Is Walmart phasing out photo printing?

[a._t._burke]

<p>Gentlepersons:</p>

<p>A Walmart Supercenter in Lutz, FL has just removed the row of stand-alone photo printing machines. The row of user terminals that feed the large Fuji printer is still there. However, in this last calendar year I have never seen a person behind the “Photo Desk.” I probably only average going there about once every two weeks but always use the entrance next to the photo center. I go at different times of the day. Still 12 visits seeing an empty desk and now the removal of all totally self service stations seems like a progression away from the service. </p>

<p>Anyone closer to the corporation know their immediate intentions for Walmart in general? </p>

<p>A. T. Burke</p>

[25asa]

<p>I'd like to know as well, because my job may be on the line. Walmart is cutting services like crazy up here in Canada at the labs, and we have a sneaking suspicion we will be phased out of our jobs by years end. Its only speculation, but we see the writing on the wall and our lab is so slow that I can't see them continuing services for much longer. I am currently looking for a new job, but the labour force being what it is now, jobs are hard to come by these days for full time where I live. Don't ask the Walmart in Canada about what I said, as I don't want it coming back to me at work. That said our best days are behind us and it is time to shut it down to be honest.</p>

[paul_wheatland]

<p>I have noticed that most people use 'phone cameras, share the photos electronically to relatives and friends. Because of this current use of photography, the services associated with the hobby and profession is fast disappearing from our way of life. Having spent using wonderful film cameras and now digital cameras as a serious amateur hobbiest, I truly miss it!</p>

[vrankin]

<p>Walgreen's has the only printing service I know of in our town, and no one is working in that department whenever I'm in the store for other things. Our move away from handling physical prints has been so swift as to leave me stunned. I see a lot of people looking down at their phones and tablets these days.</p>

[chuck -]

<p>And Walgreens has already announced their impending total exit of the film business...</p>

[don_coppola]

I won"t send anymore E6 thru them as the last roll took 3 weeks for return. WM states it is a 2 week turnaround on their drop off site. 3 calls to Fuji resulted in 2 "we have no record on this" & 1 "we process here (somewhere in the south)". Cost was almost $12 w/sales tax. That + 2 trips to the store has soured me on using WM. Now I'll mail a few rolls @ a time direct to Dwayne's.

[brian_donaldson3]

<p>I currently work as a Photo Lab Technician at a Walmart in SoCal.</p>

<p>In January, Walmart replace all our HP Kiosks with Fuji Kiosk. They also replaced our Fuji DL400 with a DL600 printer. The HP wide printer we had was replaced with an Epson (model escapes but if you want to know I will get it). The services we used to provide has been reduced. Also, with the introduction of the Fuji Kiosks, the customers ability to correct their own prints has been virtually removed. Also, we used to be able to color balance on the main computer in the lab (if one knew how) but that too has been removed.</p>

<p>Customers not just plug and play, at a cost. That cost is the ability to edit their prints so heads are not cut off. They select 4x6 even if their images are 16:9, 1:1, or 4:3. They do not have the ability to view them on the spot as the HP machines did. They would have to view each image with the edit button one at a time. Customer do not have time for that. So I end up fixing a lot of prints and that is a waste of paper.</p>

<p>I lave listed about 30+ observations about the services we have now. They were given to the local Fuji rep the last time he was in the store. As of last week, I have seen some changes in the Kiosk menus and the way the images appear on screen. We now see dark lines that mean this will be cropped during printing. This at least gives the customer a chance to see if heads will be cut off. Plus, they have also some editing tools for color, brightness, contrast, and saturation. But that is still not enough.</p>

<p>Because of the changes since January, I have had to send customers to other stores that still had the HP machines, or to a place called North Coast Photographic. Some customers who are loyal have remained. However, I feel that Walmart will indeed start to phase out their Photo Labs in about a year or two. They are not hiring photo savvy employees anymore. When I am not there, employees from Electronics work the desk. They only see photo as a hiding place. They do not really understand what we do and how we help the customers.</p>

<p>Film scanning is another issue. Scanning of neg and slides was taken away. Film processing has remained the same. There are no more wet labs in our area except NCP that I mentioned above. I am thinking of doing a side business of scanning so that customers do not have to wait 2~3 weeks for their orders.</p>

<p>This is what is currently happen in SoCal. I cannot speak for other stores in other locations. But my guess is they are as frustrated as I am with what services we once had are now gone.</p>