Film no longer available...

Vonder · Sep 2, 2008

In gas stations. I've noticed this recently. Seems to me earlier this year, you could still buy film at most gas stations. Now you can't.

One caveat - they do still sell disposable film cameras so you can snag a roll in a pinch.

Funny how it happened that fast...

spotulate · Sep 2, 2008

aw, shucks

Yeah, I have noticed that gas stations don't have quite the stock of expired 110 film that they used to...

nsouto · Sep 2, 2008

spotulate said:
Yeah, I have noticed that gas stations don't have quite the stock of expired 110 film that they used to...

Jeff Kubach · Sep 2, 2008

I notice that the availabilty of film in non-photography stores is getting less. Of course we have the internet.

Jeff

railwayman3 · Sep 2, 2008

Jeff Kubach said:
I notice that the availabilty of film in non-photography stores is getting less. Of course we have the internet.
Jeff

It's also been noticable here in the UK, over the past 12-18 months. Even the big supermarkets have only basic 35mm, and (sometimes) APS, colour neg, usually tucked away at the bottom of the battery display units.

But they do seem to promote disposible cameras quite extensively, often at very low prices, two-for-one offers, etc.

Interestingly, the larger "Boots" stores (a national household/pharmacy chain) usually have a small quantity of Kodachrome 64 and Kodak/Ilford B&W on the shelf .

eddym · Sep 2, 2008

Walgreens here has a promo on a "refillable disposable" camera. You buy the camera for about 6-7$, then bring it back to them for processing. They put in a new roll free, and only charge you for the processing.
My wife likes to carry a disposable camera with her for shooting ideasfor paintings, so she tried one; it's not a bad deal, except that the lens is horrible. I guess there are plastic lenses, and then there are plastic lenses...!

Terence · Sep 2, 2008

Many of the CVS pharmacies by me started stocking Tri-X or T-Max a year or two ago, for the first time in 7-8 years, and seem to still be carrying them. I saw some last week in Hoboken, NJ. Though the choice of color neg film seems to now be 200 or 800 Kodak, and the occasional Fuji. A bit of a trade-off I guess.

arigram · Sep 2, 2008

Very few photo stores in Greece have film anymore and usually are the ones catering to some professionals and schools. Tourists in Greece don't buy film anymore, if that says something.

Ian Grant · Sep 2, 2008

I saw a few tourists in Greece using film yesterday Ari But I guess old stock left over from the original Olympics in Olympia

One problem is serious photographers don't by film from garages (petrol stations) or supermarkets, although in the UK Boots the Chemist (Pharmicists) often have better stocks of film than many branches of Jessops the UK's main chain of photo retailers.

ian

Nigel · Sep 2, 2008

I don't recall having seen film in a gas station ever and now with pay at hte pump, I haven't been inside in maybe 8 years. Two or three years ago, I noticed that drug stores had stopped stocking film. But now, I have noticed that it has reappeared. Could also be faulty memory on my part.

TheDreadPirateRobins · Sep 2, 2008

I have gotten spoiled. I can take a short walk from my house and get to a camera shop that carries a pretty extensive selection of 35 mm, 120 roll film, and sheet film, along with 110, 126, Minox, and a few other formats. I can take a short walk from my office and reach a store that has a walk in refrigerator stocked with several types of 35 mm, 120 roll film, and sheet film.

If anyone is planning on visiting Portland, Oregon, send me a PM and I will tell you where the shops are.

On the other hand, the supermarkets mostly carry a speed or two of the consumer varieties of Kodak film. I don't care much for most of these. Disposable film cameras are not hard to find.

bobwysiwyg · Sep 2, 2008

I was rather pleasantly surprised recently to notice a local Meijer store stocked TMAX, both 100 and 400.

Paul Howell · Sep 2, 2008

In my neck of the woods, or cactus, most of the CC stores with gas pumps have some film and disposable cameras. I guess if you are desperate and had a changing bag you could buy a disposble camera, open in the changing bad, rewind the film back into the cassett, and reload into a 35mm camera.

srs5694 · Sep 2, 2008

Nigel said:
I don't recall having seen film in a gas station ever and now with pay at hte pump, I haven't been inside in maybe 8 years. Two or three years ago, I noticed that drug stores had stopped stocking film. But now, I have noticed that it has reappeared. Could also be faulty memory on my part.

Drug stores in my area have never stopped stocking color film, although the selection has gone way down over the past five years or so. Kodak BW400CN is also readily available, and a couple of stores also stock Tri-X. Still, selection and prices leave a lot to be desired; I buy most of my film online, from B&H, Adorama, Freestyle, or occasionally other places. (I just got some bulk Agfa Optima 100 and APX400 from UltraFine.)

JBrunner · Sep 2, 2008

Kodak, and more often Fuji color stocks are still in gas stations around SLC.

AutumnJazz · Sep 2, 2008

The chain camera stores around here (Ritz) barely stock any film. I went in wanting to get some B&W and Velvia, and they said they don't stock it.

TheDreadPirateRobins · Sep 2, 2008

AutumnJazz said:
The chain camera stores around here (Ritz) barely stock any film. I went in wanting to get some B&W and Velvia, and they said they don't stock it.

Ritz bought out a bunch of shops around here at one point. They don't even stock photographic tape, though one employee at a nearby Ritz told me that she used to use it all the time and that they SHOULD carry it but don't. She was possibly the only employee there older than me, and I'm 34.

I ended up finding some at a Utrecht Art Supply store.

Sheesh.

antonyg · Sep 2, 2008

I get my film from either the internet directly or ring up the Film accessories catalogue phone number direct. The savings are great, and this means us Analogue users are gloriously catered for ! I live in the UK, and sure film is losing its place on shop displays, but I would rather buy from a Supplier, than from a Shop, whose film may have been on sale for ages, and possibly been affected by the micro - climate of the shop !

Jeff Kubach · Sep 2, 2008

AutumnJazz said:
The chain camera stores around here (Ritz) barely stock any film. I went in wanting to get some B&W and Velvia, and they said they don't stock it.

Ritz (Wolf Camera) around this area(Richmond Va) is mostly digital. They sell very little film. I never was very happy with Ritz anyway.

Jeff

R W Penn · Sep 2, 2008

Ritz stopped film paper chemicals here in Chicago Ill area no need to enter their shop.

ajuk · Sep 4, 2008

TBH it was normally cheap rubbish sold at silly prices, so no love loss.

My local "drug store" Boots still has quite a lot of neg film, (the larger stores also stock B&W and slide) but the neg film is about £4.99 or maybe £5.49 a roll, I will often pay about >£1.50 for the same stuff, so its no wonder most people were so desperate to go digi.

ny_photog · Sep 4, 2008

I haven't looked for film in a gas (petrol) station in a long time since I use my c-card to buy fuel and pay at the pump.

Most all drug stores and supermarkets I frequent in NY have some film available. Mostly "consumer grade" but Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid all seem to have reasonable choices including "house" brands together with either or both K and F.

nickrapak · Sep 4, 2008

This store seems to have no problem having film in stock, even film that is no longer produced!

Anscojohn · Sep 5, 2008

Several weeks ago I needed a roll of 35mm b/w negative film on an out of town trip.. Went to a Wolf/Ritz store outside Atlanta--only a few miles from the Ritz distribution center. I bought THE roll of Ilford HP5 plus they had in the film case.

PKM-25 · Sep 5, 2008

I wish the title of this thread were different, because it can come up in a google search this way and be misleading.

I love film, I love it so much I might stop brushing my teeth, so that I can have more film....

Film no longer available...

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