lol at Ritz Camera

[scotteisenphotography]

So today i was trying to kill some time at the mall, waiting for my movie to start at the theaters, so i popped into Ritz Camera. I'm in the market for the 50mm 1.4...and i figured i'd ask if they had it. The guy said " OH NO! thats a rare lens, we hardly ever see those!" i said, really? its only 290 bucks and readily available at many other stores...he kinda looked away. then he says "but we got the new 18-55mm IS lens now" i said, that's cool but i have a 5D and it wont take EFS lenses. he said "what are you talking about, EFS lenses will fit all canon cameras that are digital, it doesn't matter about crop factor" i said back to him, it most certainly won't fit my 5D. He wouldn't agree with me and i just left. I'm glad i know what i'm talking about because many people must go in there and have the wrong stuff sold to them for their camera. I'd be pissed.

[neil85]

well technically the mount system is the same :P

[scotteisenphotography]

well technically the mount system is the same :P

you know what i mean...

[3Turner]

:lol:

It will too fit....you just gotta force it...really, really hard. The snapping, grinding noise is normal.:rolleyes:

[cskn0125]

What a bunch of idiots. I've heard many stupid things about this place - I only wish I had a RITZ camera here, I would love to embarrass and yell at every employee there.

[Tee Why]

I got a bottle of crazy glue and a roll of duct tape that says it fits.

Seriously, when you run into such uninformed sales person at that level, you have to take advantage. You should have made a bet that if he can fit the kit lens on a 5D right there that you would buy both plus a $100 tip. If it doesn't fit, then you get the 5D for free, and he can keep the kit lens.

[misspix]

What a bunch of idiots. I've heard many stupid things about this place - I only wish I had a RITZ camera here, I would love to embarrass and yell at every employee there.
The employees are victim's of poor training. Yell at the management.

[neil85]

one would think though that if you are working at a camera shop, you have SOME interest in photography.

some interest would lead to some knowledge or not wanting to just make stuff up

[SoaringUSAEagle]

Wow, thats quite the story. It reminds me of the day I walked in and asked to hold the 50 1.4 and the guy looked at me saying this is a very expensive lens. I said, well it would be the cheapest one I would own, being just under $300. He said, actually we have it marked at $419. I looked at him and said you've got to be kidding. He said, no, its the best deal out there. I handed the lens back to him and said, well BH earns my business again.

Seriously the only local camera store I buy stuff from is Denver Pro Photo. I have never felt belittled in there, and the guys that work there are so awesome, especially Harold. I'm in there enough that I was in there the other day for the first time in a while and he said, I was just thinking about you the other day, havent seen you in a while.

So anyhow, back on track. I typically only walk into Ritz basically, um, never anymore. I refuse to go into Wolf for the most part, except for the one that has the 300 2.8 IS for me to ooh and aw over. And Mike's camera can shove it as well. I HATE FEELING LIKE I AM NOTHING.

[SoaringUSAEagle]

one would think though that if you are working at a camera shop, you have SOME interest in photography.

some interest would lead to some knowledge or not wanting to just make stuff up

You would think. Typically that's why you get a job, because you have an interest in working there and know whats going on. I'd go crazy if I worked in a place like that. But at least I know I would be faithful and true to the customer.

[misspix]

one would think though that if you are working at a camera shop, you have SOME interest in photography.

some interest would lead to some knowledge or not wanting to just make stuff up
I would agree with you, up to a point. However, if the employee was 'trained', he or she probably assumes that their training was accurate.

The ultimate responsibility is with management to provide training. If training is not provided, it still is the responsibility of management to hire qualified people. Unfortunately, corporations of this size have little interest in investing in their employees when minimum wage workers are a dime a dozen.

[cdifoto]

I would be faithful and true to the customer.

Not me I'd be a commission slut.

[SoaringUSAEagle]

Not me I'd be a commission slut.

That's not any surprise LOL :lol:

[cdifoto]

That's not any surprise LOL :lol:

:cool:

I do have some morals. I wouldn't try to sell an EF-S to a 5D owner. But I would try to get them to buy a Nikon. Muaahahahahaha! :evil:

[dave kadolph]

:cool:

I do have some morals. I wouldn't try to sell an EF-S to a 5D owner. But I would try to get them to buy a Nikon. Muaahahahahaha! :evil:


LOL!

