Reviewing the Camera Stores

Ok below is an anonymous post from someone I know very well who is posting something here. No names will be mentioned but I thought it would be worth reading :) Don't blame me for the views though!

Having purchased in excess of $15,000 worth of Photography gear from Melbourne’s camera stores over the past year or so, I would like to share my experiences in regards to my purchase transactions. Everything is a factual account of my own experiences, and the truth is a complete defence to any defamation accusation, and I fully stand by my decision.

JB HiFi City Camera Store:
All three of my cameras (Canon 5D2, Canon 40D and Canon 400D) I purchased from JB HiFi. I find they consistently give the lowest prices on Cameras, IF you get the right salesperson. There is considerable variability in the quotes you get based on the salesperson you talk to. It is sometimes even worth asking a certain JB HiFi store to beat the price of another JB HiFi Store (I did in the case of my 5D2 and managed to get a further $50 shaved off).

The Elizabeth Street JB HiFi is a cheap source of cameras and “mainstream” L lenses (like the 24-105L, 24-70L and 70-200 f/4L). In addition to two cameras (my 5D2 came from JB HiFi Chadstone), I also purchased a 70-200 f/4L IS there, as well as many peripherals like CF cards and Lowepro Bags and Cases and a 430EX.

In my experience I have found them not to be a good source for more obscure products like Tamron and Sigma lenses. They generally are the cheapest for most things, but not always.

Regarding the city store, most of their staff are pretty cool, some are tighter than others, however I can honestly say that every single one of their staff I have come across has been very attentive to the customer, and always approach you to offer their help. The same can’t be said for other JB HiFi stores (especially Chadstone which is chronically understaffed), or other cameras shops.

Teds:
Whilst some Teds salespeople are nice to deal with, most are generally a waste of time and are not very knowledgeable. Some are very nice, so I don’t want to denigrate everyone, however a lot are exceptionally poor.

In the past I have even experienced being peddled obsolete stock and display stock, or being told things like “There’s no such thing as a Gitzo tripod”. Again, there are a few nice and competent staff there, but the majority are very poor. Again my experiences may not be indicative of your own.

Some of the city staff are amongst the worst I have come across. They are not very attentive, they often treat you with disdain and if it doesn’t look like you have much money and some are more interested in talking amongst themselves than helping you (I once had two of them stand in front of me talking about their Friday night rather than bother helping me (I was waiting at the counter for some help)).

There is a big exception. Joel in the Pro section of the City Store is the only person at Teds I buy stuff off. He has always given me the best pricing that Teds is able to offer. This is generally far below what other sales people have been able to offer. I have purchased a $2000 L lens off him, as well as multiple CF cards, harnesses, bags and other items. He is a Professional Photographer as well, and this certainly helps in that there is a mutual ability to relate to one another. I highly recommend Joel.

Teds sometimes has these $1 8X12 deals, which is exceptionally cheap (way below cost in my opinion) but the quality is terrible, for both the Chadstone and City stores. The prints lack contrast, are soft, and dull in colour. Seriously Harvey Norman prints are 100X better.

Camera Action City:
Again, some are ok, but many of Camera Action’s camera sales staff are a bit over confident and attempt to hard sell you. Having said that though I have bought a lot of items from them because although they are an absolute rip off in terms of price generally, they do have gems here and there. For instance I picked up a 85mm f/1.2L II USM for about $2300 there (the manual was ripped though...suggesting it had been opened up, but fortunately canon gave me a new one without the usual $50 fee), as well as Crumpler Bags, a 18-55IS and other small items.

I feel a bit pressured everytime I go in there though. Their staff are quite attentive, and come up to you offering their help, but I have found that their staff seem a bit overconfident, which puts me off a bit. A few have been quite nice, so again my experiences may not be indicative of your own.

Elizabeth Camera:
This is a bit of a weird store. It’s run by asians so this typically guarantees the cheapest prices as we asians like to haggle, but not always. That’s what’s weird. At times they are much cheaper than other stores, but other times they are much more expensive. It seems like their price guides are just out of sync with the rest of the Elizabeth Strip. For instance I purchased my Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 off them for about 15% cheaper than what JB HiFi were willing to offer (though I got ripped off on a Hoya filter – my fault I didn’t know how much cheaper they are on Ebay). At the same time they were not able to beat JB HiFi on certain cameras, yet a few weeks later they were able to match it.

The staff are generally helpful, though the younger more experienced ones don’t give as much price flexibility as the older ones (who obviously have more authority and power)

Michaels:
Oh god. These guys could be the best Camera store in Melbourne, the equivalent of BH Photo in Australia. Unfortunately the reality is very different. Many of their staff are unknowledgeable and standoffish, a few are arrogant, but heaps of them do try their best). Again some are ok, but geez, I usually go see the Video guys who seem much friendlier and open to bargaining (though they can only really help on Video and general gear like bags and cases, not Photo specific gear). I think their intentions seem good, but their execution is terrible. What’s most disappointing is they could be so much more. Their size and location could enable them to blow the competitors out of the water, but instead they have a reputation of being expensive and poor value

I have purchased quite a bit of bags and stuff from Michaels and to their credit, they have a good post sale support process (were very good with the return of a defective item).

Other people I know have had real horror stories about Michaels, which I won’t repeat because it isn’t my experience. I have found them unpleasant but not horrible. (More disappointment than anything that they don’t life their game)

Camera Exchange:
I always get ignored when I go into this shop. I have purchased B+W filters off them because they are the only shop that has carried them (too expensive to get from the US at the moment), but other than that I don’t go in there much. The whole place seems like a dumping ground for odds and ends. Although the staff seem rude at first when they ignore you, some are quite nice, there was one who gave me a free microfiber cloth with my filter for example.

Vanbar:
This store is near my Uni, and if it was not for an unfortunate fact, I would have bought heaps of stuff from them because I’m a shopaholic and it’s located tantalisingly close to Uni. The unfortunate fact is that they refuse to price haggle. Oh well, their loss. A few of their staff are quite nice, but I don’t go there because the very first time I went there I attempted to haggle and some Nazi-ish dude pretty much told me off in front of the entire store implying I was a cheapskate (which I am, but that’s beside the point) and that they weren’t into that kind of bargaining. Oh well...

Digital Camera Warehouse:
Similar to Vanbar they have a no haggling policy, which isn’t my cup of tea but their prices are often very low so it’s understandable. Emails don’t seem to get answered, which is a bit annoying. Still, they sponsor my photography club (e.g. they donated a Nikon D90 as a prize), so are great people in my book, and I try to support them when I can in terms of buying. The act of sponsoring a student Photo Club is a very positive one, and as such I still think of them highly.

Kirks:
I haven’t purchased here but visited them once. The guys at the desk seemed pretty nice, and they are a good alternative source as they are willing to price haggle.