Well I guess I'll be buying my cameras off the internet from now on

[montresor]

I've always been a bit of an anti-booster when it comes to Cleveland, which can be all too provincial and narrow-minded a place, but after reading this thread, I have to admit how lucky I am to live in a town where there's a big pro photography store downtown (you Clevelanders know which one I'm talking about, at East 30th and Carnegie!). I can go in and get anything I need for just about any format, and I know I'll never talk to anyone who isn't 100% knowledgable about the field. Wide range of equipment, film, etc. What they don't have there, they can get for you.

For those of you here locally who want a heart-stopping experience, visit the big place sometime and have a look at the new acquisition in their rental/leasing department, a Cambo Wide DS. Holy mackerel....

 

[three_eyed_otter]

It is pretty obvious to me that most here have never owned a business or experienced the hopelessness that one feels when the infrastructure that supported acceptable business practice starts to crumble. One comment "that a long time local shop already has a base of local business, so, why not cut 'me' a break" is an example of lack of understanding that a business sustains itself by supporting established customers and by adding new ones.

Well obviously this means me so perhaps some personal history might alleviate the presumption. Up until May 2007 I worked for a mom/pop flower shop delivering flowers (part-time). I have watched this business get squeezed and kicked around for about the past 7 years by the likes of franchise flower stores, the landlord, the grocery stores, the wholesalers who "don't sell arrangements to the public"; yeah right, the super walmarts, the super targets, SAMs Club, and Costco, oh and the internet as well, all taking their bite of the flower market. On top of this the owner has a husband who had a stroke and is pretty much a useless jerk (apparently bad/angry attitudes can become an issue w/severe stroke victims) in a wheelchair that she must take care of personally so as not to have all of her savings and retirement disappear before she's deceased. I have watched how a franchise put a store less than 300 yds. around the corner (technically this is another local business) and compete for the same business. I have been a bone thrower for this flower shop and have watched the loyalty it has created when a person has the opportunity to overlook the fact that they can buy their groceries for dinner as well as the flowers for the dinner table arrangement in the same place.If a mom/pop camera store can't support the local snapshooters(mainstreamers) while giving the "in the know" hobbyist/professional a bone in order to expand the network then perhaps they are the ones who are unaware of the dividends at hand.
I apologize for offending anyone but I find it impossible to support a business that is incapable of meeting me at least somewhere in between. I believe ultimately ppl make repeated purchases from ppl they like, but I at least need a reason to come in the door in the first place.

have a good one
3Eo

 

[WDodd]

I've always been a bit of an anti-booster when it comes to Cleveland, which can be all too provincial and narrow-minded a place, but after reading this thread, I have to admit how lucky I am to live in a town where there's a big pro photography store downtown (you Clevelanders know which one I'm talking about, at East 30th and Carnegie!). I can go in and get anything I need for just about any format, and I know I'll never talk to anyone who isn't 100% knowledgable about the field. Wide range of equipment, film, etc. What they don't have there, they can get for you.

For those of you here locally who want a heart-stopping experience, visit the big place sometime and have a look at the new acquisition in their rental/leasing department, a Cambo Wide DS. Holy mackerel....

Dodd camera??? Thats where I bought my first dSLR.


I hate to be brutally honest but there is just no place for Mom and Pop stores anymore. They can't compete and the big superstores make sure its that way. When it comes down to it most people would rather save a buck than support a local shop, if they even know the local shop exists. Gone are the days where you have a town hardware store, a bakery, a farmers market, a meat market/butcher, and whatever else. I've seen all these things either find a niche in the market or close in my rural area.

I live and grew up on a farm and its the same way. We have a small farmers market and we can't compete with a grocery store. No one wants to make a special trip to get fresh homegrown produce when they can pick it up at the grocery store for cheap stuff from Argentina.

 

[Garbz]

It's not a case really of the mom and pop stores being screwed by Walmart et al but being abandoned by the industry as a whole. Think about it like this. Do you think Walmart would be even remotely interested in stocking the pro-sumer equipment if it couldn't sell it to average joes? The mum and dad businesses were founded on the basis that photography was a unique art form. It is really the manufacturer's push for more profits by creating a pro-sumer market with cheap SLRs like the D40 400D k100D E-410 etc that drove the market from a unique hobby enjoyed by a few dedicated amateurs and seasoned professionals, to being a DSLR in nearly every house and mums setting up studios in the spare room of their house.

Photography and associated equipment became a commodity, which caused large chain companies to become interested in the first place. The mom and dad stores became an endangered species long before Walmart started stocking cameras.

Just my analysis of the situation. May not be 100% right.

 

[table1349]

Dodd camera??? Thats where I bought my first dSLR.


I hate to be brutally honest but there is just no place for Mom and Pop stores anymore. They can't compete and the big superstores make sure its that way. When it comes down to it most people would rather save a buck than support a local shop, if they even know the local shop exists. Gone are the days where you have a town hardware store, a bakery, a farmers market, a meat market/butcher, and whatever else. I've seen all these things either find a niche in the market or close in my rural area.

I live and grew up on a farm and its the same way. We have a small farmers market and we can't compete with a grocery store. No one wants to make a special trip to get fresh homegrown produce when they can pick it up at the grocery store for cheap stuff from Argentina.

If this be the case then keep this in mind as well. Gone are the days of having a legitimate right to ***** about the lousy service you get from the big box I don't give a damn cause you are only one person stores.

You willfully abandoned that right when you abandoned those mom and pop businesses that knew the value of service. I learned long ago, money like a camera body or just about anything else is just a tool, not a god. If I have enough to meet my basic needs I'm good. If I have a little extra to play that is great. So always getting the cheapest price isn't everything to me. Service comes at a cost and so does the lack of it when those businesses are no longer there.