[Collin85]

I wouldn't try to sell an EF-S to a 5D owner.

.. and I'd argue that any 5D owners who thought an EF-S was compatible with his/her camera don't even deserve it. :lol:

[SoaringUSAEagle]

.. and I'd argue that any 5D owners who thought an EF-S was compatible with his/her camera don't even deserve it. :lol:

Very true. I cant imagine doing something like that haha.

[spectre]

So today i was trying to kill some time at the mall, waiting for my movie to start at the theaters, so i popped into Ritz Camera. I'm in the market for the 50mm 1.4...and i figured i'd ask if they had it. The guy said " OH NO! thats a rare lens, we hardly ever see those!" i said, really? its only 290 bucks and readily available at many other stores...he kinda looked away. then he says "but we got the new 18-55mm IS lens now" i said, that's cool but i have a 5D and it wont take EFS lenses. he said "what are you talking about, EFS lenses will fit all canon cameras that are digital, it doesn't matter about crop factor" i said back to him, it most certainly won't fit my 5D. He wouldn't agree with me and i just left. I'm glad i know what i'm talking about because many people must go in there and have the wrong stuff sold to them for their camera. I'd be pissed.
You should have had him take his display model 5D and his display model EFS and have him show you it would have fit :)

[scotteisenphotography]

You should have had him take his display model 5D and his display model EFS and have him show you it would have fit :)


the funny thing is that they didn't have any 5D's stocked...if they did i would've asked to try the 18-55mm IS EFS and 5D combo, and i wasn't going to have him try to mount it on the 5D in my bag...the man was not very smart

[spectre]

the funny thing is that they didn't have any 5D's stocked...if they did i would've asked to try the 18-55mm IS EFS and 5D combo, and i wasn't going to have him try to mount it on the 5D in my bag...the man was not very smart
One of the guys in the local store here (wolf) must not be the typical Ritz/wolf worker, he is very knowledgeable.

[SoaringUSAEagle]

One of the guys in the local store here (wolf) must not be the typical Ritz/wolf worker, he is very knowledgeable.

If it's anything like the ritz here, they probably didnt have one LOL

[Tony The Pony]

:cool:

I do have some morals. I wouldn't try to sell an EF-S to a 5D owner. But I would try to get them to buy a Nikon. Muaahahahahaha! :evil:

you must hate alot of people then ;)

[belmondo]

I've seen both types of people at Ritz/Kit's/Wolfe stores: kids who obviously have no interest in or aptitude for photography, and people who really are photographers. Unfortunately, the numbers are skewed very heavily in favor of the former.

Not long ago I was in a Ritz store in Palm Desert, California. Someone was asking the salesgirl about the (then current) 30D. It was obvious she knew nothing about photography in general and the 30D specifically, so I started helping her out. I answered the customer's questions and gave him a quick demonstration of the camera. Next thing I knew, the sweet young salesgirl had walked away and was waiting on someone else.

The customer thanked me and left the store without buying anything.

Stores like Ritz have a business model that doesn't really require knowledgeable sales staff. Primarily they have to know how to run the cash register. If they show any initiative, they might become a store manager, but product knowledge is not a requisite.

[jptsr1]

i think there's way to much to be knowledable about when it comes to cameras. i wonder how many people on this forum could claim to know everything about other systems? not everyone's life revolves around your camera and $10 an hour puts them under no obligation. its not brain surgery. i doubt the dude who sold me my Honda could tell me what size tires i need of the top of his head.

J.

[scotteisenphotography]

i think there's way to much to be knowledable about when it comes to cameras. i wonder how many people on this forum could claim to know everything about other systems? not everyone's life revolves around your camera and $10 an hour puts them under no obligation. its not brain surgery. i doubt the dude who sold me my Honda could tell me what size tires i need of the top of his head.

J.

Yes, but they should know if a lens is going to fit or not.

