OlyMan
Established
This will mainly strike a chord with UK readers, but perhaps readers from the US and other countries can, unfortunately, draw parallels with their own national high-steet 'specialist' photographic stores (I know you US guys have B&H, which seems to be a Jessops equivalent). Sadly it's a bit of a long-winded rant, but hopefully one which you will also find an interesting read.
I like using film. There, I've said it. I've 'come out'. Going by the adverts and lineage given to digital cameras in all the popular photography magazines and media, I realise that I must be some kind of anachronistic freak, but that's the way I am. Even more freaky, my preference is to shoot on slide film.
I had reluctantly accepted that my local independent photo shops (or should that be "digital photo booths") no longer stocked slide film, but I was disappointed last month to find that neither of them processed it anymore. Still, reluctantly accepting it as a sign of the times, I turned to what I thought was the last bastion – the last 'safe haven' if you will – for those who choose to capture their treasured images traditionally. Jessops.
It's material to my narrative that I have not visited my nearest Jessops store since 2001, so doing so two weeks ago was a culture shock. The first surprise, observed by just casually looking in the window, was that all the used gear had gone. Not just the film gear (I expected that much), but the used digital gear as well. How, pray, do Jessops customers 'trade up' if there's not an intlet through which to be relieved of their old kit in part exchange for new? For buyers of used equipment, the 'old' Jessops had an in-store national database, together with the shops' enviable reputation of being able to get you any used item from any of its stores within 48 hours. However, I digress.
The second surprise was inside. Gone is the 'gadget corner' with all manner of things like tripods, straps, kit-bags, cable-releases, enlargers, developing tanks and curiosities you didn't even know you needed like hotshoe-mounted spirit-levels. In their place is a gargantuan 'mini-lab'.
One of the great things about Jessops of old (or at least my nearest store) was that, as the last-remaining 'specialist' nationwide photographic high-street chain, they didn't used to concern themselves with trying to keep up with the Joneses, such as Boots and others, by offering in-store D&P. Instead they carved their niche from being able to offer goods and services which the mainstream shops couldn't afford to give either the time nor the floor-space to. How sad then that Jessops now feel they need to turn into yet another highsteet D&P outlet which just happens to sell cameras as well. Seeing that on a Saturday afternoon my local branch of Supasnaps (a national D&P outlet) is nearly always brimming with people wanting their memory-cards printed, how equally sad it was (but not surprising) to see the mini-lab section in Jessops devoid of customers and manned by one bored-looking member of staff, staring into space and eagerly waiting for home-time.
Now another thing you could always guarantee in the old Jessops was that the staff in the shop were genuinely interested in photography and were trained to understand the products and services they offered. This was in stark contrast to lesser shops, staffed (even if not managed) by apathetic misfits with about as much interest in photography as my five-year old boys have in brain-surgery, and who were only there because the job-vacancy was the first card they picked up in the Job Centre.
So it was with this last glimmer of hope that I walked gingerly up to the minilab desk and, smiling pleasantly at Mr Bored, I asked him if I could possibly have my one role of Fuji Sensia developed, scanned and mounted.
The look of sheer horror which then crossed his face could only have been bettered if I'd told him I'd just murdered his wife and kids. Suddenly the empty counter became a blur of shuffled papers and envelopes with muttered "erm, no no not that, erm, not that either, where is it…" Eventually the required envelope was found (how stupid was it of me to assume the monolith which towered behind him could process slide film). He took my film, my phone number and promised he would ring me when the film and CD was returned to them from the processors.
So, after two weeks of hearing nothing, I decided this morning I'd ring the shop. The conversation went as follows:
Me: Hi there, two weeks ago I dropped off a slide film for developing, scanning and mounting but haven't heard anything since. Can I have an update on my order please?
Jessops: We don't generally phone customers back.
Me: But it was YOU who asked for my phone number and took my order?
Jessops: What's your order number?
Me: <quotes order number>
Jessops: <short silence> No, it's not back <pregnant silence>
Me: Right. How long does it usually take to process slide film these days?
Jessops: A week. Could be a little longer seeing that you want it scanned as well, I guess
Me: Have you chased them up?
Jessops: No, not yet. I'll ring them on Monday.
Me: Right. When would you have done so, had I not rang? And come to think of it, if my CD and film WAS already sat there waiting for me to collect it, how would I have known if you don't generally ring customers back, even though you ask for their number?
Jessops: Like I said, I'll ring them on Monday, then I'll ring you back (good answer avoidance).
Me: Ok. Have you still got my phone number?
Jessops: Err <shuffled papers heard> I guess not, no.
