Walgreens: "We don't do Kodak professional films."

[Mike Richards]

No More Walgreens

No More Walgreens

I have had Walgreens process Ektar and they came out OK. However, the last time I went in to just have a roll developed, I was told that they no longer just process and that I'd have to have prints or a CD made. I had a CD made. It wasn't worth the $2.99 they charged and not only did they scratch the heck out of my film, but they actually mangled two of the four frame strips to the point that I couldn't even scan them. Never again!

Had the same experience with Walgreens. They just would not do develop only. Ended up taking the film to Wal-mart; no problem. Haven't set foot in a Walgreens since.

 

[wgerrard]

Barret, CVS stores are springing up like toadstools around here. The local Walgreens have been Fuji shops as long as I can remember. Corporate monsters like Walgreens, CVS, Costco, Sam's/Walmart must, I assume, sign deals with Fuji or Kodak to provide their chemicals, commodities, etc. Perhaps on a regional basis. When I have taken Fuji film to Walgreens here, they've done a decent job. If I see Kodak products at CVS, I'll see how they process Kodak.

I put the un-staffedness of my Walgreens photo desk down to an indifferent staff. The pharmacy counter seems empty, too. For that matter, the checkout machines are often pretty lonely. In any case, the bins at the photo desk are full of envelopes, and when I was there yesterday someone else picked up a stack of about a dozen envelopes. They had to wait, too.

I've used Praus in Rochester and will send more to him. (If I send film out to him via Priority Mail, I'll get it back 4 working days later.) May also try NCPS, although it's on the opposite coast. People who do good work, pro labs or drug stores, should be publicized and supported.

 

[bean_counter]

My local Walgreens (usually) has knowledgable staff, and was until recently so busy that there was often a waiting period for processing. Yeah, it was because the machine was only staffed part time, but at least it was BUSY. Always decent results, but not great. Never have had any problems.

There are four more walgreens close by, they are not as good.

 

[dmr]

BTW, in Walmart I was told by someone very serious "We don't do C-41 film here"

"Why not?" I replied. "You sell it."

In this area they have been pulling out the negative processing units from Wally World and sending the C41 business out to {mumble} when the business dropped below some threshold, such as 10 rolls per day or something. I know that at least three Wally World shops around here have done this.

 

[Al Kaplan]

If Walgreens quits doing C-41 I guess I'll just go back to nothing but B&W, ordering supplies from Freestyle. My local Walgreens seems to sell a fair amount of single use cameras and judging by the number of rolls of processed negatives hanging, waiting to be printed, at various times of the day and night, volume must be 25 to 50 rolls a day.

Film processing doesn't have to be a profit center. It gets people to go in the store once to drop off and a second time to pick up. I see plenty of people at the photo counter paying for other merchandise when they pick up their prints. They might have bought that gallon of milk elsewhere else otherwise.