[jptsr1]

Yes, but they should know if a lens is going to fit or not.

on my honda? just kidding. ill give you that he should have checked but not that he should have known. these guys are taught to "move the box not the contents" there limited strategy is to get the most product out the door at the greatest profit.

J.

[neil85]

i think there's way to much to be knowledable about when it comes to cameras. i wonder how many people on this forum could claim to know everything about other systems? not everyone's life revolves around your camera and $10 an hour puts them under no obligation. its not brain surgery. i doubt the dude who sold me my Honda could tell me what size tires i need of the top of his head.

J.


it would even be acceptable to me if they were knowledgable in ONE brand specifically with a little knowledge of the others.

or atleast just have them admit that "im not sure, let me try to find out for you " instead of lying (unless they honestly dont realize they are lying then they shouldnt be in any type of business wher eyou have to deal with people)

[Mum2J&M]

one would think though that if you are working at a camera shop, you have SOME interest in photography.

some interest would lead to some knowledge or not wanting to just make stuff up

True, but wouldn't it be up to who actually hires the employees to make sure that is so?

[queenbee288]

I went into the local camera store one day to look at brackets. I had done my research online ahead of time. The saleswoman was nice but brackets definately were not her specialty. I knew more about them than she did. She showed me a couple but I didn't care of any of them. She said that was all she had.

I happened to glance up on the shelf and see the Custom Bracket Pro M. I asked about it. She said yes but that one is $400. I said I know, that is the one I want. It made me feel like she didn't think I could afford it or something. I bought it by the way and I love it.

[modemanual]

The one thing that Ritz is good for is to play with the cameras when im bored at the mall, they really don't care.

Watch, i'll work there and i'll actually give people sound advice and i'll get fired that second.

[Canuck]

I got a bottle of crazy glue and a roll of duct tape that says it fits.



:lol:
That's the optional accessory kit that they might try to sell you to fit EFS on EOS mounts. They also tell you like it was said above, grinding, smashing, remounting is all normal.
:lol:
ROTFLMAO!

[cosworth]

If the guy behind the counter took your bet and he knew about mirror lockup....

[Crashoran]

I need a new job. I might as well work at Ritz

[///M3Matt]

Watch, i'll work there and i'll actually give people sound advice and i'll get fired that second.
advice to not buy their crappy quantaray lenses :p

[computerguru3190]

I applied to work at the local Wolf camera, but after I went in for an interview and saw that the employees knew nothing at all I left. Also I didn't want to lie to people and have them buy overpriced equipment.

Now I go in there just to dissuade people from buying there! I send them to the pro shop across from the mall that is a lot cheaper. HAHA that manager hates me now!

[SOT]

Why do people even bother with this stuff? Who cares?

[scotteisenphotography]

Why do people even bother with this stuff? Who cares?

You cared enough to reply....

[Nice Glass]

My local Ritz doesn't carry anything over a 30D.

[belmondo]

My local Ritz doesn't carry anything over a 30D.There is a wide range between various Ritz stores. Some have a fairly comprehensive inventory, although they are the exception. Even in the big stores, prices are rarely competitive, but the selection isn't bad in many cases.

I was in a Ritz store in San Diego not long ago, and I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of their inventory, but their prices were non-starters, and they don't negotiate.

I was in a Ritz store at Meadowood Mall in Reno a couple years ago. They had a new EF 28-70 f/2.8L on their shelf. This was like a couple years after the release of the 24-70, so it was decidedly old stock. I offered the 'manager' $900 for it, but he had to get someone else's approval. I waited 3 days for an answer and finally gave up. I went back maybe a year later, and the same lens was still there. Apparently the store managers don't have a great deal of latitude. BTW, that store closed maybe a year ago.

Wonder why.:rolleyes:

[Canuck]

There is a wide range between various Ritz stores. Some have a fairly comprehensive inventory, although they are the exception. Even in the big stores, prices are rarely competitive, but the selection isn't bad in many cases.

I was in a Ritz store in San Diego not long ago, and I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of their inventory, but their prices were non-starters, and they don't negotiate.

