I agree, and I do.
One of my reasons for doing so is if something goes wrong with my purchase
(as happened to my AF-540 FGZ flash recently). I just box it up & in my
lunch break drop it off and they take care of the rest. For me, that
convenience is worth a small premium.
I also find once you've spent a few dollars with them they'll do you good
deal's to keep you coming back.
Dave
"He who dies with the most money is still dead"
At 03:39 AM 26/10/2006, you wrote:
>The photographic industry needs your support right now, and I'd like to take
>a moment to convince anyone who is willing to listen why you're better off
>buying from local camera shops than internet sites or big box stores.
>
>
>When you buy something from a local store, there are two major advantages
>for your community (this is from a US point of view, so things may be
>slightly different elsewhere). First, your money is supporting local
>businesses and jobs, and it stays local. It doesn't go to some corporate
>headquarters on the other side of the country. Second, the taxes you pay
>support your local municipalities, such as schools and fire stations.
>Buying online does not support any of these services, which you may need
>some day.
>
>Buying local can also be more convenient in the event you need any sort of
>customer service. The fact that you can talk to someone face to face means
>you can usually get your problem solved in a more timely manner. At the
>very least, having a local specialty shop to go to usually means a large
>portion of the staff knows what they're talking about, and since they want
>to keep you as a customer they will usually do what it takes to make you
>happy (managers especially).
>
>Big box stores (by which I mean places like Fry's, Best Buy, Wal*Mart, etc)
>and internet stores don't care about the customer; they usually care more
>about sales volume. Their prices are low because they move so many items
>they don't need a large profit margin on most things. Their prices are also
>low because their staff is often not as knowledgeable about the products
>they sell as staff are at specialty shops, like the one I used to work at.
>In other words, the box stores tend to hire cheap labor.
>
>A lot of internet stores sell low-quality accessories at high markups
>because they know the customer won't know what they're getting till it
>arrives in the mail ("it comes with a memory card? great!"). I know a lot
>of PDML members probably wouldn't fall for that, but it something a lot of
>everyday buyers have no clue about.
>
>
>There are plenty more reasons for shopping at local stores and specialty
>shops, but suffice to say, if you want local camera shops to exist AT ALL in
>the future, please consider buying from them in the present. Yes, you'll
>probably pay a little more, but it's worth it in the long run.
>
>Isn't it?
>
>John Celio
>(if it weren't for so many people buying online and at big box stores, I'd
>probably still be working at Reed's)
>
>--
>
>http://www.neovenator.com
>
>AIM: Neopifex
>
>"Hey, I'm an artist. I can do whatever I want and pretend I'm making a
>statement."
>
>
>
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