# Another Big Camera Store Fails



## table1349 (Mar 2, 2017)

Sad but predictable. 
Another Big Camera Store Fails: Why Are So Many Closing?


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## dxqcanada (Mar 2, 2017)

Ah, that article reminds me of the good old days in the Photography Business ... though we hardly ever made more than 15% GP on the camera hardware ... I remember downtown Toronto with a camera store on every corner. We all tried to steal customers from eachother by offering less ... customers knew this so we all ended up undercutting eachother. Good thing there was photofinishing, that was worth giving away the hardware to get people coming back to develop/print film and buy the consumables.
Now, there is no more developing/printing/film to constantly spend money on ... actually, it aint now ... I knew this was going to happen when the first digital cameras became affordable (I still remember when the Casio QV-10 came out in 95 ... it sucked but it was the start of something bigger).
I decided to leave before Digital became mainstream.


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## terri (Mar 2, 2017)

That is awful to hear.    I quit going there when they went all digital, but in their heyday, they rocked it.    Not only did they sell and rent all kinds of analog equipment,  they kept a small building where they held photography classes for the public.    Darkroom techniques, using SLR's, studio lighting, portraiture, little half-day field trips to shoot landscapes or street photography - they were a unique and charming outfit. 

Then, one year they sold off all their analog stuff, closed their darkrooms and all the classes were digital only.    Then, one year  the classes went away.    Now the store is gone.  

Digital killed them off.    A shame.   

I bought Polaroid film there years ago.   Walked out into the parking lot, loaded it into my SX70 Land camera that was in the car waiting, and snapped a picture of the store front, just for fun.    Then manipulated it with a pen from my glovebox.     Just playin'.   





So long, Showcase, and thanks for the memories.     You gave me great advice on that Holga, too.


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## dxqcanada (Mar 2, 2017)

Great image ... I like it ... very Van Gogh'sh


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## KmH (Mar 2, 2017)

The bottom line, and not for just brick & mortar stores, the camera manufacturers and retail photographers are being effected too.


> . . . many people are no longer buying cameras. They’re quite happy with pictures from smartphones and that has taken away a nice chunk of the photo business. So few people are printing pictures and that was also a nice part of the business.


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## terri (Mar 2, 2017)

dxqcanada said:


> Great image ... I like it ... very Van Gogh'sh



Caught that, didn't ya?      

Thank you.


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## table1349 (Mar 2, 2017)

terri said:


> That is awful to hear.    I quit going there when they went all digital, but in their heyday, they rocked it.    Not only did they sell and rent all kinds of analog equipment,  they kept a small building where they held photography classes for the public.    Darkroom techniques, using SLR's, studio lighting, portraiture, little half-day field trips to shoot landscapes or street photography - they were a unique and charming outfit.
> 
> Then, one year they sold off all their analog stuff, closed their darkrooms and all the classes were digital only.    Then, one year  the classes went away.    Now the store is gone.
> 
> ...





dxqcanada said:


> Great image ... I like it ... very Van Gogh'sh





terri said:


> dxqcanada said:
> 
> 
> > Great image ... I like it ... very Van Gogh'sh
> ...



Oh if I doode it Terri's gonna give me a wiping.   

Ah what da heck, Im gonna doode it. 

But is it art?  

Here you go Terri, I'm ready.


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## jcdeboever (Mar 2, 2017)

This really is more about being a consumer nation. If we manufactured electronics like we used to, this would not even be an issue. Of course, a lot goes into that opinion but it is the bottom line. 

In my (Father-in-Laws technically) business, I know what my costs are per square foot, per mile, per employee, etc. I manage it through, and in this manner, the business is profitable. I control expense to sales, manage inventory by turn and square footage. There are many competitors but we continue to thrive because we manage our business. Many customers want a less expensive product, that is fine but our business model is not dictated by that under the surface, we are 25% more in the majority of markets. The higher cost we charge for our product and services is predicated on high quality, on-time service, and a consistent service model. These three things have fluctuating cost so you have to manage it.  When I sell something, I will not lower my price, as it is based on volume, it is managed. There are the occasional exceptions but far and few between. I do not sell on price and I don't have to because the quality is there. 

