APUG UK Appeal - Please send a message to Jessops!

Dave Miller · Jan 25, 2007

Steve Smith said:
The Newport, Isle of Wight branch isn't too bad. They always have Ilford fixer when I want it and a variety of developers, stop bath, etc. and a selection of Ilford paper. However, the film which used to be on display (some in a refrgerated cabinet) is now kept in a drawer under the counter.

Steve.

Could that be that you are their only customer Steve, and it's taking you a while to work through their stock?

Dave Miller · Jan 25, 2007

John_Brewer said:
I've just ordered and received from my local Jessops a ton of Kodak hypo clear agent because they are so cheap. Took a while to come through, (5 weeks), and the assistant had no idea what I was ordering.

You should tell him that it's ideal for cleaning digicam sensors.

Steve Smith · Jan 25, 2007

Dave Miller said:
Could that be that you are their only customer Steve, and it's taking you a while to work through their stock?

That's probably it!

Steve.

Andy K · Jan 25, 2007

Sean said:
If anything write to them and ask how e-waste is great for the environment & why they assume we improperly dispose of the toxic stuff.. :rolleyes:

Something I have been trying to do for a couple of days... but when you click their 'contact us' button you get directed to their 'about us' page. Thinking perhaps they had confused their links I then clicked the 'about us' button... and got directed to a page full of mobile phone ads! You'd think a company that is throwing in it's lot with the digital world would at least learn to use digital media! :rolleyes:

As an aside, I wonder what Ilford's take is on Jessops completely failing to let the public know they still sell film?

ajuk · Jan 25, 2007

I think they know what they are doing they have accountants, although I think they maybe going a little too far, as far as the possibility of alienating some of there long loyal customers and loss of a lot of D&P goes. There are quite a few Jessops in Bristol, and there is now one left with a selection of Paper and chems, thats a good compromise having the stuff in just the one store, I think it probably sells a lot of stuff to the many Students in the area. My local LCE actually recently started selling Ilford paper!! The best shops in Bristol for Darkroom gear are Bernard Hunter, Calumet and Jacobs.

Black Dog · Jan 25, 2007

My {former} local branch of Jessops in Salisbury did bother to stock film and darkroom products-not a great selection of paper and chemistry but at least they did keep 5x4 Ilford b+w film in stock and try to employ staff other than spotty youths:you know the sort, like the one who works at the drivethru burger place in the Simpsons. Stargazer-haven't been in the New Oxford St branch for a couple of years or so but they did keep a good selection of stuff there and employ some reasonably knowledgeable staff who weren't all like the Simpsons guy.

FrankB · Jan 25, 2007

Oh blimey, the threads that come back to haunt you... I thought this one was dead and buried!

Sean said:
Well this was from their UK site on the homepage "why go digital?":

"Digital photography doesn't use the toxic chemicals that often end up flowing down the drain and into our streams, rivers, and lakes"

If anything write to them and ask how e-waste is great for the environment & why they assume we improperly dispose of the toxic stuff.. :rolleyes:

Ta Sean, I wasn't quite depressed enough at turning 39 today and being down with a virus as well. I'll just pop off and slit my wrists... :rolleyes:

I went into my local Jessops a week or two back to pick up some a bottle of Ilford fixer and another of Ilfostop. (I had to phone up and order them and the gerbil I spoke to had no clue what I was on about...!) I walked past the shelves of PC World and Halfords stock and was attended to by one of the longer-serving members of staff.

As I paid I noticed a couple of bottles of chems, a pack or so of B&W paper and a couple of film clips on view under the counter. I pointed them out and said, "It's nice to see you still sell photographic products!"

The chap grinned and said, "Yes! We're not supposed to have any on display but we keep a few out so people will know we know what we're talking about!"

Says it all, really...

David Henderson · Jan 25, 2007

Like most others I gave up on Jessops years ago and I care about their future probably as much as they cared about meeting my needs. However increasingly the supply of photographic equipment won't support High Street overheads and so its kind of understandable that they need to sell things with a lower technical content (Most Jessops staff don't know much about photography anyway) and TVs and Sat Nav are brown box sales that are possibly better understood by the sort of staff they seem to attract.

However instead of competing mainly against the telephone/internet for sales, Jessops will now have to learn to fight some very serious retailers as well. I do wonder what they are bringing to bear that will enable them to compete successfully. If I had any Jessops shares I think I'd be tempted to sell.

Gary Holliday · Jan 26, 2007

Hoes it goin jonconkey?

Jessops never did cater for the serious photographer. When I worked there, you would get the occasional camera-club guy wandering in, yet the club would never place a bulk order. So it's a case of the photographers turning their backs on Jessops.

Jessops are my only source for large quantites of chemicals, I wouldn't dream of paying for the posting of heavy containers. So as long as they have a warehouse I'm happy.

All their fridges have gone, so I'll just have to keep a large supply of film in case I run out!

Steve Roberts · Mar 3, 2011

pentaxuser said:
Reminds me of the old song, a line of which is "I talk to the trees but they never listen to me". About the same chance with Jessops. Alas song lyrics always give away one's age.
pentaxuser

Or, to quote the version of the song from the Goon Show:
"I talk to the trees, that's why they put me away......"

I'm afraid that I'm in the group that already regards Jessops as a lost cause.

Steve

Sheebay · Mar 21, 2011

Wow, reading this thread just ade me so angry...

It's comparable to when gillette started on whole disposable razor thing decades back, straights became dangerous (they're not unless you're foolish) and everyone started buying a cartridge few times a week.

Lloydy · Aug 22, 2012

And nothing changes......