Me: <Name and number given>
Jessops: Ok I'll ring you on Monday.
Me: Honestly?
Jessops: Yes, goodbye
Me: Goodbye
So I'm going to go to a bookies and ask them what the odds are on (a) Mr Bored telephoning the developers on Monday and asking about my film and CD, and (b) what the odds are of him ringing me back.
Oh how the mighty have fallen.
R.I.P., Jessops. You were once great.
I like using film. There, I've said it. I've 'come out'. Going by the adverts and lineage given to digital cameras in all the popular photography magazines and media, I realise that I must be some kind of anachronistic freak, but that's the way I am. Even more freaky, my preference is to shoot on slide film.
I had reluctantly accepted that my local independent photo shops (or should that be "digital photo booths") no longer stocked slide film, but I was disappointed last month to find that neither of them processed it anymore. Still, reluctantly accepting it as a sign of the times, I turned to what I thought was the last bastion – the last 'safe haven' if you will – for those who choose to capture their treasured images traditionally. Jessops.
It's material to my narrative that I have not visited my nearest Jessops store since 2001, so doing so two weeks ago was a culture shock. The first surprise, observed by just casually looking in the window, was that all the used gear had gone. Not just the film gear (I expected that much), but the used digital gear as well. How, pray, do Jessops customers 'trade up' if there's not an intlet through which to be relieved of their old kit in part exchange for new? For buyers of used equipment, the 'old' Jessops had an in-store national database, together with the shops' enviable reputation of being able to get you any used item from any of its stores within 48 hours. However, I digress.
The second surprise was inside. Gone is the 'gadget corner' with all manner of things like tripods, straps, kit-bags, cable-releases, enlargers, developing tanks and curiosities you didn't even know you needed like hotshoe-mounted spirit-levels. In their place is a gargantuan 'mini-lab'.
One of the great things about Jessops of old (or at least my nearest store) was that, as the last-remaining 'specialist' nationwide photographic high-street chain, they didn't used to concern themselves with trying to keep up with the Joneses, such as Boots and others, by offering in-store D&P. Instead they carved their niche from being able to offer goods and services which the mainstream shops couldn't afford to give either the time nor the floor-space to. How sad then that Jessops now feel they need to turn into yet another highsteet D&P outlet which just happens to sell cameras as well. Seeing that on a Saturday afternoon my local branch of Supasnaps (a national D&P outlet) is nearly always brimming with people wanting their memory-cards printed, how equally sad it was (but not surprising) to see the mini-lab section in Jessops devoid of customers and manned by one bored-looking member of staff, staring into space and eagerly waiting for home-time.
Now another thing you could always guarantee in the old Jessops was that the staff in the shop were genuinely interested in photography and were trained to understand the products and services they offered. This was in stark contrast to lesser shops, staffed (even if not managed) by apathetic misfits with about as much interest in photography as my five-year old boys have in brain-surgery, and who were only there because the job-vacancy was the first card they picked up in the Job Centre.
So it was with this last glimmer of hope that I walked gingerly up to the minilab desk and, smiling pleasantly at Mr Bored, I asked him if I could possibly have my one role of Fuji Sensia developed, scanned and mounted.
The look of sheer horror which then crossed his face could only have been bettered if I'd told him I'd just murdered his wife and kids. Suddenly the empty counter became a blur of shuffled papers and envelopes with muttered "erm, no no not that, erm, not that either, where is it…" Eventually the required envelope was found (how stupid was it of me to assume the monolith which towered behind him could process slide film). He took my film, my phone number and promised he would ring me when the film and CD was returned to them from the processors.
So, after two weeks of hearing nothing, I decided this morning I'd ring the shop. The conversation went as follows:
Me: Hi there, two weeks ago I dropped off a slide film for developing, scanning and mounting but haven't heard anything since. Can I have an update on my order please?
Jessops: We don't generally phone customers back.
Me: But it was YOU who asked for my phone number and took my order?
Jessops: What's your order number?
Me: <quotes order number>
Jessops: <short silence> No, it's not back <pregnant silence>
Me: Right. How long does it usually take to process slide film these days?
Jessops: A week. Could be a little longer seeing that you want it scanned as well, I guess
Me: Have you chased them up?
Jessops: No, not yet. I'll ring them on Monday.
Me: Right. When would you have done so, had I not rang? And come to think of it, if my CD and film WAS already sat there waiting for me to collect it, how would I have known if you don't generally ring customers back, even though you ask for their number?
Jessops: Like I said, I'll ring them on Monday, then I'll ring you back (good answer avoidance).
Me: Ok. Have you still got my phone number?
Jessops: Err <shuffled papers heard> I guess not, no.
