br>

</p>

[jeff_sudduth]

<blockquote>

<p>Look at what Best Buy has done to the music section.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Best Buy is going out of business. But your point is well taken. The newly graduated MBAs do not make the big calls. And Walmart despite some distasteful business practices has an incredible retail machine. There is a lot to learn from them. If you ever get the chance to watch a documentary on their logistical operation do it. You will see why they are cleaning the clock of ma and pa businesses. They have an incredible system that tracks sales and inventory. They can sit at headquarters and almost in real time see what is moving and what stores need what inventory. It is one of the brilliant examples where a multibillion dollar company is truly adding value. They get goods to the consumer in a fast efficient fashion. at&t on the other hand makes money by cramming false charges on customers bills. Call up at&t to ask them to block a text spammer from your phone and they say they can't do it unless you pay extra. Really?!</p>