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From: darryl@ISM780.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.rec.photo
Subject: Re: Re: Camera Discount Places (47th St.
Message-ID: <32@ISM780.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 15-Jan-85 01:48:23 EST
Article-I.D.: ISM780.32
Posted: Tue Jan 15 01:48:23 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 16-Jan-85 15:58:21 EST
Lines: 36
Nf-ID: #R:lanl:-1916900:ISM780:21200010:000:1977
Nf-From: ISM780!darryl    Jan 14 07:51:00 1985

>>  Support your local Photography Shop, they need your business.
>                                     If the local photography store needs
>my business it can start by living with less mark-up.

Well, that's easy to say, but...  I have a close friend who spent several
years in the retail camera shop business.  They sell cameras as loss leaders
to get you to buy filters because they make more on that $12 filter than
on the $300 camera.  His boss got terribly angry because another dealer
had wangled an extra advertising discount from a camera manufacturer and
so was able to sell those cameras ten dollars cheaper.  It's amazing how
many people will buy a complete camera outfit from one store instead of
another for $10 difference (which may not even show up in the final tally,
if the store gets retail for all of the accessories).

On the other hand, mail order places have a greatly reduced overhead (just
what does Executive or 47th street look like inside?),
don't have to hire salesmen, and they don't have to know or care about
cameras.

An aquaintance was able to become a "dealer" for one particular camera
manufacturer by being able to scrape together a bunch of friends to get the
minimum order for dealership.  I got to see his price list, and the mail
order guys have it all over (way under) him.  The difference in discounts
for those buying 4 a month and those buying 4 a day are tremendous.

Of course, if everyone realized that by purchasing at a store they would have
a place to go to for information, advice, service, etc., and bought there
instead of being concerned strictly with the bottom line, then stores would
have greater volume and, hence, lower prices.  I'm not a complete fool, I
understand that this won't happen, but if people weren't quite so greedy,
they would do better for themselves in the long run.

	    --Darryl Richman, INTERACTIVE Systems Inc.
	    ...!cca!ima!ism780!darryl
	    The views expressed above are my opinions only.