It was 17/2/04 9:48 pm, when Francis Newman wrote: > Just don't complain when the exchange rate has gone the other way, that > you have no local dealer to support you.
Francis Well, we should all support our local greengrocer too but how many of us use the supermarket because they are cheaper and more convenient? Is the analogy any different? The Internet (biggest supermarket?) has made it possible to buy and sell much more flexible. The retailers just have to adapt somehow. Change always brings casualties as well as opportunities in its wake... > Imagine - your major client suddenly realises it's cheaper to fly in a > photographer from the USA, or send his films Fedex to the States for > scanning. What have YOU done wrong - nothing. Your overheads and profit > expectations are still the same. Two years down the line - exchange > rates have moved - where does he get his work done now that you are no > longer in business? Who wins? So why do Americans want to shoot films in Canada and Mexico and the British locate their call centres in India? Because its cheaper. And I have lost many a job to local cameramen in the past while the production companies used my licence money to line their pockets (talk about loyalty!). And it wasn't a question of talent, just that it was cheaper to hire someone that they did not have to fly over and hotel and pay travel days to, and the exchange rate made it even cheaper! All businesses want to make a profit, they do not care about loyalty to you or to me so why should we be loyal? They have to win our loyalty somehow if they want our support when things get tough. Yes, you can argue that it's in our long term interest but I think things will just change and something else will replace what cannot sustain itself in a changing environment! Anyway, the reason I am contemplating buying from the States is because there is no duty on digital cameras, at the moment. It's duty that prevents people from buying abroad more than anything and not loyalty, IMO. What's the point of buying something a few pounds cheaper from abroad when I can buy it 6 miles down the road? However, if I can save 1000-2000 pounds, should I put that into the local retailer's pocket in the hope that I might want to use them in 2-3 year's time or put it into my pocket - and possibly spend on something else? Shangara Singh. __________________________________________________ :: Photoshop CS Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) :: Photoshop CS Essential Tips && ACE Exam Aids && Glossary :: http://www.photoshopace.com && http://www.examaids.com =============================================================== GO TO http://www.prodig.org for ~ GUIDELINES ~ un/SUBSCRIBING ~ ITEMS for SALE
