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Steve Barry wrote: > > Also, some camera stores will let you use your mailers with their > courier for a $1 per bag surcharge. This might be best of both worlds - > no more reliance on the U.S. mail, quick turn-around and almost-New York > prices on film and processing. > If you have a very good relationship with a camera store, they might > let you use their courier for shipping film. If I were a store owner, > though, I'd be kinda miffed at someone who wanted to use my processing > courier but didn't want to pay for it. > When I was using Kodak/Qualex exclusively, and had 20-30 rolls to send, I would sometimes send them FedEx along with a completed FedEx airbill for the return shipment. That's a bit pricey, but if you have to pay a camera store a premium for handling mailers, this might still be cheaper in the long run. In 1983, I shot 48 rolls of K25 in Wyoming and Utah, which included three days of shooting the US Steel Atlantic City (Wyo.) F-units. I hand-delivered the film to Kodak in Hollywood for will-call pickup, kept checking after two days, three days, a week, and got VERY nervous. No film at the will-call counter under my name. Finally, I got really pissed and fired off a letter to the manager of the lab with copies to his boss in Rochester. Next day, I get a phone call from the manager himself, explaining that they found the film, in will call, filed under "D" rather than "B" and that no one had thought to look elsewhere when I called. Back then, Hollywood's quality was still good and I was amazed that even they screwed things up when couriers weren't involved. Again, if I might toot the A&I horn here...they send anything greater than 10 rolls back via FedEx or UPS Blue Label, whatever's the cheapest, WITHOUT ASKING,and at no additional charge. They are also small enough, believe it or not, where you can establish a very good professional relationship with all the key players there. I know most of the Kodachrome folks by name. Mailers, for example, are received/shipped thru their "freight department" rather than the front counter. Several days ago I called the freight department to ask about the status of 10 rolls. No shuffling around thru papers, no computer keyboart clacking in the background, no postal-employee "service"...the guy recognized my name, said he was looking right at the boxes and said he was shipping them out immediately. THAT's one big reason I like A&I... On one other occasion, when I was using their counter to get 4-hour Kodachrome turnaround (at $8 a roll), one of the lab techs actually brought the film out to me, direct from the mounting area. He wanted to know how I lit a certain shot he'd seen on one of my rolls. I'd call that pretty good quality assurance... I would really question so much reliance on the local camera store. I trust 99% of the camera stores about as much as I trust most car dealers. That's another story entirely, but most camera stores are great centers of photographic b.s. designed only to move merchandise with a bigger profit margin. --David R. Busse Diamond Bar, Calif. ======================================================= -> SPORRS: 'Serious Photographers Of Railroad Related Subjects' -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs/ -> Message © 1998 SPORRS® - All Rights Reserved =======================================================
