Costco film processing RIP

H

Huss

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Time of death, July 1 2015.

Yep, my trusted Costco photo dept told me today that HQ has pulled the plug on all remaining film processing locations. That they want all the stores to offer the same services is the reasoning.

I took this snap today. It has been like this every day as long as I can remember. The doods who work there say the demand for it is there (at least at my location in Venice) but HQ does not care.
:bang:
IMG_0907_zpslrbodxwm.jpg
 
You can't, they don't want you taking the business they were doing. They'll sell it to some surplus dealer and try to rent you a phone.
 
You can always theorize, but it becomes a practical matter. Do you want to photograph or do you want to spend your days dicking around with capitalism? If my processing goes away I'll do it myself with a thermometer and a tank, I don't want a business opportunity!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dmMmVb8CPM

Glorious Opportunity To Get Rich!!! --
We are starting a cat ranch in Lacon with 100,000 cats.
Each cat will average 12 kittens a year.
The cat skins will sell for 30 cents each.
One hundred men can skin 5,000 cats a day.
We figure a daily net profit of over $10,000.

Now what shall we feed the cats?
We will start a rat farm next door with 1,000,000 rats.
The rats breed 12 times faster than the cats.
So we will have four rats to feed each day to each cat.
Now what shall we feed the rats?
We will feed the rats the carcasses of the cats
after they have been skinned.

Now get this!

We feed the rats to the cats and the cats to the rats
and get the cat skins for nothing!
We feed the rats to the cats and the cats to the rats
and get the cat skins for nothing!
We feed the rats to the cats and the cats to the rats
and get the cat skins for nothing!
 
Ranchu said:
You can always theorize, but it becomes a practical matter. Do you want to photograph or run a processing machine? If my processing goes away
Click to expand...

Processing might have gone away even if digital sensors had not happened - in Germany we already had a significant decline (and move to mail order or centralized labs) years before the full impact of digital. And even outside photography all brick-and-mortar stores marketing to the masses are headed for extinction.
 
It died in our local Costco more than two years ago. With mail order postage rates always going up, soon each negative of a 36 exp roll of 35mm film will be over $1, FOR EACH NEGATIVE! I don't know for sure but I think Walmart will still send out your C41 for processing. But, I think they dump the negatives and return only a crappy scan.
 
Our newest Costco was built 5 years ago and never took any photo processing from the outset.

It's been on borrowed time for a decade, frankly.

Almost all retail photo processing at chain outlets is likely to disappear entirely from north America in the very near future. This does open up opportunities for smaller shop mail order companies to gain necessary volume.
 
It's been a good run for me with them. Sad thing is they were always really busy with film (see photo!) so it was not as if no-one was asking for it.
One of the guys who works there wanted to buy the machines off Costco as he knows the demand for processing, but he told me Costco has an agreement w/ an outside company to clear the equipment. What this company does is then sell it on to private enterprises.
It seems to me that this company has somehow already convinced Costco to sell its equipment to them, so they can make $$$ pawning it off. And whoever they spoke to at Costco swallowed their line.

A shame.

Upside - my scans will now be full rez files so I will not be limited by 3088 by 2048 (which still make beautiful 12 by 18 prints which is the bulk of my sales). Downside - having to ship the film (stuff can get lost), turn around time and extra cost.
 
I only have one Costco left for film processing, will find out for sure if processing is done.Costco will still offer prints from your negs, so drag out your old tanks and do the deed:)
 
In my city, the second largest in my state, there are no big box stores processing. But there are a couple of small photo stores. The last time I checked what Jones Photo charged for a roll, it was $15, just to do the development and a set of prints! And I bet they just ship it off, I don't see any equipment in there anymore. The other is more of a boutique photo shop, and they do their own development, even E6. It's reasonable, about $8. They're called Photographic Works in Tucson, Az.
 
goamules said:
The other is more of a boutique photo shop, and they do their own development, even E6. It's reasonable, about $8. They're called Photographic Works in Tucson, Az.
Click to expand...

These are the business to support. Costco doesn't care about your film, they just want you to buy a 144 pack of toilet paper (think of all the money you'll save!). Support local independent businesses whether it be a photo lab or a restaurant (as opposed to an Applebees).
 
Too bad. Costco did a good job for years developing and scanning color film. They stopped scanning at the Sacramento store abt 18 mos ago, and I subsequently switched to Mike's Camera for all C-41 processing and scanning.
 
Brian Puccio said:
Costco doesn't care about your film, they just want you to buy a 144 pack of toilet paper (think of all the money you'll save!). Support local independent businesses whether it be a photo lab or a restaurant (as opposed to an Applebees).
Click to expand...


Costco cared enough to provide excellent service and results long after every other major player gave up. At ridiculously cheap prices. Until recently $4.86 for dev and scan in an hour.
 
Like the pharmacy and the optician, it's an incentive to get you in the store and also walk out with $200 in groceries. (How is it always that much?)

I agree though, they do good photo work, all things considered. It's the primary reason I became a member - to get prints made rather than fart around with an inkjet printer I'd use a few times a year, only to find the heads clogged, or something.

If the remaining smaller shops still doing film processing can hang on, and if the supply of chemistry and servicing for the machine remains, you'd think there should be some kind of a rebound for them.

FWIW, in my area, SW Ontario Canada, the local Costcos stopped processing film least a few years ago, I think.
 
A RFF sponsor, Precision Camera and Video, Austin TX, provided me with excellent film development and scanning services.
 
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