I've always supported my local camera store with large purchases of
film, darkroom supplies and, more recently, Epson paper and ink. I
buy minor accessories there, like bags, filters and caps. And I buy
frames and mats. It's actually a pretty good store. Camera Mart is
the name. However, until recently, Camera Mart never carried any
Pentax equipment. They flirted with the *istD, but only briefly and
without any serious effort. At one time they sold some 6x7 stuff, but
eventually dumped it in favor of a better deal from Hasselblad and
others.) Now that the new Pentax DSLR cameras are popular, they're
selling the K100D and all the DA lenses. I'm sure they'll have the
K10D as well. I doubt that I'll buy it there. I've already ordered it
on line. And I kind of have to ask, "Where were they when I needed
Pentax equipment. I had to go online to buy it, and found that I
could get excellent service from B&H and others. What's more, at one
time B&H was my local camera store. How could one possibly wish for a
better local camera store than B&H. I'm sure Amita wil second that.
Paul
On Oct 25, 2006, at 6:00 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> A plug for Citizens Photo in Portland, Oregon. They are a small
> business
> that has been around for over 20 years. It sells Pentax
> equipment. I
> take all my photo finishing work to them, including some digital
> stuff.
>
> Jim A.
>
>
>> The photographic industry needs your support right now, and I'd
>> like to
>> take
>> a moment to convince anyone who is willing to listen why you're
>> better off
>> buying from local camera shops than internet sites or big box stores.
>>
>>
>> When you buy something from a local store, there are two major
>> advantages
>> for your community (this is from a US point of view, so things may be
>> slightly different elsewhere). First, your money is supporting local
>> businesses and jobs, and it stays local. It doesn't go to some
>> corporate
>> headquarters on the other side of the country. Second, the taxes
>> you pay
>> support your local municipalities, such as schools and fire stations.
>> Buying online does not support any of these services, which you
>> may need
>> some day.
>>
>> Buying local can also be more convenient in the event you need any
>> sort of
>> customer service. The fact that you can talk to someone face to face
>> means
>> you can usually get your problem solved in a more timely manner.
>> At the
>> very least, having a local specialty shop to go to usually means a
>> large
>> portion of the staff knows what they're talking about, and since
>> they want
>> to keep you as a customer they will usually do what it takes to
>> make you
>> happy (managers especially).
>>
>> Big box stores (by which I mean places like Fry's, Best Buy,
>> Wal*Mart,
>> etc)
>> and internet stores don't care about the customer; they usually
>> care more
>> about sales volume. Their prices are low because they move so
>> many items
>> they don't need a large profit margin on most things. Their
>> prices are
>> also
>> low because their staff is often not as knowledgeable about the
>> products
>> they sell as staff are at specialty shops, like the one I used to
>> work at.
>> In other words, the box stores tend to hire cheap labor.
>>
>> A lot of internet stores sell low-quality accessories at high markups
>> because they know the customer won't know what they're getting
>> till it
>> arrives in the mail ("it comes with a memory card? great!"). I
>> know a
>> lot
>> of PDML members probably wouldn't fall for that, but it something
>> a lot of
>> everyday buyers have no clue about.
>>
>>
>> There are plenty more reasons for shopping at local stores and
>> specialty
>> shops, but suffice to say, if you want local camera shops to exist
>> AT ALL
>> in
>> the future, please consider buying from them in the present. Yes,
>> you'll
>> probably pay a little more, but it's worth it in the long run.
>>
>> Isn't it?
>>
>> John Celio
>> (if it weren't for so many people buying online and at big box
>> stores, I'd
>> probably still be working at Reed's)
>>
>> --
>>
>> http://www.neovenator.com
>>
>> AIM: Neopifex
>>
>> "Hey, I'm an artist. I can do whatever I want and pretend I'm
>> making a
>> statement."
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List
>> [email protected]
>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
>>
>>
>
>
>
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