I was in a Ritz store at Meadowood Mall in Reno a couple years ago. They had a new EF 28-70 f/2.8L on their shelf. This was like a couple years after the release of the 24-70, so it was decidedly old stock. I offered the 'manager' $900 for it, but he had to get someone else's approval. I waited 3 days for an answer and finally gave up. I went back maybe a year later, and the same lens was still there. Apparently the store managers don't have a great deal of latitude. BTW, that store closed maybe a year ago.

Wonder why.:rolleyes:

:lol: :rolleyes: I'd never guess! :lol:
FWIW, I ordered my 10D online thru Ritz, then had it shipped to the UK (which you, Belmondo, should remember my time over there) and it was no hassle, other than waiting for it. It was a fairly long wait...small price to pay for a new item. Wow, Canon just released the 24-70 F2.8L version II. That makes the version II third iteration? Considering the 28-70 was the first iteration.

[scotteisenphotography]

:lol: :rolleyes: I'd never guess! :lol:
FWIW, I ordered my 10D online thru Ritz, then had it shipped to the UK (which you, Belmondo, should remember my time over there) and it was no hassle, other than waiting for it. It was a fairly long wait...small price to pay for a new item. Wow, Canon just released the 24-70 F2.8L version II. That makes the version II third iteration? Considering the 28-70 was the first iteration.

what is this 24-70 2.8L version 2 you speak of?

[Village_Idiot]

It's really hit or miss and some of the ****ty employees are not entirely the manager's fault.

I have a friend that manages a Ritz and is a semi-pro photographer who does a lot of portrait, modeling, and wedding work. He knows his stuff about what brands they sell and about other hire up equipment that they would never ever stock.

One thing he pointed out to me is that a lot of times when people get hired there, they're desperately lookin for employees as there's a lack of interest in the position or the only ones that apply are kids looking for easy mall jobs to make some money while they go to school. So even if you have people that are trained and are not interested in what they're doing, it's not going to matter how well you train them.

I know he's had some employees that are complete idiots that he's had to get rid of. They switch him between stores, basically sending him to stores to clean up and get them on track. He usually fires most of the staff within a week of arriving because of general incompetence.

[JWright]

I was in need of a job a while back and I took my resume to one of the local Ritz stores. The manager looked it over and said he was impressd with the depth of my experience, but didn't have any openings. He then directed me to anoter store where his wife was the manager. I took the resume there, gave it to her, and never heard another word... Think maybe they didn't want to hire me because they didn't want to have an employee that knew more than they did?

[Canuck]

what is this 24-70 2.8L version 2 you speak of?

I've got lenses mixed up...shoulda said 16-35 II. :o :oops:

[Collin85]

I was in need of a job a while back and I took my resume to one of the local Ritz stores. The manager looked it over and said he was impressd with the depth of my experience, but didn't have any openings. He then directed me to anoter store where his wife was the manager. I took the resume there, gave it to her, and never heard another word... Think maybe they didn't want to hire me because they didn't want to have an employee that knew more than they did?

I think you're onto something there. I wouldn't be surprised if they prefer to 'train their staff' from scratch, since only then they could outfit the individual with only knowledge to the interests of the company and to sales.

A person like you, with an established knowledge set and experience could only be a potential detriment to sales under many circumstances.

[scotteisenphotography]

I've got lenses mixed up...shoulda said 16-35 II. :o :oops:

good..had me worried

[Village_Idiot]

They're the type of company with they would prefer not to sell you a camera at all if they couldn't sell you one with one of their warranties. That's what they train their employees to push and that's where they make their money. In fact, I believe they make more commission off of the warranties than they do for most of the product. For just about everything except quantaray I belive.

I do own one quantaray product that I have no beef with. It's just a CP filter I bought to play with.

[BillsBayou]

:lol:

It will too fit....you just gotta force it...really, really hard. The snapping, grinding noise is normal.:rolleyes:

Some work from my Dremel, a grinding wheel, a cut-off disk... A rubber mallet... A little duct tape... Finally, just a bit of swearing... THERE! IT FITS!

