Worst advice ever

[Don Haines]

Stopped by my local camera store (name withheld to protect the guilty) to pick up a mounting plate, and was talking to the clerk and asked if they had a waiting list for the new 6D2 yet.....The answer was no, and then he told me about the new Tamron 18-400 lens that was coming soon and how it will be the only lens that you ever need to buy! ! !

And this comes after inquiring about a FF camera.......

It is easy to see why mail order is doing so well.....

 

[Loswr]

If you get the Tamron 18-400mm for your FF camera, be sure to also get the Promaster (or equivalent) UV protection filter they'll recommend!

 

[IglooEater]

Oh my...

 

[AlanF]

Will it fit your 1.4xTC and be a 25-560 zoom on FF with FF sensor coverage? I have done the equivalent with a Sigma crop lens.

 

[deleteme]

Stopped by my local camera store (name withheld to protect the guilty) to pick up a mounting plate, and was talking to the clerk and asked if they had a waiting list for the new 6D2 yet.....The answer was no, and then he told me about the new Tamron 18-400 lens that was coming soon and how it will be the only lens that you ever need to buy! ! !

And this comes after inquiring about a FF camera.......

It is easy to see why mail order is doing so well.....

In fairness, he is probably doing what his manager told him to do and is being offered a $20 spiff for each sale he gets.
The retail store is a low volume entity that struggles to get every sale it can and yes, filters a re an important profit center.

Mail order has always prospered with (presumably) informed buyers but any salesperson at B&H and Adorama will tell you long tales about cheapskate time wasters that have bedeviled them for hours.
It would be nice to have a camera store that has nothing but retired pros with no ax to grind to tell people what they should buy. However, today most small stores cannot stock what the mail order stores can and the ones that do struggle to not be a showroom for internet buyers.

It is not a happy world for camera retail but it will be worse when the small guy can't afford to open the doors because he can't get inventory, volume and staff that does not sneer at SL1s.

 

[Don Haines]

Stopped by my local camera store (name withheld to protect the guilty) to pick up a mounting plate, and was talking to the clerk and asked if they had a waiting list for the new 6D2 yet.....The answer was no, and then he told me about the new Tamron 18-400 lens that was coming soon and how it will be the only lens that you ever need to buy! ! !

And this comes after inquiring about a FF camera.......

It is easy to see why mail order is doing so well.....

In fairness, he is probably doing what his manager told him to do and is being offered a $20 spiff for each sale he gets.
The retail store is a low volume entity that struggles to get every sale it can and yes, filters a re an important profit center.

Mail order has always prospered with (presumably) informed buyers but any salesperson at B&H and Adorama will tell you long tales about cheapskate time wasters that have bedeviled them for hours.
It would be nice to have a camera store that has nothing but retired pros with no ax to grind to tell people what they should buy. However, today most small stores cannot stock what the mail order stores can and the ones that do struggle to not be a showroom for internet buyers.

It is not a happy world for camera retail but it will be worse when the small guy can't afford to open the doors because he can't get inventory, volume and staff that does not sneer at SL1s.

A decent store/clerk would have said something to the effect of "No sir, but if you give me your phone number and email address, as soon as it is in the system, I can add you in"....

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

We are fortunate to have two businesses that sell pro level equipment nearby, one even is a large online seller. and operates two stores. They have been in business for over 100 years, but no longer hire professional photographers to help customers, they have had to compete with B&H, Adorama, and, of course Amazon. They do have Nikon and Canon come in and give pro seminars, and can supply most pro level items out of stock. Their profit now mostly comes from selling uber expensive home theatre systems. I was drooling over their McIntosh monoblock power amps the last time I was in the store. At 116 pounds for the MC2301, I could not even lift it.

The third store is small, hires only photographers, has a repair department, and the owner is also working behind the counter. They do not have the money to stock the high end equipment, but I drop them a e-mail, and they have it in 2-3 days, fresh from Canon or Nikon.

I prefer to send them as much business as possible, they run a tight ship budget wise with no discounts, but are popular with those who are serious photographers.

 

[IglooEater]

A decent store/clerk would have said something to the effect of "No sir, but if you give me your phone number and email address, as soon as it is in the system, I can add you in"....

That absolutely would have been the appropriate response. If it had been me he would have made the sale.

 

[cayenne]

We are fortunate to have two businesses that sell pro level equipment nearby, one even is a large online seller. and operates two stores. They have been in business for over 100 years, but no longer hire professional photographers to help customers, they have had to compete with B&H, Adorama, and, of course Amazon. They do have Nikon and Canon come in and give pro seminars, and can supply most pro level items out of stock. Their profit now mostly comes from selling uber expensive home theatre systems. I was drooling over their McIntosh monoblock power amps the last time I was in the store. At 116 pounds for the MC2301, I could not even lift it.

The third store is small, hires only photographers, has a repair department, and the owner is also working behind the counter. They do not have the money to stock the high end equipment, but I drop them a e-mail, and they have it in 2-3 days, fresh from Canon or Nikon.

I prefer to send them as much business as possible, they run a tight ship budget wise with no discounts, but are popular with those who are serious photographers.

Ahh....McINtosh, a name I *still* drool over....<P>
I"ve always wanted their tube amps....maybe the MC275....still a monster.

When I was about 12yrs old, I heard my first "real" stereo...was a McIntosh tube amp hooked to Klipschorn speakers....