 

[WDodd]

If this be the case then keep this in mind as well. Gone are the days of having a legitimate right to ***** about the lousy service you get from the big box I don't give a damn cause you are only one person stores.

You willfully abandoned that right when you abandoned those mom and pop businesses that knew the value of service. I learned long ago, money like a camera body or just about anything else is just a tool, not a god. If I have enough to meet my basic needs I'm good. If I have a little extra to play that is great. So always getting the cheapest price isn't everything to me. Service comes at a cost and so does the lack of it when those businesses are no longer there.

Thats why I don't see a problem with buying from B&H while they have the best prices around you can also call them up and talk to someone who is knowledgeable and in most cases shares a passion for photography.

I wouldn't say that the people who are passionate and friendly are gone but they are surely harder to find.

 

[droyz2000]

The store that I go to in Ohio does a some price matching. They are willing to lower their prices to a certain extent. The thing that I like is that I can talk to people and try out the item that I would like to purchase before i buy it. The other nice thing is that if I have a problem I can take it right back and I do not have to pay to have it shipped back and then back to me again. I enjoy the local store experience.

 

[gordon77]

when i was thinking about buying a 30d i went shopping around for a good 3-4 weeks. the large department stores/internet had the best prices by a long shot but the knowledge of the sales ppl there is basically nill. i ended up paying about 10% more for my gear at a small photo store that employs about 7 ppl. they were so nice and actually reccomended the 400d and a nice lens, cards and cleaning kit over the 30d. this speaks volumes to me - they sold me something that suited me (amature) rather than selling something that would have made them more money. i found out later on in the purchase process that they only employ staff that are qualified and experienced in photography. i am so stoked with the service that they gave me, i would never have got that from the internet or a department store. reading the above by the sounds of it i am lucky that i have a store with such service, i will never shop anywhere else.

 

[MikeR]

Today I went out to pu[SIZE=-1]rchase a new D-sl[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]r and came home with out one. I went to walma[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]rt and they had just sold the[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]re last [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]rebel XT (all I can affo[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]rd) [/SIZE]



[SIZE=-1]so then I went the ci[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]rcut city and the chick the[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]re t[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]ried to sell a Long zoom Came[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]ra [/SIZE]

[SIZE=-1]There is noting wrong with the XT, I'm stilll shooting with a Digital Rebel (300D) and put more cash into higher quality glass.[/SIZE]

That is why Circuit City is in trouble, also CompUSA

I shop B&H now, the Ritz store near me have uneducated people behind the counter. this is not to say that it's this way all over.

 

[Stratman]

Had a local shop even came close to what I paid for my camera, I would have bought it locally. I saved $130.00 buying online through Amazon. If there had been only a $50.00 difference, I would have more than likely bought it locally. I did, however, buy a few things from a local shop, used, and also bought a new filter locally. I won an auction for a K1000 on ebay, the K1000 came with the SMC-M 50mm f1.4, and both camera and lens were near mint condition. So i also started bidding on 50mm f2 lenses on ebay, to put on the K1000, and was able to get one, in very good shape for $20.00 shipped. Then took the K1000 to the local shop < Creve Couer Camera> looking to get either a flash, or a tripod. No decent flashes, but they did have a bogen/manfrotto 3001 there, and i traded the K1000 straight up for it. Nice deal, the 50MM f1.4 ended up costing me about $20.00 after all was said and done, AND i now have a decent starter tripod.

 

[lifeafter2am]

I am all about supporting your local shops. I live in a surf town, and you see the people, who may charge a little more, but care about the culture and the spirit of surfing. It is because of this, that I will always spend the extra money to support these shops.

That being said: I bought my camera from an online retailer. There is one local camera shop here, and I called, because like some of you, I am willing to pay the extra money to have someone to talk to, and to walk out with it right away. The difference in price between the online retailer and my local shop was $600!!!! If it was $300, I would have thought about it, if it was $200 I would have done it, but $600 is alot of money. Now like I said, I am all about supporting local shops, but I was also raised to be money conscious, and that is just a lot of extra money. Even the markup on the lenses is high .... alas they do have a printing shop though, and I will use them whenever I need a good print.

If I can support them I will, filters etc.

Just my 2 cents. :er:

 

[domromer]

I like the idea of buying local, but sometimes I can't convince myself it's worth it. Yesterday I went looking for a camera bag. I found in here in town for 65$. I found the same bag online for 39.95 and free shipping. I can't bring myself to pay $25 more for the same bag.

 

[photogincollege]

I'm not sure if there are any local shops here but i would gladly pay extra to support them. I am lucky enough though to have knowledgable people at ritz.

 

[Sideburns]

bought my rebel XT from best buy, because it was on sale for about 100 less than any other places...and the only local store I knew of at that time wasn't even local...it was a chain..."Black's photo"

I guess there is one here, but it has a huge Konica Minolta sign in the front, so I doubt I'll be goin in any time soon...it's really old and I saw it on the drive during work yesterday. Looked kinda ghetto.

I'd love to support a nice camera shop locally, but there's nothing around here like that...

 

[three_eyed_otter]

I guess there is one here, but it has a huge Konica Minolta sign in the front, so I doubt I'll be goin in any time soon...it's really old and I saw it on the drive during work yesterday. Looked kinda ghetto.

May get lucky and come across some ole geezer who can't afford a decent storefront but has 50 yrs. of great photos and stories.ldman:

have a good one
3Eo