twillsol Loc: St. Louis, MO

In St. Louis, we are lucky to have Creve Coeur Camera and Schiller's. They are both great photography stores and CCC has multiple locations.

rvharvey Loc: Southern New Jersey

I was recently in BestBuy and the camera department has all but disappeared. The manager said nearly everyone is going to smart phones. If I need advice I come here and if that doesn't help, I call B&H where most of my camera needs are met.

JonClayton Loc: Central Florida

In central Florida, we are lucky to have Marshall's Camera in a little town of Aurburndale. They have been around for a long time and I am like a kid in a candy store every time I go there. They have everything I could ever want and they people are very knowledgeable. They have new and used equipment and carry all of the major brands and 3rd party equipment besides. They have been very helpful every time I go there.

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

Thanks, I'll pay them a visit sometime.

Larry J

I live in Fort Wayne IN and we have a wonderful local store. Sunny Schick has been in business for a long time. Very knowledgeable. I have always gotten excellent advice there. All of us who appreciate quality products from a quality source should go out of our way to support local camera stores ( or any local store )

LouV Loc: Juno Beach, FL

I am originally from Philly and remember the day when we had many fine shops, Willoughby-Peerless, Mid-City and even Ritz Camera where I worked back in the 70s. The advent of good point and shoots which didn't generate accessory sales and then digital that hurt the in-store mini-labs which, in many cases was the last thing keeping those stores alive, all contributed to their decline.

Even before Amazon, there was an active mail order business out of NY and we had lots of "customers" come in to learn from us and then order from them. I vividly recall one guy who'd come in often and stay for an hour or more asking questions and looking at stuff without ever buying a thing. We worked out a code for him and others like him that we could use for a new, unsuspecting salesperson to warn them to cut him off. One of us would interrupt the sp to ask if a film pack adapter recently ordered had arrived. A film pack adapter was a real thing but it was the initials that were the tell: FPA, think about it (hint: the last word is ass).

Anyhow, I now live in South Florida and am fortunate to have The Pro Shop for Photographers in West Palm where I get expert advice and service. I bought a D810 there, a used Nikon 16-35, a new Tammy 70-200 and a Think Tank bag plus filters, memory cards etc. In some cases I paid a little more than I could have, in others, the prices are fixed. But the point is, nothing is for free. If we want to have a store where we can get good advice and services, we need to be willing to pay the premium to keep them in business. Nothing makes me crazier when I see people here or elsewhere complain that an in-store price is higher than Amazon. Of course it is and it should be.

Madman Loc: Gulf Coast, Florida USA

Morning Star, while I agree with your assessment regarding the demise of brick-and-morter stores, I would ask that you go back and re-read Machinedoc's post.

He states that he placed an online order with the same company the next day.

In doing so,he avoided paying sales tax (a matter not for this discussion). The is a much more relevant problem with this purchase which I will respond directly to Machinedoc about.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

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kbr983

The BB I visited had a handful of cameras and the salesman basically sent me to a local camera shop, whose location turned out to have been recently closed up. Wal-Mart depends on who you get, I've had great & terrible help there.

pendennis

For a metropolitan area the size of Detroit, there are really only two "full service" local stores:

Woodward Camera has been around for years; has a staff that's knowledgeable, helpful, and still sells and processes film. They'll "meet" the mail order prices, and I've bought several Nikon digital cameras and lenses from them in the last year.

PROCAM is a locally staffed store, and is one of two locations (Chicago is the other). They're not a "full service" store, since their participation in film sales is practically nil. They offer a lot of classes, and their staff is completely professional, and extremely helpful. They also "meet" pricing of the mail order stores. This past week, I bought a Manfrotto MT055CXPRO3 (carbon fiber) for the same price as B&H sells it. I've also bought/traded a number of lenses from them.

For used, there are a couple of locals; Westborn Camera fuels my addiction to used equipment. They also have a presence on eBay, and they advertise through Craig's List. Another is The Camera Connection; he handles used equipment, also.

It's a bit of a trek from Detroit, but Norman Camera is a great place, as mentioned earlier.

I've bought memory cards from places like Best Buy, but only when they have a special deal.

Waxhouse Loc: Tampa Via Philadelphia

dsmeltz,

Being a resident of Philly and Bucks County for most of my lifetime, you still have NY Camera & Video in Southampton and Allan's Camera in Levittown. If you haven't yet, give them a try.

Madman Loc: Gulf Coast, Florida USA

I am glad that you had a positive experience with Unique Photo - I'm sure the owners love you. But, more than likely, the lady that helped you got cheated out of her commission when you ordered on line instead of purchasing from her in the store. She earned your business but you deprived her of it. The owner makes more money, the sales person made less and your locality suffered as well.

advocate1982

In Alberta, the Walmart staff that deal with electronics - cameras, computers, cell phones, etc are actually not Walmart staff. They are like the Walmart Portrait Studios, a separate company that has an agreement with Walmart for providing the service. Their wages are about 50% above the going rate for Walmart staff. They are knowledgeable on the limited amount of gear that they carry. I would imagine that it is the same setup throughout Canada, but that part is just a guess.

Madman Loc: Gulf Coast, Florida USA

I concur with Mac. I have known the owner of the business for more than twenty years - we worked together at national camera retailer before he left to open his own business. He supports local photographers and businesses. I've purchased quite a bit of equipment from him including my Tamron 150-600.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

In Raleigh NC, we have two excellent stores, Southeastern Camera (which I purchase from regularly) and Peace St. Camera, which has a large selection of film and developing supplies.