How does this apply to brick and mortar stores? All the way. You have to manage your way through your business. I am amazed by the number of intelligent people running business' that have no idea what their doing. Would I open up a camera store today? Probably not, because of market condition. There is a fine line about transcending a business. What are you going to deliver to the customer? Maybe this retailer just did it to do it because he or she set themselves up to do it without the personal accountability.


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## table1349 (Mar 2, 2017)

Curious, what sort of business is this you are speaking of.  Business like the granite counter business have not taken the same hit as the small electronics type business' due to the nature of the business.  That has much to do with the current market for some types of businesses.


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## pixmedic (Mar 2, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> Curious, what sort of business is this you are speaking of.  Business like the granite counter business have not taken the same hit as the small electronics type business' due to the nature of the business.  That has much to do with the current market for some types of businesses.


Having done granite countertops for over a decade In the mid 90s to late 2000s, I can honestly say that the industry HAS taken a big hit. When I started we were getting $200 per sqft for level 1 granite Installed. When I left the industry, many places were advertising  $28 per sqft installed. 

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## jcdeboever (Mar 2, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> Curious, what sort of business is this you are speaking of.  Business like the granite counter business have not taken the same hit as the small electronics type business' due to the nature of the business.  That has much to do with the current market for some types of businesses.



You missed my point, the type of business is not important in my overview. It's about managing your business. Markets change. Competitors come and go. In the more challenging markets such as mine, 10 competitors have closed up. Again, it is about managing your business. Model it to succeed.


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## pixmedic (Mar 2, 2017)

jcdeboever said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > Curious, what sort of business is this you are speaking of.  Business like the granite counter business have not taken the same hit as the small electronics type business' due to the nature of the business.  That has much to do with the current market for some types of businesses.
> ...



I saw a lot of granite and marble shops close down. It's not dissimilar to the camera business. 
Business climates change, shops take hits. Some make it, some dont.


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## jcdeboever (Mar 2, 2017)

pixmedic said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > Curious, what sort of business is this you are speaking of.  Business like the granite counter business have not taken the same hit as the small electronics type business' due to the nature of the business.  That has much to do with the current market for some types of businesses.
> ...



 Sorry, but that is a general statement. You have to know the customer. Why would someone pay 28 per sq when your quality was 200? doesn't make sense. maybe the industry was greedy to start out with because no one concerned themselves with the costs and profitability with doing business. Sounds almost like a bunch of handyman got together and said ....


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## pixmedic (Mar 2, 2017)

jcdeboever said:


> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> > gryphonslair99 said:
> ...



Why do people pay for low end cheap dslrs? A lot of it was undercutting. For a long time all the stone came from Italy and South America.  Then, we saw slabs coming in from India and other countries that were much much cheaper. Shops bought them up and cut their prices.
Some shops survived because they could produce the quantity builders needed. A few artisan shops survived, and shops that marketed well and kept costs down. 
I'm telling how it was because i was there.  I saw the best and the worst of that industry. 
Once distributors started flooding the market with cheaper stone, it was hard to get the same money when a dozen other shops where half the price.
In many cases the stone wasn't as good a quality, but just like the photography industry,  most people don't really know the difference.  
It wasn't much different than  the photography industry when digital got cheap.

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## Derrel (Mar 2, 2017)

KmH said:


> The bottom line, and not for just brick & mortar stores, the camera manufacturers and retail photographers are being effected too.
> 
> 
> > . . . many people are no longer buying cameras. They’re quite happy with pictures from smartphones and that has taken away a nice chunk of the photo business. So few people are printing pictures and that was also a nice part of the business.



I thought it was interesting how he layed most of the blame on retailers that do NOT collect state sales tax to buyers from states where sales tax is supposed to be payed. (I've spent most of my life in Oregon, which has ZERO sales tax, and where ballot measures seeking to estabklish a state sales tax have been voted down, reosunbdinbglky, somnething like 14 times, since 1933). At one time, CameraWorld of Oregon was a HUGE mail-order dealer--you know, back when people orderedphoto goods from Popular Photography, and the other magazines. Or from catalogues!

