http://www.jr.com/ J&R has anyone had an experience with them?

[digital flower]

Yes B&H is jewish owned and observes the holidays and sabbath.

I love J&R. To me they are one of the coolest electronic stores in NYC. They have a lot of good deals and sales. I have never ordered from them but have bought plenty of stuff at the store. They have a large physical inventory of products.

 

[Ediacol]

If I ever make it to NYC I will definitely stop in!

 

[greybeard]

I have bought several consumer audio products, boom boxes etc. from J & R, always got good service from them.

 

[Dao]

I originally planned to purchase the notebook computer I'm using now from J&R. It was back ordered (in most places as well). A day or 2 later I found it from another store, so I went ahead and purchase it from the store that had it in stock.

Then I called J&R back to cancel the order. The J&R reps that I talked to on the phone was very professional. And she asked me to keep the order and even offer a lower price just to keep me as a customer. I politely declined since I'd already ordered it from another place and they had it in stock. So she cancelled my order.

During the whole conversation, I don't feel any pressure and the reps sound professional and I do not have any reason not to buy stuff from them again.

 

[The_Traveler]

B&H and Adorama are owned by very Orthodox Jews. B&H doesn't accept orders on most Jewish holidays.
The upside of B&H (and Adorama I've heard) is that their service and inventory is spectacular, prices are excellent.
If you ever go to NYC, B&H has a store about 1 block from Penn Station that is about the size of a supermarket but two floors high.
To give you some idea of the variety, last time I was in, they had about 50 or 60 different sets of tripod legs alone displayed.
It was a Sunday and it was packed. Four guys checking knapsacks, etc. at a dedicated, computerized booth.
They have different checkouts for cash customers and credit/check customers. There were 4 cash booths open and working and about 10 or 12 counters for credit/check.
You don't carry most expensive stuff to the register, you take your order to the cashier, pay and the stuff is ready waiting when you walk out the door.
It is an amazing display and it is very difficult to walk out without buying anything.
I live 200 miles south and didn't want to pay NY sales tax.
I bought a lens on Sunday and I got it Tuesday morning.

Except for trivial stuff, I have never bought any equipment anywhere but B&H.

Gateway to the promised land.

 

[Dao]

Not 100% sure if the site still up to date or not. If you are skeptical about photography stores or some online stores in NY, take a look at this site.


Brooklyn Camera/Electronic Dealer StoreFronts


Another way to check is if the online stores post an address on their site, use google map street view and take a look at the address. If I find out the address they post on their online is a residential address in google map, I will stay away from them.

 

[otherprof]

Naptime is correct; B&H does observe the Jewish Sabbath. If you're ever in the area - Chelsea in NYC - it is worth checking out. It is like a camera show, with dedicated stands for different brands just for checking out equipment, not selling! I know a photographer who drops in just to talk to other photographers.
I've bought from them, and was impressed by the entire experience, from price through service to a follow up question.
J&R is also a great organization. Their main store is in lower Manhattan, and was closed for months after 9/11. They kept their entire staff on the payroll for the entire time - no employee lost a penny. I buy from them frequently, also.

 

[joel28]

I buy from B&H and Adorama, Best experience ever!

 

[2WheelPhoto]

J &R has been great to me, but i only buy from them when using American Express Rewards Points. I bought my Nikkor 24-70 from J & R.

But I'm a big fan of BHPHOTO. I recently bought a manfrotto light stand from Adorama, but thats because BHPHOTO was closed.

 

[Steve5D]

Until recently, I was a sales rep for a major US guitar company, and J&R was one of my accounts. My experience with them is STRICTLY from that side of their business.

They're staffed by a great bunch of people, and they always endeavored to have a wide selection of stock on hand.

I can only imagine that other areas of their business enjoyed the same attention as their musical instrument division...