Buying from local store...

[JohnRichard]

So, my local camera store still sells film. They don't have a huge selection. They're prices are high, but they are all older, and most still shoot on film, although the store has gone mostly d-word.

Now my question: Would you buy film from a camera store if you knew it was not refrigerated/frozen, and did not have a high turn over. It hurts me to say, because I like the store and its employees, but I can get better prices and products online. Of course this is the case everywhere.

Also, when I say high prices, let me give you an example. They have 4 rolls of Ektachrome 64T. They want $19/per for it. They are not going to order anymore. I told them I would buy all four rolls for $50 (which is about what I would pay on Freestyle), they said no. So there it sits on the shelf, collecting dust.


I should also say they are not going to go out of business any time soon. They do a LOT of rental and retail sales via D-word. They have a nice selection of used analogue gear, including a Nikon F, and a Canon F-1 that I REAAAAAALLY want...

Thoughts?

[Ian Grant]

This is why companies like Ilford & Kodak etc have problems with film sales, poor retailers who are short sighted.

You don't mind paying slightly more to buy from a store, there's no postage etc but you don't want to be ripped off either.

Ian

[Greg Davis]

I assume you are talking about Murphy's Camera. If the price is unreasonable, buy it elsewhere. Get what is reasonable from them. Since UK and EKU have mostly black and white programs and color negative courses, those products have a higher turnover. Since nobody local develops the E-6 films now that The Film Lab has closed and UK's med lab stopped, they aren't selling much slide film. Eventually they will hit the expired film bin and get a discount.

[Michael W]

They are offering professional slide film that is not kept in a fridge & asking full price? I'd be wary at half price. There probably isn't much margin on it, but they should at least keep it cold.

[Jeff Kubach]

Just buy what is reasonable. I buy some from my local camera store. Keep local merchants in business.

Jeff

[Sirius Glass]

Just buy what is reasonable. I buy some from my local camera store. Keep local merchants in business.

Ditto.

If not reasonable, use the internet.

Steve

[Q.G.]

That times are getting hard for film selling shops does not mean that we need to keep shops, who don't know what they are doing to the product they are hoping to sell to you, open anymore than we needed to when times were better.

If my local store had not stored film the way it should have been, i would not have bought from them and would have told them so as well. (Nowadays, the only thing they have in stock is a "we can order that for you", to which i always reply "i can, and will, do that myself, thanks".)

[jnanian]

it sounds like your store is like the one in the town where i grew up.
they had an expired box of tmx 100 100sheets when i say expired, i mean
the box was covered with dust, and the date on the box was 10 years before.
the price was 100$. i asked for a discount seeing it was 10years + old and they refused ..
i went to b/h and bought a new box for 67$ ..
this is the same store that toyo told me were dealers of their gear, and the manager
didn't know toyo was a camera company ...

[railwayman3]

I remember, some time ago, saying something to a local business man about the need to "support local shops"...his reply was "Why, they don't support my business"!

Perhaps his comment came over a tad harsh, but it's a point if your local shop is trying to sell you pro film not properly stored, at full price.

The mail order suppliers have seen an opportunity to meet a demand and support photographers, and set up a mail order business accordingly. Why didn't your local store see that demand and do that? (Same reason as me....I wish I'd thought of the idea a few years ago, but it's no use complaining )

[mike c]

With d-----l far more popular to the masses there is no profit in film any more.Every square in of a store has to make money,if it don't sell the store loses.Unless you are a specialty with a wide clientele and internet access ,Freestly, keh,ect .