Me: <Name and number given>
Jessops: Ok I'll ring you on Monday.
Me: Honestly?
Jessops: Yes, goodbye
Me: Goodbye
So I'm going to go to a bookies and ask them what the odds are on (a) Mr Bored telephoning the developers on Monday and asking about my film and CD, and (b) what the odds are of him ringing me back.
Oh how the mighty have fallen.
R.I.P., Jessops. You were once great.
Last edited:
sjw617
Panoramist
What on earth has happened to Jessops?
"I have not visited my nearest Jessops store since 2001"
"I have not visited my nearest Jessops store since 2001"
ColinW
* Click *
I went into Jessops last week (first time for a long while)and asked what C41 B & W film they had, the reply was; "C41? We only deal with well known makes, sorry." When I explained what is meant by C41, the woman then told me that they didn't stock B & W because there was no call for it these days. As I left I looked at the display cases and it was all small, silver credit card sized digitals, with few DSLR's. I was really shocked.
Don't know what C41 is? I won't be going there for developing, that's for sure.
By the way Olyman, good luck to your team on Wednesday (the Scotland/England hatred seems to be a media stir-up as it doesn't exist here, at least not to the extent they make out anyway. Rivalry? yes, hatred? no) Now if we had got an easy group like you...
Don't know what C41 is? I won't be going there for developing, that's for sure.
By the way Olyman, good luck to your team on Wednesday (the Scotland/England hatred seems to be a media stir-up as it doesn't exist here, at least not to the extent they make out anyway. Rivalry? yes, hatred? no) Now if we had got an easy group like you...
jmi
Established
I was sad to see the demise of Jessops too. They seem to have decided to drop the specialist market and just become another Dixons, only not very successfully. The recent story of store closures only confirms this.
Thankfully the postal service in the UK is pretty good so mail order seems to be the best option in most areas. I was very lucky living within bike ride distance of a good lab (worried about how long they'll last though!). If you need good slide film processing, I'd try Peak Imaging in Sheffield, they have a good rep, and I've been recommended them several times.
For used gear, the brick and mortar dealers in the UK were just too expensive for me - I could not justify paying nearly double the *bay price in a lot of cases.
Oh yes, B+H vs Jessops, no comparison. B+H is a real professional outfit (and it's not a chain - there's only one store in NY). Maybe Ritz camera would be more equivalent (ooo, that really is an insult!)
Also over here film seems to me to be much more widely used and supported. I can get pro lab E6 processing via the shop 5 minutes from my flat! (it ain't cheap OTOH)
Thankfully the postal service in the UK is pretty good so mail order seems to be the best option in most areas. I was very lucky living within bike ride distance of a good lab (worried about how long they'll last though!). If you need good slide film processing, I'd try Peak Imaging in Sheffield, they have a good rep, and I've been recommended them several times.
For used gear, the brick and mortar dealers in the UK were just too expensive for me - I could not justify paying nearly double the *bay price in a lot of cases.
Oh yes, B+H vs Jessops, no comparison. B+H is a real professional outfit (and it's not a chain - there's only one store in NY). Maybe Ritz camera would be more equivalent (ooo, that really is an insult!)
Also over here film seems to me to be much more widely used and supported. I can get pro lab E6 processing via the shop 5 minutes from my flat! (it ain't cheap OTOH)
Gumby
Veteran
OlyMan said:
I hope you are not holding your breath waiting by the phone!
OlyMan
Established
Monday came & went. No phone call. So I rang them on Tuesday. No, they still hadn't received my film back and it looks like they hadn't rang their developers, seeing that they hadn't got an update for me. The guy I spoke to said he would "ring the processors right away" and ring me back in five minutes, and they took my number again.
After quarter of an hour, I rang back. Seemingly he was in a queue but was sencond from top and would ring me back very shortly.
Three hours later I rang again. Ah yes, he was just about to ring me. The processors are doing it "right now" and it will be back by "Friday at the latest". He will put my number "on the notice board in big numbers" and ring me back.
Friday came and went. No phone call. So I rang them again this morning (Saturday) and spoke to Steve, the store manager. The film & CD have now been dispatched from the processors as of last night so should be in the shop either Monday or Tuesday. They will ring me back. I think when (if?) I do get it back I'm going to ask for a discount on the price.
After quarter of an hour, I rang back. Seemingly he was in a queue but was sencond from top and would ring me back very shortly.
Three hours later I rang again. Ah yes, he was just about to ring me. The processors are doing it "right now" and it will be back by "Friday at the latest". He will put my number "on the notice board in big numbers" and ring me back.
