Why do people buy cameras and accessories at retail stores?

Question

Don't people know by now that they are getting ripped off by most of these stores ...ie Best Buy, Circuit City and others......Plus, you have to pay sales tax on top of the rip off prices!!

I went into Best Buy tonight just for giggles and they had a compact flash extreme III for $35 over what anyone on the internet sales them for ....And then the cameras and other accessories are doubly as high! How do these places stay in business ripping off the public? Why don't people shop on the internet and most the time you even get free delivery too.....I DONT GET IT.

Hey gas, that is complete BS ! you dont have a clue what you are talking about...

I'm talking about BRAND new stuff...not used crap on ebay or gray market crap!

Answer 1

I don't think the prices at the stores you mention are so much higher than you can find on-line. I even think that "real" retail stores, such as the private local photo shops, have a place in this industry and deserve a premium price - as in "manufacturer's suggest retail price."

As cdog_97 says, many people don't have a clue what they are looking for. Half of them don't even know if they are looking at a film camera or a digital camera. For fun, I have helped many people make choices in places like Staples or WalMart where the "camera" sales staff know more about paper than cameras. I've probably "sold" about 10-15 cameras for stores where I do not work. I was just passing through as a customer was looking dazed and confused and jumped in when I thought I could help.

Why do you think so many people come here and say, "I have $200 to spend on a camera. What do you think I should buy?" How can we really answer that question? They don't even know enough about it to know what they are looking for. At least in a BigBox store, a snot-nosed, eyebrow-pierced kid can ask, "What kind of pictures do you want to take?" and point the customer in the right direction.

Even when I advise people here, my recommendation often comes down to a couple of cameras with the final word being, "Either one would be good for your needs, but it all depends on how it feels in YOUR hands. Go to a store and pick them up to see what you think."

If someone really wants help with their camera, they need to go to a mom and pop, full retail price store. The hand-holding through the decision as well as through the early stages of using the camera ("Where does the battery go? "What is a memory card?" "Why are my pictures fuzzy?") are all part of that price. The old-fashioned retail store gives (or should give) old-fashioned personal service.

I feel a twinge of guilt buying equipment out of New York, because I know that the lack of my business is part of what is putting my local photo shop out of business. Well, digital really killed him, as there is nothing left in the processing business, but you know what I mean.

Selling information is all some people DO for a living. Selling a little bit of information along with a camera or other photo equipment is a completely legitimate way to make a living and it is NOT ripping off the public. Some people need more information than you do and it is only right that they pay the people who are providing that service.

You can go ahead and do all of your shopping on the internet and share your experience with others here.

Answer 2

I used to work at Best Buy and I feel that I know a decent amount about the digital cameras. A lot of the answers on here are pretty close to the truth. People come into those stores with absolutely no idea what they are looking at. We had people all the time come in and see the film cameras and ask "are these all the digital cameras you guys have?". I cant tell you how many people would ask me after they bought a camera if I would open it up and show them how to put in the battery and the memory card for them. So just overall misunderstanding is probably the main reason. If you really know what you are looking for and are willing to wait for it you can probably find it online somewhere for a bit cheaper. However, I dont know how all the stores work, but Best Buy will match almost any online price you can find no questions asked as long as you show proof of the price. The only times that I ever had to turn down price matches was when they brought in ads from shady websites that shipped all their stuff in from Korea or Central America because most of that is offered cheap for the reason, as someone pointed out, that it is refurbished and often times stolen. Not to mention some of the lowest profit margin items in the store were the digital cameras. The store generally sells the cameras at about 5-7% over cost. Basically it is impossible for a legit business to offer the cameras for much less and still turn a profit, so unless you just get lucky and find a good deal or you get factory direct you will not find it for that much less. The real profit is turned in accessories where a battery that costs $5 can be sold for $40 or more. But sometimes you can find good deals on that stuff too. I know that for a while they sold 2gb sandisk SD cards for $19... try to find it cheaper than that on a reputable website. It isnt as bad as you think, and a lot of it is just the convenience of being able to walk in, pick up the item, play with it a bit and learn how it works. Not to mention getting it the same day so you dont have to wait, which is, I think, a lot bigger deal in our society than a lot of people acknowledge.

Answer 3

Many people are making good points.

I will say something about eBay and camera cards: Be careful! Many (not all) cards sold on eBay are counterfeit.

Yesterday I purchased my D80 at Best Buy. (Stopped in for printer ink and had a BIG impulse!) BB matched B & H Photo's price to the penny. And B&H was out of stock. I also bought a memory card on sale at a fair price. I am happy.

I have bought from B&H many times, and I buy things at the local big box retailers sometimes. The nearest camera shop is over 60 miles away, and they don't price match anything but local prices. The nearest Best Buy etc is about 40 miles away, the internet is a few clicks away (although at slow speed!) I shop internet whenever I can, but don't knock the folks who prefer shopping at a brick and mortar store.

Answer 4

The world is made up of all kinds of people! I do a lot of shopping on-line, and I've bought equipment from BH and Adorama, as well as Singh-Ray and Kirk Enterprises. But I REALLY like the personal attention I get by going to a full-service camera store! So I bought my Canon 5D body and a couple of lenses there...even though I knew I was paying more for them.

If I have a problem, or the camera ever needs service, they will take care of everything. No hassle of going back to the manufacturer, shipping it off somewhere or trying to find a camera repair shop! As an example, I wasn't happy with the quality of one of the Canon lenses I bought. I just took it back to the store and they replaced it...no questions asked...no hassles!

If you are only interested in the low price, then by all means go that route. Just remember, that although problems are rare in this equipment (at least in my experience), if you DO have one you'll need to hope that the internet company you bought the equipment from will stand behind it!

Answer 5

I'm with you. As far as I know, the premium price is to pay the salaries of the sales people who for the most part (there are exceptions) don't know a camera or accessory from a garberator.
One of the exceptions I encountered was a few years ago, when I went into a Best Buy to get my son an MP3 player. The sales "man" was a kid, as geeky as my son, who told me what to buy. No internet site could have done that.

Answer 6

I worked at BB over Xmas. It shocked me but some people out there didn't even know what digital cameras were. There are still a ton of people out there who don't trust the internet. This includes older people, non-techies, and people who have had one bad experience. The people that came into BB to purchase liked to see the cameras in person and would rather buy from a brick and mortar. Some would come in to see the cameras and then buy them off the internet.

It really comes down to how much people trust the internet.

Answer 7

Good question, also good answers. Most people will buy from retail because they want it right now, and they think they're getting a great deal. I have about $20,000. worth of camera equipment, and I bought all of my big items over the phone from Camera world .com. They have recently sold out to Ritz, and I refuse to buy anything from Ritz. I have saved a lot of money buying this way, especially in sales tax.

Answer 8

actually, most items on the net, especially ebay is refurbished stuff. read most of all description on most all electronic stuff and it says refurbished.try to get a new flat panel lcd monitor at most online places and in the desciption or extra info on it, it will say refurbished. this is why it is cheap. plus, if something goes wrong from buying online, you'll spend a fortune sending it back, i know i have a couple times. if you get it at the store and decide you really don't want it, take it back. try doing this to an online store or ebay.

Answer 9

Hey Guy I agree with you, the people who ans you made lots of sense. The only other reason I could think of and monetarily stupid is the impulse buyer. Say here it is on a Fri night purchaser knows exact model he wants and doesn't want his order to go out only on Mon. So instead of ordering Fri night, he runs to Best Buy or whatever and pays $40 more. I have seen differences of $80.

Answer 10

Sometimes they have deals. I watch the flyers, then only buy at retail when a good price comes along.