I have the K-Horns...currently running off of a couple of nice SET tube amps set mono for each of the 2 front channels. But I sure would like a Mc!!!!

Ok...getting off track here.

One thing the local camera place faces....is having to pay sales tax. Where I live it is nearly 10%.

At the first of the year, Amazon just started doing tax here, but places like B&H and Adorama....they still do not.

When you're buying $5K and up gear...that really adds or saves you a lot of money....

cayenne

 

[Loswr]

One thing the local camera place faces....is having to pay sales tax. Where I live it is nearly 10%.

At the first of the year, Amazon just started doing tax here, but places like B&H and Adorama....they still do not.

When you're buying $5K and up gear...that really adds or saves you a lot of money....

Sure, as long as you don't mind committing tax fraud.

[quote author=Louisiana Department of Revenue]
If you purchased goods from out-of-state companies for use in Louisiana and were not properly charged Louisiana sales tax, Louisiana Revised Statute 47:302(K) requires you to pay a Consumer Use Tax directly to the Louisiana Department of Revenue.
[/quote]

Well, at least you probably won't get caught.

 

[Don Haines]

A decent store/clerk would have said something to the effect of "No sir, but if you give me your phone number and email address, as soon as it is in the system, I can add you in"....

That absolutely would have been the appropriate response. If it had been me he would have made the sale.

My point too!

You walk in with the attitude of "I want to buy an expensive camera" and you walk out thinking "what an ass".... that does not reflect well on the sales staff.....

 

[ahsanford]

Stopped by my local camera store (name withheld to protect the guilty) to pick up a mounting plate, and was talking to the clerk and asked if they had a waiting list for the new 6D2 yet.....The answer was no, and then he told me about the new Tamron 18-400 lens that was coming soon and how it will be the only lens that you ever need to buy! ! !

And this comes after inquiring about a FF camera.......

It is easy to see why mail order is doing so well.....

I continue to rave about the microcontrast that new Tamron delivers. It just pops, yo.

- A

 

[Loswr]

I continue to rave about the microcontrast that new Tamron delivers. It just pops, yo.

I dunno...the bokeh looks a little nervous with that lens.

 

[Khalai]

One thing the local camera place faces....is having to pay sales tax. Where I live it is nearly 10%.

Hard life, really. In my country, there is 21% VAT, which is directly applied to all prices, either from physical stores or e-shops. I'd kill for 10% tax

 

[old-pr-pix]

Unfortunately our local pro oriented shop closed last year after several decades of being the leading camera store in the area. IMHO their decline actually started with the shift to digital and the resulting loss of consumables business - not just film, but paper and chemicals as well. They were the key supplier for all pros and businesses in the area. For a while the expansion of digital sales could offset the loss of consumables business; but then came 2012 when technology maturity, market saturation and smart phones killed that expansion. The sales staff would lament that their cost, once all the volumn oriented manufacturers' rebates were factored in, was often the same as what Internet retailers would sell for. Add the sales tax issue (too many folks ignore the Use Tax) and they really struggled. Now they are gone as is their expert knowledge base. And, I suppose, so are their opintions driven by who is running the best sales reward program at the moment!

 

[mnclayshooter]

Stopped by my local camera store (name withheld to protect the guilty) to pick up a mounting plate, and was talking to the clerk and asked if they had a waiting list for the new 6D2 yet.....The answer was no, and then he told me about the new Tamron 18-400 lens that was coming soon and how it will be the only lens that you ever need to buy! ! !

And this comes after inquiring about a FF camera.......

It is easy to see why mail order is doing so well.....

Here I thought this was going to be a thread about getting bad advice in general. Like:
Friend: "Hey Joe, you should check out this forum where people talk about camera stuff".

 

[applecider]

The big future question is whether amazon and others will start raising prices once they have extinguished all the locals.

Could turn nasty if that applies to food.

I do try to support pro photo supply our local store.

 

[MrFotoFool]

Many (most?) of us on this forum know what we want or how to research it and then buy from the cheapest legitimate source (some buy gray market, which I would call illegitimate). A lot of the big names online even offer free shipping which makes it unbeatable (it boggles my mind they can do this). I do truly feel sorry for local stores. I worked not at a camera store but a local lab and the death of professional photography marked their near death (they still struggle, but with a handful of staff - I left for a better paying government job).

I also feel sorry for uninformed amateur photographers who do not use forums like this and really do need good advice from a local salesperson. Depending on the city, they may have no options these days.

As for sales tax, that is a thorny issue and I imagine more and more states will force large mail order companies to collect tax. Amazon is already doing it. As Neuro points out you are supposed to pay tax on your end for large purchases, but how many people do that? Cities and states will have to do something, because the only alternative to make up lost revenue is increase property tax or individual state income tax.

 

[mnclayshooter]

The big future question is whether amazon and others will start raising prices once they have extinguished all the locals.

Could turn nasty if that applies to food.

I do try to support pro photo supply our local store.

I hear this discussion a lot - but the truth of the matter is; there is always going to be someone who can undercut someone else. This will keep prices low. The thing to worry more about - and this alludes to some of the other related topics, is that manufacturers set MAP pricing, and if they only have their own hand-picked specific outlets to sell their products it has a lot higher potential to cause cost increases. Profit is a funny thing, especially when you have a very captive audience and entire supply chain control.

 

[jolyonralph]

If it genuinely is the only lens you'll ever need, they shouldn't want to sell it to you