[dontshootmek]

i remember one time i went in looking for an eye cup for my 300d. the dumb*** at the counter didn't even know what it was...

my main gripe with them though is how a company as large as ritz, that has many stores nationwide, unable to compete price wise, with ONE store such as B&H?!?

[Village_Idiot]

i remember one time i went in looking for an eye cup for my 300d. the dumb*** at the counter didn't even know what it was...

my main gripe with them though is how a company as large as ritz, that has many stores nationwide, unable to compete price wise, with ONE store such as B&H?!?

Because they do a lot of sales to people that don't know any better. Ask half the people that have bought a camera from Ritz what a B&H is and they'll look at you like you're dumb. They probably think Ritz is a camera store and the people there know what they're talking aboot.

[CincyShooter]

I remember when i went into Ritz to see if they had any of the Kodak IR film, they referred me to a "local shop" which ended up being nothing but a studio! I hate ritz, I go in there for the same reason I go to walmart....a confidence boost.

[ssidiv3r]

That's a pretty funny story. Luckily I haven't yet had to go to a Ritz so I don't know what kind of staff I might have to put up with.

one would think though that if you are working at a camera shop, you have SOME interest in photography.

some interest would lead to some knowledge or not wanting to just make stuff up

That is the only reason to get a job there in the first place in my opinion. However, since it seems like that isn't the case I'm hesitant to fill out a job application for anyplace like Ritz even though it involves photography.

I got a bottle of crazy glue and a roll of duct tape that says it fits.

Seriously, when you run into such uninformed sales person at that level, you have to take advantage. You should have made a bet that if he can fit the kit lens on a 5D right there that you would buy both plus a $100 tip. If it doesn't fit, then you get the 5D for free, and he can keep the kit lens.

I see what you're getting at but the only thing you would gain from that is a damaged 5D which you would then have to pay to get fixed. Then again it would probably cost less getting it fixed than to outright buy it.

If the guy behind the counter took your bet and he knew about mirror lockup....

Would that work? I know the mounts are the same but is the only reason the EF-S's don't fit because the back goes in too far?

[Rutha73]

i remember one time i went in looking for an eye cup for my 300d. the dumb*** at the counter didn't even know what it was...

my main gripe with them though is how a company as large as ritz, that has many stores nationwide, unable to compete price wise, with ONE store such as B&H?!?

I see thier ads in the Sunday papers, and they say something like "you will never over pay, I promise" (with a pic of David Ritz on it)

http://www.ritzcamera.com/help/shopping/Shopping.htm#anchor6 if you go about a quarter of the way down that page it tells you how to apply for a price match, and B&H isn't on the "approved" retailer list.

[bill boehme]

Installing an EFS lens onto a Canon 5D? ..... Not a problem as long as you have your handy Ritz lens installation tool in your camera bag. Never Leave Home Without It!

[FlyingPhotog]

^^^^^
ROFL...

[Collin85]

Bill, that's hilarious.

Imagine pulling one of those out while shooting with some photog buddies.

'Hold on guys, I just need to get that 17-55 onto my 5D' *lots of grinding noises ensues*

[scotteisenphotography]

Installing an EFS lens onto a Canon 5D? ..... Not a problem as long as you have your handy Ritz lens installation tool in your camera bag. Never Leave Home Without It!

Where can i get one?

[Collin85]

Where can i get one?

"Ritz lens installation tool"

Err, Ritz of course. :lol:;)

[bill boehme]

Sure ... you guys go ahead and poke fun! I know that you're just jealous because you don't have one in your camera bag. But just wait ... when the day comes that you have a stuck Nikkor lens on your Canon, you'll wish that you had one of these handy tools in your bag, too. They're so good, that I hear that plumbers even use them, too!

[3Turner]

But Bill, you are behind in the times....the newer ones are carbon fiber so they are not that heavy. ;)

[bill boehme]

But Bill, you are behind in the times....the newer ones are carbon fiber so they are not that heavy. ;)

But ... that would unbalance the carefully arranged load. :rolleyes:

[Cleggster]

Hi all. I am currently am employee at Ritz. I might not be by the end of the week, but thats not the point right now. I am not here to defend Ritz. There are a lot of things I don't like about this company. Case in point I still buy my major equipment elseware. Employee discounts are a joke. Associate purchases are nice but limiting.