Friday came and went. No phone call. So I rang them again this morning (Saturday) and spoke to Steve, the store manager. The film & CD have now been dispatched from the processors as of last night so should be in the shop either Monday or Tuesday. They will ring me back. I think when (if?) I do get it back I'm going to ask for a discount on the price.
Terao
Kiloran
Lets hope the processors aren't using TNT to ship it
I'm fortunate that I have a "mom & pop" store just down the road that will still do outrageous things like turn round a roll of B&W in a couple of hours and not charge the earth. They do everything in store.
Of course they also have a digital minilab and sell those strange little silver cameras as well. On the subject of those they make next to nothing on their sale, just like Dixons or Jessops they have to get people to accesorize to pay the rent & wages.
I'm fortunate that I have a "mom & pop" store just down the road that will still do outrageous things like turn round a roll of B&W in a couple of hours and not charge the earth. They do everything in store.
Of course they also have a digital minilab and sell those strange little silver cameras as well. On the subject of those they make next to nothing on their sale, just like Dixons or Jessops they have to get people to accesorize to pay the rent & wages.
OlyMan
Established
Latest news: they rang me yesterday (yes, they really DID ring me!) to say my slides & CD are now ready to be picked up. I'll collect them tomorrow. I'm also gonna cheekily ask for a discount: I reckon I've been pissed about quite a bit here.
ColinW
* Click *
Nothing cheeky about it OlyMan. They mucked you about you, the least they could do is give you a discount (or a couple of rolls of film ). Let's see the pics when you get them.
). Let's see the pics when you get them.
ITD
Member
I'm sorry, but I don't buy the explanation that Jessops changed because people stopped using them. I used to buy all my film and darkroom supplies from my local Jessops branch. Then the powers that be decided to remove all the darkroom supplies to the storage area out back and replace them with mobile phones.sjw617 said:
When I asked the manager about this change, I was informed that they were under orders to avoid calling attention to the darkroom stuff in order to shed an 'old fashioned' image. We also have a busy local art college which used to send all its students to Jessops. Sales from that route took a dive when the dr stuff was hidden too.
Jessops forced me down the online route, and I'm now quite happy with it, thanks. It wasn't the net that killed the local Jessops, they did that themselves.
They do have a handy service of ordering to branch now though, which I use if I just need the odd bottle of fixer.
sjw617
Panoramist
ITD said:
If darkroom supplies were bought by everyone who went through their doors, you would be tripping over the stuff inside the store. Darkroom supplies have always been used by a small percentage of film users so when people went digital the demand got too small to stock it and it took up floor space that could be used for better selling products. I think the move to the shed was because of a lack of sales volume.
(side note) Kodak sales for photo was 9.4 billion in 2001 and 1 billion in 2006 (from Kodak website). I am guessing that they will be even less this year. That means that photo sales are down 90% for Kodak since 2001.
If your main business (film, film cameras, darkroom supplies) is dropping you go with the trend and start to sell digital cameras. You then find out that there are not "re-sales" with digital - no film or processing. To stay in business you start to sell cell phones or computers. We have all seen this happen on a local level. Even digital cameras are 'better' priced at non-photo stores (Best Buy, Walmart etc..).
Steve
ColinW
* Click *
Update.
Update.
You reap what you sow:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7893176.stm
Update.
You reap what you sow:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/7893176.stm
principe azul
Ian
Yeah, they lost it all right.
They used to sell secondhand gear, darkroom stuff, the works. They had the expertise, you'd be tempted to trade up because they'd take your old stuff, and consequently the stores were busy. They were obviously in a whole different league from your average electronics chain that had a camera counter. Now they're a cross between Snappy Snaps (small shops) and the camera counter at Dixons/Currys/wherever, but they've still got this chain of spacious shops just to serve this trimmed-down function. And nothing any longer to distinguish them from your average electronics chain which have shops not much bigger (if bigger at all) and selling phones, stereos, DVD players, computers and all the rest as well.
They used to sell secondhand gear, darkroom stuff, the works. They had the expertise, you'd be tempted to trade up because they'd take your old stuff, and consequently the stores were busy. They were obviously in a whole different league from your average electronics chain that had a camera counter. Now they're a cross between Snappy Snaps (small shops) and the camera counter at Dixons/Currys/wherever, but they've still got this chain of spacious shops just to serve this trimmed-down function. And nothing any longer to distinguish them from your average electronics chain which have shops not much bigger (if bigger at all) and selling phones, stereos, DVD players, computers and all the rest as well.
chris000
Landscaper
Jessops lost their way and forgot what made them different from all the others, Dixons/Currys/PC World, etc. i.e. that they were a specialist photographic retailer.