I knew what he meant when he said, "
A Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Camera with 24-105mm f/4L II lens costs $4,599.99 at Showcase, which is exactly the same at most major players, but the added 8% sales tax of $368 is what the customer gets to keep as a bonus by buying out of state. Canon and other manufacturers provide a MAP or Minimum Advertised Price and when the main players stick to that the others have to follow. Amazon does charge tax in Georgia because they have warehousing facilities in the state but that does not apply to online photo retailers.

“Amazon is not my major competitor,” says Khoury. “*My major competitor is New York.*”


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## table1349 (Mar 2, 2017)

pixmedic said:


> gryphonslair99 said:
> 
> 
> > Curious, what sort of business is this you are speaking of.  Business like the granite counter business have not taken the same hit as the small electronics type business' due to the nature of the business.  That has much to do with the current market for some types of businesses.
> ...



I would love to see an online mapping and install.  Granted you can order about anything on the internet these days except personal service.  

Our granite folks came out and took measurements with a laptop and hardware after putting on the proper markers to map not just the counter but the walls as well.  When they slipped it in it was dead on perfect against the walls.  There was less than 1/16th" of a gap anywhere along the walls of a 20 year old house.


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## pixmedic (Mar 2, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> pixmedic said:
> 
> 
> > gryphonslair99 said:
> ...


The digital tech for templating wasn't quite refined back in my day. It was juuuust getting around to a few shops. I make physical templates out of strips of balsa wood. Fit like a glove when I installed it though. I mostly ran the bridgesaws and cnc machines.
In one of the shops i worked in the pieces were on pallets moved around from machine to machine by a robotic forklift that ran on it's own. 

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## table1349 (Mar 2, 2017)

It was interesting to watch.  The guy reported to me happily that our walls were some of the straightest he had ever see.  What he wasn't able to tell us was that our cabinets when installed had be put in to accommodate granite.  He advised that most times the builders/installers don't add the proper shims under the Formica counter tops to raise it up to the proper height of a granite top.  The installers were surprised to find that when they pulled the old Formica counter top the found it was properly installed.  Our granite slid in perfectly to the tile.   

We had already bought new, updated tile so it wasn't a big issue, but it was nice to know our builder cared enough to do it right the first time.


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## smoke665 (Mar 2, 2017)

Derrel said:


> I thought it was interesting how he layed most of the blame on retailers that do NOT collect state sales tax to buyers from states where sales tax is supposed to be payed. (I've spent most of my life in Oregon, which has ZERO sales tax, and where ballot measures seeking to estabklish a state sales tax have been voted down, reosunbdinbglky, somnething like 14 times, since 1933).



You beat me to the punch Derrel, I was going to make the same comment. How about the cities that jumped on the sales tax bandwagon, such that you now see combined state/city of up to 11% in our state. The norm is 10%. Compare that to a state rate of 4% and a county rate (in our county) of 1% and you quickly see where the problem lies. Cities have milked that cash cow to the point that people are fed up with it.


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## pixmedic (Mar 2, 2017)

gryphonslair99 said:


> It was interesting to watch.  The guy reported to me happily that our walls were some of the straightest he had ever see.  What he wasn't able to tell us was that our cabinets when installed had be put in to accommodate granite.  He advised that most times the builders/installers don't add the proper shims under the Formica counter tops to raise it up to the proper height of a granite top.  The installers were surprised to find that when they pulled the old Formica counter top the found it was properly installed.  Our granite slid in perfectly to the tile.
> 
> We had already bought new, updated tile so it wasn't a big issue, but it was nice to know our builder cared enough to do it right the first time.


Out of level cabinets and walls were the worst. Especially if we have to seam the stone somewhere. Older homes could be nightmares if everything was all skewed

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## Mysecutage (Mar 12, 2017)

It's a pity(((
Nowadays people prefer phone photos, especially Phone ones as a symbol of luxury life. Phone combines lots of functions and it's portable. No wonder, on the one hand it becomes more and more popular


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