About me, I am a photographer. Guess I would call myself a semi pro looking to go full time. Work freelance as Photo Assistant and have been hired by some clubs. I needed more work and I just asked my local Ritz and got the job.

The first thing I noticed about this store is that you can devide the employees into 2 types. Salespeople and photographers. Most of the salespeople quickly learn enough about the cameras to sell them. And they know how to steer the sale towards higher commission gear. You can tell the difference when walking into a store by how involved the conversations are. Sales people tell you the selling points and wait to see where your going with it. The Photographer well talk to you in length about different lenes types. Guess which one I fall into.

Management defenatly prefers to have salespeople, but they do like to have "real" photographers in as well. When a tricky question comes up, the salesmen can refer them to me.

But the point of the dsicussion is about knowledge. And let me mention the other side of this. 85 to 90% of ALL the people who walk into the store would never even consider spending what most of the people in this board even talk about. While the hottest selling SLR was the XTI, the hottest selling CAMERA was the Nikon L11. For the simple reason that it was the cheapest. I would say about 50% of my customers actualy get slightly offended when I mention getting an SLR. Way to big and complicated and they think I'm just trying to make them spend more money. Many of them don't know what shutter speed is. They want "something to take a picture of the kids", and NOTHING else. Took me a bit to grasp that. Quality is not even in there minds. And the ones who want quality don't know what they want. Megapixles = better. Even the salesmen at my store dicourage that point of view.

Ok, I seem to be venting. I could go on with examples. So allow me to one more time put some of the blame on the customers. I think 5% of the time do we get in somebody who really knows the difference between using a Quantaray CP versus and B&W. The single most heard statements are "which camera is easiest" and "whoh, that's way to much".

Again, I could go on. Ritz Caters to newbies who don't want to be bothered and amatuers who are getting there first SLR. Thats why the free lessons and stuff. The real money for the store is in prints anyway. Not gear.

So I quess only 1 in 10 people who walk in the store know what and EF-S lens is. So the salespeople don't need to know.

[Cleggster]

Wow, just read my post. Didn't mean to seem so bitter and anti consumer. Guess I'm just a little frustrated. I stand by everything I said, just maybe not the tone. Ritz just doesn't cater to the pro market. And a few people actually do get offended when I day you might want to spend over $500 on a lens. But some customers are very nice and eager to learn and improve. We actually do a good job on prints. But there main competion is CVS and Walmart.

To answer a few questions. Yes the highest commissions are for the protection plan. And the prices only compete with other stores. Ritz online is a different department. I don't know if they price match. My store does, but only with the local electronic stores. Not with anybody online.

And yes, I know where you can stick your EF-S lenses. :p

[ssidiv3r]

Since you brought up Ritz again I figured I'd pipe in just to say that I think you are right about where their money comes from. I went to a small one in a mall and they had practically nothing except a few Quantarays and a Canon or two, but nothing big. I didn't take a long look around because there was nothing that I could see that I might want. Now I want to get to Pen Camera which is the place where my 50/1.4 came from :D

[johnnybfan]

The employees are victim's of poor training. Yell at the management.

Yell and/or laugh all you want: they're just people trying to make a living. Ritz doesn't care enough about proper training for their employees. That should show you that their focus is not on the experienced photographer but on the "poor Joe" who doesn't know any better.
I'd like to be able to stand by the counter when people are asking questions about a particular camera or lens or whatever so I coould respond with a real answer. I bet I'd have my butt kicked out of there quicker lightning. :):)
So, be nice. Remember it's stlll the Christmas season & a time of great cheer. Hola!! Feliz Navidat!

[bill boehme]

Hi all. I am currently am employee at Ritz. I might not be by the end of the week, but thats not the point right now. I am not here to defend Ritz.................... So I quess only 1 in 10 people who walk in the store know what and EF-S lens is. So the salespeople don't need to know.