A shift of emphasis to digital was inevitable and understandable but the almost total abandonment of film related stock and a policy of selling cameras and lenses without any supporting accessories, printing (traditional or digital) materials and gadgets lost them many loyal customers. Likewise the removal of any dealings in secondhand gear.
To be fair, my local Jessops in Salisbury is better than some, even though it is a small shop. I can still occasionally buy FP4 120 there and get it processed, and the staff are generally helpful. However, I fear that the way things are going, they might not last much longer.
It's a pity, I remember the original Jessops store in Leicester which was a veritable Alladin's cave for photographers - and if you couldn't make it to Leicester, their mail order catalogue was required reading.
A shift of emphasis to digital was inevitable and understandable but the almost total abandonment of film related stock and a policy of selling cameras and lenses without any supporting accessories, printing (traditional or digital) materials and gadgets lost them many loyal customers. Likewise the removal of any dealings in secondhand gear.
To be fair, my local Jessops in Salisbury is better than some, even though it is a small shop. I can still occasionally buy FP4 120 there and get it processed, and the staff are generally helpful. However, I fear that the way things are going, they might not last much longer.
It's a pity, I remember the original Jessops store in Leicester which was a veritable Alladin's cave for photographers - and if you couldn't make it to Leicester, their mail order catalogue was required reading.
notturtle
Well-known
I don't think they will last either. They are neither a specialist photo shop nor a quality electronics store either. They instead inhabit that fairly pointless speace between the two where they actually know nothing about much at all. I daresay they can run you thru the menus of their best selling P&S digital cameras tho.
I stopped caring about their fate when store staff kept patronising me over my use of film 'because digital is so much better.' I used to drop in once in a while and grab a small pack of paper or some fixer if I was short, or once in a while, film or a lens pouch etc. I think their big London branch is very different (more like B&H - and I had a great chat there with a store assistant who worked in film and was a shooter) but the smaller regional ones are full of store staff that might as well work in Currys. They also have no interest as soon as they realise you are from the ark.
I stopped caring about their fate when store staff kept patronising me over my use of film 'because digital is so much better.' I used to drop in once in a while and grab a small pack of paper or some fixer if I was short, or once in a while, film or a lens pouch etc. I think their big London branch is very different (more like B&H - and I had a great chat there with a store assistant who worked in film and was a shooter) but the smaller regional ones are full of store staff that might as well work in Currys. They also have no interest as soon as they realise you are from the ark.
principe azul
Ian
Gave their online print ordering a go tonight, as my local Snappy Snaps site wasn't working.
Jessops make you install their stupid Jpics software that takes 10mins on a fast download - unlike Snappy Snaps, where you can upload via their web page.
Then if you want to track your order, you need your order number and your customer number, and you type them in in that order. But the email you get just says "order number xxxxx-yyyyy" and it's actually both numbers and, get this, the customer part comes first, it's the xxxxx. So cue swearing while I work this out!
Jessops, get a grip!
Jessops, if you can send an automatic email with someone's order number and customer number, you can surely put them on separate lines, and in the order in which they're needed.
Yes, you print photos as good as Snappy Snaps, but your customer experience is just so lacking that I'm not going to recommend anyone use you.
And your postcode search for my local branch couldn't find it, even though it's in walking distance. So Jessops, sort that one out too. Every other national company can do it.
And I don't need your Fisher-Price Jpics software, your bloated childish Jpics monstrosity that takes up 100MB of my Program Files. 100MB! Eight times larger than paint.net. One hundred freaking megabytes, for something that does nothing more than let me shop online.
Grrrr!
Jessops make you install their stupid Jpics software that takes 10mins on a fast download - unlike Snappy Snaps, where you can upload via their web page.
Then if you want to track your order, you need your order number and your customer number, and you type them in in that order. But the email you get just says "order number xxxxx-yyyyy" and it's actually both numbers and, get this, the customer part comes first, it's the xxxxx. So cue swearing while I work this out!
Jessops, get a grip!
Jessops, if you can send an automatic email with someone's order number and customer number, you can surely put them on separate lines, and in the order in which they're needed.
Yes, you print photos as good as Snappy Snaps, but your customer experience is just so lacking that I'm not going to recommend anyone use you.
And your postcode search for my local branch couldn't find it, even though it's in walking distance. So Jessops, sort that one out too. Every other national company can do it.
And I don't need your Fisher-Price Jpics software, your bloated childish Jpics monstrosity that takes up 100MB of my Program Files. 100MB! Eight times larger than paint.net. One hundred freaking megabytes, for something that does nothing more than let me shop online.
Grrrr!