May 21 at 11:04 am
- Link
Mrsth, Russellreno, Rachel Lea Fox and 5 other people liked this
Fortunately for me, I haven't run into that kind of attitude in my Orlando area stores. However, the prices are retail and the selection is limited. Unless local stores embrace the Internet to expand their customer base, they're doomed to this business model. One store (Harmon Photo) does provide me with good service and also has a great printing and training range of services. - William Beem
I've never purchased from a local store; and my dad used to own 2 of them in Cleveland, Ohio (Laurel Camera...since out of business though). I feel bad but I frequent local stores to test out new equipment and then purchase it online. - Benjamin Golub
I've had the same experience with camera stores in Seattle. They need to be more like my local fly fishing shop. He accepts that many people will buy rods/reels/etc online. While he stocks those, he focuses on the little things that are needed and lots and lots of customer service. I can't count the number of times he's spent 20 minutes helping me pick out flies - or shown me how to tie a new pattern. The result is, I buy from him simply because I NEED him to stay in business. - Diane Ensey
I have found a local store with good service, but it's about 45 minutes from where I live. There aren't many around, and the Wolf Camera's of the world are no better than Wal Marts. - TreJack
Back when I asked about the Canon 400D at our local (Tiverton, UK) camera shop (Cameras Plus), they told me they didn't have it, and couldn't get it at a price I'd like, but were still happy to spend a while telling me how good it was, and how happy I'd be with it if I went off and bought one online. The result is that I go in there fairly often, and have bought quite a few bits from them since. I settled on a Nikon D40 some time later, and have recently added a Canon G9. - Michael Randall
I'm not sure that I agree with the practice, but I've got a friend who goes to the local store and has the salesperson help him pick out a camera, and then goes online to find the cheapest price. More and more I think better resources are online nowadays, so you can just do all of the shopping online and skip the lousy clerks altogether. - Eric Florenzano
By the way, if you ever have the chance to go to B&H's bricks and mortar store in Manhattan you'll find that they have a *huge* amount of knowledge about their products and will take the time to make sure you get the right thing. Somehow that makes me feel better about buying from them online, even if they won't let me do it on a Saturday. - Kevin Fox
Tullys sucks. I recently went to buy some accessory at a Tullys store at Northgate Mall, Seattle. The person in the store behaved as if he is doing a service for me. It is time these people realize that it is pure business and they gotta treat their customers with due respect. - Krishnan Hussein Subraman
I visit a local (Long Island) shop when I want trival, relatively inexpensive accessories. But for bodies, lenses and anything it's worth the trip into Manhattan to B&H because 1) I get the better price, and 2) both B&H and Adorama store your purchasing history in their computer systems, giving you bargaining leverage in future transactions. This is especially useful when selling or trading used gear. - Tom Harrison
This has happened to me. I was looking for a lens one day for my Nikon and B&H was out of stock. The lens was about $1,649, a 70-200 f/2.8. I called a local camera store here in NJ and was told they had it for $1,949, which is a huge markup. I mentioned their price was high. They said they "needed to make a living." Obnoxious, if you ask me. Needless to say, I did not buy from them. - Farrell Kramer
