APUG UK Appeal - Please send a message to Jessops!

[Black Dog]

My {former} local branch of Jessops in Salisbury did bother to stock film and darkroom products-not a great selection of paper and chemistry but at least they did keep 5x4 Ilford b+w film in stock and try to employ staff other than spotty youths:you know the sort, like the one who works at the drivethru burger place in the Simpsons. Stargazer-haven't been in the New Oxford St branch for a couple of years or so but they did keep a good selection of stuff there and employ some reasonably knowledgeable staff who weren't all like the Simpsons guy.

[FrankB]

Oh blimey, the threads that come back to haunt you... I thought this one was dead and buried!

Well this was from their UK site on the homepage "why go digital?":

"Digital photography doesn't use the toxic chemicals that often end up flowing down the drain and into our streams, rivers, and lakes"

If anything write to them and ask how e-waste is great for the environment & why they assume we improperly dispose of the toxic stuff.. :rolleyes:

Ta Sean, I wasn't quite depressed enough at turning 39 today and being down with a virus as well. I'll just pop off and slit my wrists... :rolleyes:

I went into my local Jessops a week or two back to pick up some a bottle of Ilford fixer and another of Ilfostop. (I had to phone up and order them and the gerbil I spoke to had no clue what I was on about...!) I walked past the shelves of PC World and Halfords stock and was attended to by one of the longer-serving members of staff.

As I paid I noticed a couple of bottles of chems, a pack or so of B&W paper and a couple of film clips on view under the counter. I pointed them out and said, "It's nice to see you still sell photographic products!"

The chap grinned and said, "Yes! We're not supposed to have any on display but we keep a few out so people will know we know what we're talking about!"

Says it all, really...

[David Henderson]

Like most others I gave up on Jessops years ago and I care about their future probably as much as they cared about meeting my needs. However increasingly the supply of photographic equipment won't support High Street overheads and so its kind of understandable that they need to sell things with a lower technical content (Most Jessops staff don't know much about photography anyway) and TVs and Sat Nav are brown box sales that are possibly better understood by the sort of staff they seem to attract.

However instead of competing mainly against the telephone/internet for sales, Jessops will now have to learn to fight some very serious retailers as well. I do wonder what they are bringing to bear that will enable them to compete successfully. If I had any Jessops shares I think I'd be tempted to sell.

[Gary Holliday]

Hoes it goin jonconkey?

Jessops never did cater for the serious photographer. When I worked there, you would get the occasional camera-club guy wandering in, yet the club would never place a bulk order. So it's a case of the photographers turning their backs on Jessops.

Jessops are my only source for large quantites of chemicals, I wouldn't dream of paying for the posting of heavy containers. So as long as they have a warehouse I'm happy.

All their fridges have gone, so I'll just have to keep a large supply of film in case I run out!

[Steve Roberts]

Reminds me of the old song, a line of which is "I talk to the trees but they never listen to me". About the same chance with Jessops. Alas song lyrics always give away one's age.
pentaxuser

Or, to quote the version of the song from the Goon Show:
"I talk to the trees, that's why they put me away......"

I'm afraid that I'm in the group that already regards Jessops as a lost cause.

Steve

[Sheebay]

Wow, reading this thread just ade me so angry...

It's comparable to when gillette started on whole disposable razor thing decades back, straights became dangerous (they're not unless you're foolish) and everyone started buying a cartridge few times a week.