Walked into a camera store with $3000.00...

[Noe]

and walked out with nothing. Here is the story and I want your opinions on this.

I went to a local camera store and had the intention of buying some lenses (85 mm 1.8, 135 mm softfocus, Canon 70-200 f/2.8, and a wide angle zoom was not sure on this one so I wanted to test a Tamron and Sigma). They did not have the 85mm and the 135mm. So i tested the tamron 17-50mm, but was not convinced on buying it, then I asked to try out a 17-40 f/4, but the price was a bit more than the tamron. These are the only lenses I tested since I had read mixed reviews. I knew I wanted to take the 70-200, and I was planning to go back this weekend and pick up the 85 mm - I was told that they would receive some Friday.

As I am standing there thinking about IS or non IS and trying to remember all the posts that I have read here on the issue, the salesperson helping me asks if I want to take the tamron and I made the comment - "I found that one cheaper online", in my mind I was thinking about a used one that I saw, but before I could say anything else he tells me "That's fine but don't come in here and waste my time". I told him that it was pretty rude to treat customers like that. I also understand that they probably have a lot of people that do that to them, but shouldn't the customer be given the benefit of the doubt. He apologized (with a sarcastic smile and attitude) and so did the manager and he offered to give me a deal(called him later). I usually try to buy locally items for my camera or computer. It's just something about having to touch, feel, and try it out before I pay for it.

What bothers me even more is that there were 3 other people next to me testing out cameras and lenses and they did not buy anything and they weren't rude to them. I guess I didn't look rich enough.

I guess I will take my money somewhere else. Just had to let this out. We are going on vacation next week for about 2 weeks and I really wanted to have the lenses with me. I just have to check for camera stores elsewhere.

Noe

[adirty1]

hmm in austin I wonder what store that could be. ?

[tjavery]

Perhaps you were just on the unfortunate end of the guy's frustrations? Camera stores are caught between providing competitive prices and trying to stay in business. I don't know about Austin, but every time I hit one of my local shops (Camera Exchange or Camera Co-Op), they are never very crowded.

I've never tried it, but I've heard that local shops will sometimes cut a deal if you can show them proof that you can get lower prices at reputable dealers elsewhere.

Just pretend that the extra cost, within reason of course, is just an extra fee for being local - i.e. having a real store to walk into and physically handle the merchandise and being able to return it there if it's defective Anyway, that's how I think of it.

[stacyreeves]

If it's who I think it is, they have been rude to me several times in the past when I was preparing to spend several thousand dollars with them. I was going to get my Mark II from them, but when I asked about a student discount the salesperson got very snotty and rude and when I commented that he should be nicer to a person who was about to drop four grand, he sneered and said "We'll only make a few hundred off that sale. It's no big loss." So I turned around and walked out. I've received similar treatment at a major camera store here in Dallas. There are too many good, decent businesses out there who are working hard to please their customers (like two of my favorites, HCE and Arlington Camera) to waste my hard earned money on someone who doesn't want it.

[Noe]

Just pretend that the extra cost, within reason of course, is just an extra fee for being local - i.e. having a real store to walk into and physically handle the merchandise and being able to return it there if it's defective Anyway, that's how I think of it.

I don't mind paying extra, that's why I went in there in the first place. I like to play around with the equipment before I buy it.

There are too many good, decent businesses out there who are working hard to please their customers (like two of my favorites, HCE and Arlington Camera) to waste my hard earned money on someone who doesn't want it.

I agree with you. Since I will probably drive by Houston on my way out for vacation. I will try to convince the family that stopping there to buy a lens will be a benefit to the whole family.

[Nocturnus]

And if it's the same one i'm thinking of here, when I asked to try out the 100-400 IS I was asked what camera it was going on, I told them a Digital Rebel and I got laughed/chuckled at. Sorry, if i'm going to get treated like that, i'll just buy elsewhere, and around Austin it seems that leaves online.

[josphy]

Ditto.

[andyz]

Austin is better than an hour drive for me, but is the closest place to buy other than online. I have priced items online and then emailed the camera store and bartered on price. They were always courteous and receptive. I also like to pay cash so they save credit card interchange fees. In most cases I would buy "locally" from them as a way of supporting businesses that help support us. (Yea, I recycle too. It's a community, warm fuzzy thing.)

But after my last purchase of a couple thousand dollars, I decided bigger items go online where I save some sales tax, 8.25% to start with. That may mean getting a new filter or something I wouldn't get otherwise. It is hard for them to compete with the bigger guys doing mass mail order.

So now, if I really want instant gratification or I am going to Austin I'll buy there. SO I don't touch their stuff and order elsewhere, but I do use the other guys price against them. I want them to make money, and I don't take huge amounts of their time.

The net, net, net is I still like the Austin store. Maybe the guy was having a bad day.

