my local photography store has closed its doors.

this is real sad to see,as my local photography store that has been hear in monterey,calif. for about 37 years called MYRICK'S camera has closed its doors,he told me that he just couldn't keep up with on net sales and that the internet was slowly killing his biz.so he bailed, i no we all talk about this now and then but it just kills me to see this happen in my own back yard,just sorry to see them close one buy one,i do remember him telling me about 15 years ago,'he didn't think that digital would take off like it has' i think he had an idea of what was ahead of him then! sad and will miss myricks photography around these parts..

small stores can not compete with the internet and the prices the larger stores adorama and BH are able to sell at in order to make a profit.

Sorry to hear this. IIRC, Myrick's was nearby the Hyatt Regency in Monterey? I was staying there a few years ago and stopped by the store to browse. Seemed like a nice guy and a good local shop.

Have you been to Green's Camera World? I just looked up some other stores in the area - Green's seems to be a new store, no idea if it's any good.

It is sad to see beloved establishments go. When they do, we can blame the Internet, the evil Internet.

I recall one of the biggest of local photographic retailers, Calgary Photo, closing its doors unexpectedly when its owner retired. His establishment had been in business for 40 years, and was a local landmark. He was unable to sell the store as a going concern and had to liquidate. That was quite a shock, and no doubt a major blow to his retirement plans. This happened back in 1996, and the Internet had nothing to do with it.

Around that same time, a brand new photographic store opened in town. It has done very well and is thriving, in part because of the Internet. The new store embraced competition and doing business on-line.

Stores close all the time, and open all the time too. That's how it has been ever since there were stores.

I have 2 camera shops in our city, One has stopped selling Canon as apparently they're more hassle than they're worth (they now only sell point and shoot).
The other mainly deals in 2nd hand cameras (bought my 1D3 from there for £600.

It's a real shame because i want to support them but can get the products a lot cheaper elsewhere. It seems to be the unfortunate deciding factor.

yes i have been to green's camera lots of times, there in carmel hear in the monterey area,they seem to carry a good stock of photography equipment on hand just like myrick's once did !hope they stay around awhile as i need a place close by to get my smaller items,its a nice place and you meet lots of interesting people there to.

so i can see how the local shops can't compete with amazon.com in this new age we live,JEFF BAZZO be dam.

I think the main issue is that things i would consider easily replacable / disposable such as cheap (knockoff) battery grips, filters, remotes etc i would rather get online and if they break, oh well..

For the larger things like the cameras i would never buy online (other then through here which i have) as i like being able to go and see someone in the shop to play with it, test it and i like the fact i can walk into the store and explain my issue face to face rather than have to explain it over the phone and send the item off.

I make it a point to stop and visit local shops wherever I travel. The internet has made it difficult for local shops to compete on price, but thats only part of it. When I go In I play it a bit coy, I dont reveal my experience level and I ask a few questions and I listen to the staff interact with other customers. What I've noticed is that more often than not these local shops do themselves a disservice by giving poor advice, add junk as an upsale, and oftentimes be clueless about their own product lines. One might expect that sort of shabby service from the untrained folks at best buy but a specialty shop should try harder. If your local was one of the truly good ones its closing is a sad thing indeed.

My favorite local camera shop a small place that has been operating since the 1930s. The owner has been quite savvy in ensuring that the store remain competitive and relevant in the face of increasing e-commerce. Many policies are in place to ensure that buying in store is more advantageous than buying from a faceless virtual presence and so the store remains an important hub for local photographers. It is easy to blame the Internet but when failing business owners blame the Internet they're really talking about change. Businesses have been failing or flourishing in the face of change long before the Internet existed.

Sorry to hear that. My local shop is actually very good about staying competitive with the internet retailers. When I bought my 6D from them they actually called me when I was on the way home from their shop to tell me that they had just received word of a rebate offer from Canon that would be starting the next day and that if I came back by in the morning they would honor the rebate for me. Saved me $200, I doubt that would have happened with another online retailer.

I do my best to support them whenever I can especially with larger purchases that I would want to try before I buy. For smaller items it often makes more sense to buy online however.

What's really bad is the shoppers who go to the local dealer (if they still have one) do the touchy feely bit, then buy the product online!
I use my local shop, costs a bit more, but get service with a smile, and if any problems occur, they deal with it there and then - customer service, remember that old thing!

Just paid a visit to our local shop (local as in 45min from driveway to their door). I have been wanting to go for a while now and was in that part of town with some time to kill. Its full of all sorts of accessories and I could go crazy in there. However I find it hard to spend money there when a small umbrella goes for $35 and I just ordered a 2 pack online for $8. I understand they have to make money, and that I purchased a "knock off". However I did notice that the lens and body prices where the same as online (I assume due to MAP pricing) which makes me happy to know that if I am ever buying new I can go there and walk away with the item that day, but I was in the market for a refub 60D which they did not even have new of, the sales guy was happy to tell me it was crap and I should be looking at the 70d.

Littlejon Dsgn wrote in post #17325079
, but I was in the market for a refub 60D which they did not even have new of, the sales guy was happy to tell me it was crap and I should be looking at the 70d.

Sounds like the camera store in Rockford, IL that closed recently. Sales people talked down to customers. Treat customers like crap, they'll go elsewhere. When a competing local store started selling Nikon, they lost a lot.

Did he really say "the 60D is crap", or, rather, did he point out some specific deficiencies?

There is a huge difference between saying "that's crap" and someone telling you that "you don't want that" and then explaining why.

It is just hard for me to believe that a professional sales person would say something as crass (and un-educated sounding) as "that's crap", especially considering that the store probably sold quite a few of those cameras to its loyal customers a few years ago when it was the current model.