For UK Members - Possible Bad News for Jessops

[railwayman3]

I've also noticed Boot's commitment. Often a good range available - not the cheapest, but then it is a convenience.

Matt

Yes, I've noticed that...also K64 available off the shelf at the larger stores.
And their 3-films-for-the-price-of-2 offer (which has been running for some time) does make the films quite competitive with mail order if you need more than one.
I tend to buy at least some of my basic film requirements there, in the hope that every little purchase might just encourage them to see that there is an ongoing local demand.

[Paul Jenkin]

That's true for many towns in the UK and unfortunately highlights the inherent problems Jessops are facing, they've forgotten to cater properly for film users.

Ian

Couldn't agree more, Ian.

Unfortunately, 'film' products have moved back across the line from being commodities - which all photographic outlet staff understood and could advise you on - to being niche products requiring specialist knowledge.

Jessops is, as far as film is concerned, a lost cause (IMO). I won't be darkening their doorstep for any film materials. Come to think of it, as my local pro shop (from where I buy my film / film equipment) can obtain whatever I need for my digital photography as well, I'll give him exclusivity that business, too.

I know that camera mags have always published some gear comparisons but I also think that they have caused a lot of the problems. I'd wager a fair amount that well over half of the people who go into Jessops (and the like) to buy a digital camera already know exactly which one they want and how much it'll cost - hence the reason that these shops can afford to recruit the great unwashed and the disaffected.

[Matt5791]

Jessops is, as far as film is concerned, a lost cause (IMO). I won't be darkening their doorstep for any film materials. Come to think of it, as my local pro shop (from where I buy my film / film equipment) can obtain whatever I need for my digital photography as well, I'll give him exclusivity that business, too.

That is a very good point - there are a lot of people who actively shoot both, and one of the mistakes I think Jessops has made is that they assume you are EITHER film OR digital, but not both. The result is, as you say, they loose on the digital kit too to such customers.

Matt

[Paul Jenkin]

The other thing I meant to mention, but forgot, is that Jessops took a decision to deal only in new equipment.

If you want to trade or upgrade, whether your old gear is film or digital, they are not interested. They actively sold off tons of extremely good s/hand equipment a few years ago. How many customer transactions did that strategy kill? It's got to be thousands and it's got to have impacted their turnover and their profit.

These days, most trades and upgrades are digital to digital. I've bought and traded Nikon D70 to D200 to D300. I still have my D300 and have acquired a D700. Had Jessops been in the market, they could have made money on the new item and some on selling the trade-in. It's basic economics - they just seem hell-bent on cutting off access to markets who want to buy kit off them. How many of us would buy their old film gear, if they had any? Me for one!

[Matt5791]

Good point - it was a crazy decision. What I guess happened is that the new guys in at the top, who had come from the likes of Dixons, said, well, nobody part exchanges a washing machine or microwave - which of course takes no account of the nature of the camera product which people rarely change because they are worn out, as is the case with white goods - even a beat up ex-photojournalist's camera still has some value.

Matt

[benjiboy]

I think on further reflection perhaps the days of the big multiple photographic retailer with 200 + shops with all those premises to pay rent on, and staff to pay are over, and the world has moved on.

[Paul Jenkin]

You may have a point.

However, outside of a few specialist retailers, buying new pro-spec film cameras is a virtual impossibility. The digital market is also saturated and, aside from upgrades from crop sensor to full-frame and DSLRs that offer HD video shooting as well as 'still' photography, there's little to attract new customers.

Few people actually print photos these days (due to convenience of sharing via the internet) so Jessops has painted itself into a corner from all possible angles. I genuinely feel for the staff because, as inexperienced as many of them are, their management is ultimately responsible for setting the company's strategic direction.

Had they downsized a bit a few years ago and retained a loyal film customer base by continuing to trade in s/hand gear, they might have fared better. Who knows?

[perkeleellinen]

Hmm, they seem to have pinned themselves down into a very specific market: prosumer DSLRs. They're squeezed at the low end by camera phones that are competing with P&S cameras and seem to have abandoned the high end; I never see those huge pro DSLRs that are as big as your face, no studio lighting, no medium / large format, no tripods, no 2nd hand, no 'cult' cameras (Holgas etc).

I think this puts them in a very vulnerable position as I'm sure there's a finite number of people who want entry level DSLRs. Bar that, it seems like they stock just camera pouches, memory cards and batteries.

[benjiboy]

I can't see how camera shops in general can survive, I think a lot of people go to their local camera store, handle the camera have them demonstrate it, then buy it from the cheapest online retailer they can find.

[Sirius Glass]

Ben,

There has always been that. The salesperson spend an hour with a customer who then drives across town to save $5. The way to combat that is to have good customer service and provide good customer support. In the past, with film that would work; with digisnappers nothing brings the customers back but a new model with a better bell or whistle.

Steve