Ritz Camera files Chapter 11

mbsmith · Feb 23, 2009

I'll be sad to see them go out, but only because I get vouchers through work that allow me to essentially get film from Ritz for free (what they actually still have in stock, anyway!)

However, in my experience their service has been abysmal. I will be sorry to see more people lose their jobs - even the manager guy who is always asking if I've ever considered switching to digital

removed account4 · Feb 23, 2009

the one near me doesn't seem to be closing ..
from what i understand, the reason they stopped selling
photo chemicals is the laws changed after 911 ...
and some of the chemistry wasn't permitted to be
shipped via air .. and seeing they get all their all supplies
by air freight ... it didn't work out ...

134k · Feb 23, 2009

later, don't let the door hit you in arse. they scoffed at me for still using film, so no loss for me. not to mention they catered to digital users which is fine, just that they had already lost my business since doing so.

MattKing · Feb 23, 2009

They purchased the US stores of Kits Cameras, a small chain that started in the Kitsilano area of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and expanded for a time into the US. Kits Cameras hasn't been around here for a long time, but there still is/was a "Kits Cameras" in Bellingham, Washington earlier this month, when I was down there.

The owner of Kits Cameras ("Norm Babbs", IIRC) was a neighbour of ours when I was growing up, and I always found it strange seeing Kits Cameras in the USA.

There really isn't anything of interest to me anymore in the Kits Cameras in Bellingham, other than the odd battery or a few mid sized camera bags, but whenever I would talk to any of the very young staff there, they were always at least respectful of my interest in film, and in some cases shot at least some film themselves.

They also had the ability to order anything in that was in the Ritz "catalogue".

I understand the comments about Walmart and Costco, but I never got the impression in that Kits Cameras store that they weren't interested in photography, even if the stuff they had for sale wasn't to my taste.

I think it is sad, and a loss.

Matt

Naples · Feb 23, 2009

Looks like abandoning film and going all digital is no panacea.

Barry S · Feb 23, 2009

The big difference between Ritz and the traditional photo store is the significantly lower salary and benefit packages. You may find some staff passionate and knowledgeable about photography, but they're not going to stay long and much of the staff consists of generic retail workers on their way somewhere else. Camera sales actually used to be a profession, but the low pay rates have turned the staff into an easily expendable commodity.

FilmIs4Ever · Feb 23, 2009

Good riddance!

lns · Feb 23, 2009

I'm no fan of Ritz/Wolf myself, but the article at the Online Photographer pointed out that a subsidiary of Fuji Film owns a significant amount of Ritz's stock. And Fuji Film USA, Canon and Nikon are big creditors. So Ritz's Chapter 11 doesn't bode well for two suppliers I do care about (Fuji and Nikon).

-Laura

DJGainer · Feb 23, 2009

About 4 years ago I graduated from college. While looking for full time work, I worked at Ritz. While I was explaining things about cameras to their 'top' sales 'associate,' she was stealing my sales! She told me she was trying to instruct me how to register a sale on the system, but took the commission for herself. That lasted 48 hours...

Thomas Wilson · Feb 23, 2009

My first and last visit to a Ritz was a little over a year ago in Towson, Maryland. I walked up to the counter, and after pulling the clerk away from his cell phone I asked for some lens tissue. I was given a blank stare. I then asked for a loupe. "What's dat?" replied the clerk. I turned to the few customers in the shop and loudly stated, "Welcome to the McDonalds of camera shops."

You get what you earn!

jd callow · Feb 23, 2009

FilmIs4Ever said:
Good riddance!

That's the spirit.

Although, you may wish to wait until they close their doors, the storefronts go vacant, the distributors and creditors collect dimes on the dollars owed and all of their employees are out of work before celebrating.

FilmIs4Ever · Feb 23, 2009

jd callow said:
That's the spirit.

Although, you may wish to wait until they close their doors, the storefronts go vacant, the distributors and creditors collect dimes on the dollars owed and all of their employees are out of work before celebrating.

I feel for creditors, (the few) good employees that worked there, and the landlords that loose money, but ultimately, this company was bad for photography.

I feel for Cord Camera, which recently closed their area stores here. Now that was a good company.

df cardwell · Feb 23, 2009

The writing was on the wall when the kiosk replaced photofinishers.
It was careful processing that gave camera shops their profit margin,
and enabled them to hire folks who knew what they were doing. But that was 20+ years ago.
When somebody who worked as a printer earned enough to buy a small house.

THAT is the trend that has caused the problems.

Oren Grad · Feb 23, 2009

jolefler said:
an association with Ritz Collectable Cameras in Arizona?