[carrbowl]

My frustration is, when I go to a local store to to buy, I expect to pay more because I'm walking out with the equipment. My latest shopping experiences have been like yours. Walking in expecting to spend some serious cash and they don't have the "normal" lenses. (24-70 and 70-200) Now I know they might be temporarily out, but when they tell me it will take a week to get in??? It defeats the purpose---and frustrated the crap out of me. If I'm expecting to buy something unusual and they do't have it, I totally understand.

[TxManx]

I buy local about 80% of the time because when I decide I want something, I want it *now*...:)

I don't worry so much about the additional price (provided it's not too much higher) and consider it an insurance policy in case I need to return something that's defective, or need advice, etc...

[laawaaris]

from the point of the view of the camera stores, they probably are a bit frustrated that they are treated viewed like a showroom of sorts

us shooters go out to the stores and have thoughts and ideas of buying big equipment - lenses, lighting setups, camera bodies, you name it - and we can't wait to get our hands on the gizmos in mind - we come up with lots of questions that other stores can't answer (like BestBuy or CircuitCity) - things about center-weighted spot metering and focusing in groups - then we get the body and/or the lens in our hand and go willy nilly shooting with a huge smile

but in the end we usually come back to reality and consider the price and say for one reason or another "i'll think about it" - and then, just before leaving the store we'll spot a pop-up shade to protect the LCD screen and think that fits better in line budget wise

not to say there's anything wrong with that - and of course i do this myself as a consumer, but the truth of the matter is for the big items more and more people go to the online outlets and tend to wait and wait to get a better deal ...

but that leaves the stores simply for the small purchases, lens cleaning solution, filters, and rocket blowers

i know it feels bad to be treated rudely - especially for no reason, but if i was the store owner or if i was paid a commision on a camera sale - i would feel like i was competing against and awfully difficult system and would be hard-pressed to come up with new and creative ways to stay in business

[Noe]

but if i was the store owner or if i was paid a commision on a camera sale - i would feel like i was competing against and awfully difficult system and would be hard-pressed to come up with new and creative ways to stay in business

One way would be to treat your customers with respect and value your customers.

[Aric C. Hoek]

I will admit I haven’t taken the time to read the previous posts, but if I were the owner of a camera store I would be instructing my staff to serve. The internet has made it so easy to get what you want the next day and for a very reasonable price. In fact, having to drive across town to get what I want actually is a deterrent. I may actually be losing money at that point!

I would have no problem bringing the manager over and telling them that I am going out of my way to support their local store as opposed to spending my money online at any number of stores competing for his business. I have not received one email from the biggest camera store in Houston trying to sell me the latest in camera equipment. They should know if I shoot Canon or Nikon and have an email campaign set up for each and every studio in the Houston area… etc.

I am here to give you my hard earned money and you are giving me a hard time about it. That is so detrimental to repeat business. I may support my local store now, but what reason are you giving me to do this again in the future? Price may not be enough when I can order the very same exact product from the comfort of my home and it shows up at my door the very next day.

Pro Photo in Houston tried to take the camera store to the next leave by offering professional photography classes at their store each month. Some of which I went to, but I was not prepared to part with thousands while at the store for the class.

I guess I am going into this as I am as I have had some of the same experiences. And who can blame the business owner? He has to compete with online retailers that are forcing him/her to hire people that aren’t passionate in order to keep costs down so they can be competitive.

Times are changing…..

[Dobick]

I am not in a one of the big cities in Texas, so I can't speak to any of the stores down south, but I started out buying things online, but wanted to hold them in my hands first, so I would go by the local camera store (we really only have one) and ask questions, get advice, etc. A few times, I would just come out and ask if there was any way that they could come down on price, and everytime, without fail, they would move real close to the price of the online + next day shipping. The more that I went in there, and have come to depend on them for their expert opinion, as well as excellent service, I have for the most part stopped even inquiring about any discount (unless it is new L glass or something). I now value them enough as a business, that I want to make sure that they stay around, and the value they bring to my shopping experience is worth a bit of extra cost. They have absolutely earned my repeat business as well as my recommendation for fair service. As far as I am concerned, that is business gold.

One other thing that can often times be worth a 2x multiplier is the fact that if the local store has an item in stock, and you need that item, the delivery time will always beat the online retailers

[iCe]

This is just my opinion, but for those that are defending rude treatment by a salesman, it's hard enough to find good customer service these days. By making excuses for it you (generally speaking) are validating the idea that the continuing decline of customer service is ok because we have the internet (or whatever the excuse may be). It's not ok. If I was a studio photographer and I had a habit of telling customers that they were too ugly for me to waste my time taking their photograph I would hope that I wouldn't be in business for very long. The more bad behavior that we (society) accept, the less quality that we accept, and the more we glamorize people (like Paris Hilton) when they do wrong the lower societal standards fall...