Living Social deal in my area

I just purchased one. Business must be slow. People Picture has nine location in my area (DC metro). I figure it would be a good tour for me to see how operation and sales tactic works. I don't think I can even recoup the print cost if I were to do it myself.

http://livingsocial.co​m …hoto-shoot-with-11-images

Can you report your findings. There has to be some upsell.

I will. Hopefully I can schedule one this year. Has "subject to availability clause".

That is definitely a good deal and for those that are on limited income it provides them an opportunity to get some decent pictures done. I know there will be those that say it is nothing more than a big box store studio job and they are probably right. Looking at it from a consumer's point of view they would be crazy not to buy it. 10.00, the cost of a lunch. I don't expect the results to look like they spent an hour in the studio one on one with a good photographer. It will probably be the kind of place where the camera settings are all laid out in a manual and the only thing they need is someone to press the shutter release.

We had a new Wal-Mart go in just a couple of blocks from my house and I have gotten to know the young fellow that manages the in-store studio. From his perspective they do this sort of thing for two reasons. Volume, run them through as fast as they can, four or five sittings in a single hour is not out of the question for him. The other reason is referrals where someone is buying at full price which is still affordable but they can do this and stay in the black. Their operation is pretty simple, a Nikon DSLR and a few studio strobes all preset for the operator and they will try a couple of different poses if time permits. The interesting thing is that they have no qualms about taking the shot of a crying baby. If you can't make him/her quit then that is what you get.

Exact same offer is available in Dallas. Maybe it's a nationwide deal?

http://livingsocial.co​m/cities/329/deals/167​281

ssim wrote in post #13337353
That is definitely a good deal and for those that are on limited income it provides them an opportunity to get some decent pictures done. I know there will be those that say it is nothing more than a big box store studio job and they are probably right. Looking at it from a consumer's point of view they would be crazy not to buy it. 10.00, the cost of a lunch. I don't expect the results to look like they spent an hour in the studio one on one with a good photographer. It will probably be the kind of place where the camera settings are all laid out in a manual and the only thing they need is someone to press the shutter release.

We had a new Wal-Mart go in just a couple of blocks from my house and I have gotten to know the young fellow that manages the in-store studio. From his perspective they do this sort of thing for two reasons. Volume, run them through as fast as they can, four or five sittings in a single hour is not out of the question for him. The other reason is referrals where someone is buying at full price which is still affordable but they can do this and stay in the black. Their operation is pretty simple, a Nikon DSLR and a few studio strobes all preset for the operator and they will try a couple of different poses if time permits. The interesting thing is that they have no qualms about taking the shot of a crying baby. If you can't make him/her quit then that is what you get.

A friend of mine manages a Sears Portrait Studio. It's the exact same thing. She hates it. Her upsell requirements are unrealistic, it's hectic, and she can't keep help on staff because they can't keep up so they quit.

It's actually worse than fast food from what I hear, from the perspective of the folks responsible for making things happen on the ground but it's impossible for a certain demographic to pass up despite the process itself being miserable.

I love that place. Without it, my exact opposite approach would be harder to explain.