I wanted some B&W 120 film last weekend as I'd forgotten to take some on a day out, so knowing that Shrewsbury has two Jessops off I went in search of 120 film.
In the first branch, on a Saturday afternoon there was one person working and he was crawling all over some blond girl who was printing her holiday pictures at the machine. I looked everywhere for film, saw a few rolls of 35mm behind the counter, and waited for the assistant to come in the hope they had some 120 somewhere else. And I waited......then I left.
The second Jessops. I asked the young girl in a polite manner "do you have 120 roll film, preferably black and white ?" The expression on her face was not good, stunned was the best description. But gamely she reached to the shelf behind her and offered me a roll of Kodak Gold 35mm, "No, that's not it" I told her. Once again she reached to the shelf and proffered a roll of XP2 in 35mm. "No, I'm after 120 roll film" I explained again. "Well there is only two types of film made, colour and black and white, and that's all there is" she said, pointing at the half dozen rolls on the shelf.

I didn't get any film in the end, and Jessops will never see me through their doors again.

ajuk · Aug 23, 2012

With some many companies relying on D&P you do wonder why a lot of companies didn't do more to keep that going.

Ian Grant · Aug 23, 2012

Judging by the comments I've had from staff at my local Jessops those that do appreciate film photography exists shop elsewhere themselves.

Ian

PentaxBronica · Oct 6, 2012

A comical experience with their Hereford branch...

Went in after seeing an "instant studio kit" with two spots/tripods/umbrellas/softboxes in the window.

The wally behind the counter essentially says "We only have that one and I can't sell it to you because it's the last one and there's a bit missing".

So why have you got it on display with a price tag then?!? That could have been an opportunity to make a few quid by saying "Well there's a bit missing, but I can let you have it for a bit less than marked price".

Went to Melgray round the corner. They had one left and were quite happy to sell it. Got the impression they knew exactly where I was on about when I mentioned my experiences in another shop...

As for the nonsense about "dangerous chemicals", what do they think the non-rechargeable batteries they sell for digital cameras contain? It just fits with the current vogue for using the green bandwagon to sell new stuff rather than actually doing anything useful (like recycling - I don't want to recycle broken cameras, I want to be able to get spares and fix them!)

Jessops would do well to heed the warning of Beatties. This was a successful chain of model shops until the early 2000s, at which point they attempted to break into the already saturated computer game market. They went under pretty shortly after. Jessops seem to be losing what made them different to Argos, Comet, etc - there is now no reason to go there other than if they have the lowest price.

lxdude · Oct 7, 2012

Lloydy said:
"Well there is only two types of film made, colour and black and white, and that's all there is" she said, pointing at the half dozen rolls on the shelf.

I didn't get any film in the end,

SHE should have!

ajuk · Nov 7, 2012

May I suggest leaving a comment on their Facebook page?

litody · Nov 7, 2012

My feeling is that people should support London Camera Exchange ( LCE )

They are into photography. That's all they do pretty much. It is a privately owned family business running for some 60 years. They have a good secondhand section and from personal experience I know that in store you will find a lot more S/H kit than appears on their website, especially in the bigger towns. And some of their stores, not all, carry stock of commonly used materials/sizes including fibre based papers. These tend to be in towns/cities with colleges running photography courses. Worth checking out their site at link above and read their about us page to see if thats what you can reasonably expect to hear in todays market. And of course they will order materials for you and if the demand is there they will stock it on a store by store basis. i.e. each store decides what it stocks according to demand and not waht is dictated from on high as with jessops

Jessops is a lost cause. Sure they have far more stores but that counts for nothing if they don't carry stock and their staff don't know anything about photography. I have always found LCE staff to be knowlegeable about photography.

p.s. I have no affiliation to LCE whatsoever. I just find them to be a real photographers shop whereas Jessops has lost that and become an electrical goods store.

Lloydy · Nov 7, 2012

LCE is a company that I've never dealt with, but always seem to get good comments from those that do. And at the moment they seem to have the best deal on the Pentax K30. Most dealers have reduced it by £130 from list and are all selling it for the same price, but LCE have knocked another 20quid off as well. I shall probably put my hand in my wallet in the next day or so.

Ian Grant · Nov 7, 2012

LCE always have a good range of reasonably priced second hand equipmet in my local (Worcester) store. Jessops are jut getting more expensive and I prefer not to use them.

Ian

BMbikerider · Nov 14, 2012

When I started out in photography, Dixons was an up and coming company with a good spread of shops countrywide but they didn't try to buy out all the competition with the exception of Wallace Heaton in London. Then they expanded and as they did so their standards began to drop and drop, faster than a free fall parachutist. Look at what remains of them now. Absorbed by Curry's an almost a forgotten entity. Jessops will go the same way or disappear completely in a few years. Will they be missed? not by me they won't.

ann · Nov 14, 2012

this thread is over 6 years old!

Ian Grant · Nov 14, 2012

ann said:
this thread is over 6 years old!

And in those 6 years the UK's largest & monopolistic chain of Photo stores has sunk to even lower levels. I knew their Chairman 10 years ago through work and the company had a great attitude at that time, were cost competetive and would get you anything. Not now, he left after doing what was asked of him but subsequent poor management has dragged it into the mire and it's gone bust twice. Ironically they still have some good staff.

That's why this thread gets resurrected.

Ian

ajuk · Nov 15, 2012

Still see no one else has commented on their Facebook page.

Steve Smith · Nov 15, 2012

ajuk said:
Still see no one else has commented on their Facebook page.

Of course not. You would have to click on 'Like' first, then all of your friends would see that you liked them!

Steve.

APUG UK Appeal - Please send a message to Jessops!

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