rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

You know what they say, you can't please all the people all the time. You said "first, and only" but you mentioned two experiences, so what is it?! Besides, you can't judge an entire operation by the actions of one person. Maybe it was their first day. Maybe they were from the telescope department and were just covering for someone while they hit the head. Maybe the opinions of the many out weigh the opinions of the few, or the one.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

And you didn't tell the student to sit down and shut up or pack up and leave?! The terms master and slave in the world of mechanical and or electronics is widely used and perfectly acceptable and have nothing to do with the human slave trade of the 18th and 19th centuries or even, in some countries, today. If you let so called political correctness run your life just to please or accommodate others, well, I'll let you figure it out... By the way, you weren't the one with the problem. Think about it.

bgrn Loc: Pleasant Grove UT

Guess I feel very fortunate that we have a few good brick and mortar stores near me. I like Pictureline, always have a good product selection and qualified sales people. They also ship anywhere and price match.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

One of the best resources is the manufacturers web site. "Where to buy"

billbarcus Loc: IPNW

Many folks don't live near larger cities with camera stores having large selections, let alone ones being Authorized Dealers. Best to locate the nearest AD and stick with them, even if it means doing business via mail or ground shipment. Getting a good re pore with one or two of them usually establishes a lasting seller/buyer relationship that is worth it's weight in gold.

The closest AD near me is two hours away, and the other 5 hours. I like the one that is a five-hour drive
because they are friendly, have a complete and mouth-watering inventory, and we (my dog and me) can shoot pics going and coming, have a picnic, and even spend the night if need be - shooting two birds with one stone and having a great time also.

I refuse to do business with any Gray Market dealer even if means saving a few bucks. I'm especially picky about what I put in front of my Nikon and it has to be genuine gear. Have dealt with B&H a few times and give them six stars out of five. Don't know anything about Adorama.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

We are so lucky to have one great local shop less than a mile from our house, and another a half hour away. (And we live in a fairly small town).

I work in a city of about 200,000 souls, and there’s only one remaining shop outside of the big boxes.

Andy

foxfirerodandgun Loc: Stony Creek, VA

Same principal and I was using Walmart as an example of buying via Amazon since they have a terrible reputation when it comes to resolving issues with their products purchased through Amazon. Bottom line in the point of what I was trying to make is that buying from vendors using Amazon as their marketing platform will not always get you good customer service in case you experience an issue with the purchased product and need factory assistance in a repair or return.

No, I'm not some rich yuppie with money to squander, only a very senior citizen living on a fixed income which allows me to SAFELY spend my retirement income on a few non-essential items from time to time. However, if you are a person who needs to pinch each & every penny before you spend it without regards to assurances in case you may need good customer service for possible issues/problems down the road, then have at it. Personally I live by the value of having but needing rather than needing and not having. 'Nuff said!

anotherview Loc: California

Amazon and Samy's Camera also provide fine photography service.

1941Chevy Loc: Flushing, New York

I purchased my camera from Tri-State before I knew about UHH. I thought I was getting a good deal when I ordered my Nikon D5300 on line. I ended up with a gray market camera and they tried to charge me for the battery. I called the store and complained about the charge for the battery and they gave me a credit on my credit card. As fare as the camera I have no proof that I was purhasing a USA camera because the add on the internet as taken down. LESSON LEARNED

billbarcus Loc: IPNW

Bet those two local shop owners had enough of the big city life and decided to bail on that city with the 200,000 souls.

billbarcus Loc: IPNW

Ditto on the Amazon scene. Cancelled my Prime membership and doing any business what-so-ever some time back for the same reasons. Oh, yeah ... there is no such thing as Amazon free shipping! Was getting rooked for $13 bucks a month, or $156 bucks a year and was only ordering only a few times a year. Ha!!!

No wonder it's a multi-billion $ monopoly. SHOP LOCAL!

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Nope. Both have been local since the sixties. The one near my house was owned by an old timer, who sold it to a guy in his twenties who wanted to continue the tradition. I go to him for anything new I buy as he’ll price match, and use him for all of my enlargements.

The other has been family owned for even longer. And the one in my “big” city, 65 miles away, is in the third generation of the same family.

I am lucky!

Andy

billbarcus Loc: IPNW

No such thing as luck ... but, you are lucky.

canonclicker

I appreciate your comment re: left coast or west coast shopping. In Riverside, CA is Image One. My family would send our Kodak shots there from South Texas which was 70 years ago. All I knew was it was in CA. We moved to CA in 1952 and we drove around the corner and saw their sign, Arlington Phototorium and Dad said it was the same place. At that time the Phototorium did a large business by mail. We lived there-with a stint in the 60's-'til 1999 to MD and they became Ritz Camera for a short while and now are Camera one. One employee has stayed from the Ritz name.

I now live in the desert and there's Camera West. I went there the 1st time about 3 years ago and told them I was in Monterey Peninsula in the early 60's and went to a camera shop there who were involved in the Padre Trails Camera Club. The camera club had Wynn Bullock, one of the Weston's and if I remember correctly Ansel Adams. Camera West told me they had just recently moved from Monterey and are the same store that was there.

Both stores are reputable giving good service and are dependable. And yes the word 'Phototorium' is spelled correctly.

salewis

In the Kansas City area we have one store left, but it's a good one: Overland Camera Supply, 87th and Metcalf. The advantage of buying from a brick-and-mortar store, if you are lucky enough to have one close by, is that you can walk in and get questions answered instead of holding the phone forever trying to speak with a customer service rep. I know I spent more for my camera that it costs on line, but it was worth every penny. As for the other stores, I have found more knowledgeable people in general at Best Buy than at Costco. But if at all possible, buy from a local camera shop. We have to keep those guys in business.