I think that this is a great post giving the perspective from the other side of the sales counter and I hope that everybody who rags on the employees at Ritz or any other store gets the gist of your message. This is true for most any niche market -- the very knowledgeable specialists are a very small part of the whole.

It is too easy to poke fun at salespeople less knowledgeable than you are, but businesses have to find a place in the market to bring in the necessary income. Have a high-end camera store with highly qualified staff in your neighborhood is nice, but there is not enough room for more than a couple pro-type camera stores in most large cities because the volume of business just isn't there to support it.

[oaktree]

Since my expectation of Ritz is low, I've never had a problem with them. I've bought lens paper, MF cloth, lens cleaning solution and a CF card holder from them. Since Ritz is only one and a half mile away, I've also gone in to look at camera bags and straps, but did not buy. I've never asked them a "camera" question. For that, I travel 10 more miles to my favortie camera store where all my camera/lens/computer questions will be answered. At this store, I also make all my non-online purchases such as bags, straps, lens hoods, filters, etc.

[Medic85]

Hi all. I am currently am employee at Ritz. I might not be by the end of the week, but thats not the point right now. I am not here to defend Ritz. There are a lot of things I don't like about this company. Case in point I still buy my major equipment elseware. Employee discounts are a joke. Associate purchases are nice but limiting.

About me, I am a photographer. Guess I would call myself a semi pro looking to go full time. Work freelance as Photo Assistant and have been hired by some clubs. I needed more work and I just asked my local Ritz and got the job.

The first thing I noticed about this store is that you can devide the employees into 2 types. Salespeople and photographers. Most of the salespeople quickly learn enough about the cameras to sell them. And they know how to steer the sale towards higher commission gear. You can tell the difference when walking into a store by how involved the conversations are. Sales people tell you the selling points and wait to see where your going with it. The Photographer well talk to you in length about different lenes types. Guess which one I fall into.

Management defenatly prefers to have salespeople, but they do like to have "real" photographers in as well. When a tricky question comes up, the salesmen can refer them to me.

But the point of the dsicussion is about knowledge. And let me mention the other side of this. 85 to 90% of ALL the people who walk into the store would never even consider spending what most of the people in this board even talk about. While the hottest selling SLR was the XTI, the hottest selling CAMERA was the Nikon L11. For the simple reason that it was the cheapest. I would say about 50% of my customers actualy get slightly offended when I mention getting an SLR. Way to big and complicated and they think I'm just trying to make them spend more money. Many of them don't know what shutter speed is. They want "something to take a picture of the kids", and NOTHING else. Took me a bit to grasp that. Quality is not even in there minds. And the ones who want quality don't know what they want. Megapixles = better. Even the salesmen at my store dicourage that point of view.

Ok, I seem to be venting. I could go on with examples. So allow me to one more time put some of the blame on the customers. I think 5% of the time do we get in somebody who really knows the difference between using a Quantaray CP versus and B&W. The single most heard statements are "which camera is easiest" and "whoh, that's way to much".

Again, I could go on. Ritz Caters to newbies who don't want to be bothered and amatuers who are getting there first SLR. Thats why the free lessons and stuff. The real money for the store is in prints anyway. Not gear.

So I quess only 1 in 10 people who walk in the store know what and EF-S lens is. So the salespeople don't need to know.


This is where I have to disagree with you. It is the salespersons job to know the differences. There is always going to be someone out there who wants to know about the different lenses and which cameras they'll work on. If I went in there with a 35mm SLR and was looking to buy a new, cheap lens and I had someone tell me an EF-S lens would work on it......Well, you get my point.

Good rant by the way;)

[Medic85]

While we're on the subject of salespeople, I had a salesperson at what I considered to be a good private shop tell me that primes were crap. He told me I had no business using a prime lens because it would produce crappy images on my cropped body.

The lens I was looking for was the 50 1.4! The last time I checked, that wasn't a crappy lens.

[ssidiv3r]

He might have been thinking about some lenses of lesser quality like the 50/1.8 or something by another brand.

[ironchef31]

EFS lens will fit. Who needs a stupid mirror inside your slr anyways.

[ssidiv3r]

Exactly. It's the sensor you need to take the picture :D