I've dealt with them (Collectables) and was very pleased on several occasions. I recall one incident where one of three filmholders that I bought in a package had no backing plate. I called and they were able to send another holder without my returning the defective one.

Some of their prices are too high, some were considerable bargains. The staff was courteous and professional.

Jo

No connection at all. The company in Arizona is named for its proprietor, Sandy Ritz. Recently they changed their name from "Ritz Collectible Cameras" to just plain "Collectible Cameras" - I don't know whether Ritz Camera forced them to do it. There's also a disclaimer in the fine print at the bottom of the home page.

Vonder · Feb 23, 2009

I enjoyed Ritz, although I seldom bought anything there for reasons others have pointed out. I went in once and asked about a Minolta Maxxum 5 and was told "I have it, but won't sell you one." The sales clerk then proceeded to show me how fast a Nikon N80 could shoot by holding down the shutter button. I was amazed.

Still, it was nice to have 3 camera stores in town, now we have just two.

What kept me away from them was the fact that every time I looked at them for a DSLR or SLR, they were asking $100 more than B&H or Adorama, who are the benchmark.

david b · Feb 23, 2009

There was a Ritz in the local mall that my wife used to have prints made at. I never bought anything.

There are still two locally owned shops here in Albuquerque. One I will never buy anything at because they are such twits and the other I buy at when it is a last resort because the prices are just too high.

A couple years back, a new shop opened in Santa Fe and the continue to meet B&H's prices. Plus they have terrific customer service and everyone in the place is a photographer.

alanrockwood · Feb 23, 2009

I assume this would include all of the Ritz group stores, such as Inkleys(?).

bob100684 · Feb 23, 2009

david b said:
There was a Ritz in the local mall that my wife used to have prints made at. I never bought anything.

There are still two locally owned shops here in Albuquerque. One I will never buy anything at because they are such twits and the other I buy at when it is a last resort because the prices are just too high.

A couple years back, a new shop opened in Santa Fe and the continue to meet B&H's prices. Plus they have terrific customer service and everyone in the place is a photographer.

After how they treated myself and other employees, F--k them! You get bitched at when you don't sell the "right"(read high margin/high SI) things that they are keeping track of, you get bitched at for fixing the frontier instead of waiting for fujifilm to drive from Edison NJ to wherever you are about 4 hours away, then you get told they completely rely on you, and only you for machine upkeep and trouble shooting because the manager has a bad back, and the assistant says "I won't touch that chemicals are icky". I can't even count the number of time's I've been woken up late at night because there's some error code that some retarded high school dropout was too lazy to look up, and finally, they fire you.....why? For fixing the machine, that's a write up, for hanging up on the other tech at 11:30pm after telling them to look an error code up in the manual, another write up, oh and they were downsizing. You can't be full time there now unless you have completely open availability, all store hours, 7 days a week.

panchro-press · Feb 23, 2009

Bob speaks the absolute truth. Ritz was always about moving boxes, not about assisting those interested in learning about photography. I hope they go from Chapter 11 to Chapter 8.

bob100684 · Feb 23, 2009

panchro-press said:
Bob speaks the absolute truth. Ritz was always about moving boxes, not about assisting those interested in learning about photography. I hope they go from Chapter 11 to Chapter 8.

Thank you, there are definitely some good people at that company, but there are also a lot of problems. One associate in particular was almost terminated for threatening another associate with a knife..........until a certain VP he grew up with got involved. The associate who was threatened was written up for provoking the man.

david b · Feb 23, 2009

I sure hope someone from Ritz is reading this thread and this other one.

Bad customer service and poor experiences have been repeated over and over.

bob100684 · Feb 24, 2009

david b said:
I sure hope someone from Ritz is reading this thread and this other one.

Bad customer service and poor experiences have been repeated over and over.

trust me.....they aren't.

bobwysiwyg · Feb 24, 2009

When I was still working, my department had a customer service component for some healthcare admin. software. We had two rules for customer servicing. Rule #1, the customer is always right. Rule #2, go back and read rule #1.

accozzaglia · Feb 24, 2009

Puttin' off the Ritz.

When I lived in America, I knew to avoid Ritz like it was SARS and keep walking until I found a local place that attended to its clients. Places like Ivey (Seattle) and Procolor (Minneapolis) stand out in my mind. I understand that neither exist any longer, though.

It's all a matter of time before our analogues here Black's and Japan Camera get tossed. I'd love to say, "Black's is . . . Digital Imaging . . . oh wait, liquidated" given how oblivious to film and processing services they were on the last handful of visits. One can buy a photo album and frame practically anywhere (Zellers and Wal-Mart, hello?) and go to a kiosk in a much more convenient place (like a Shoppers). Even shoppers who find the mall convenient will often find a Shoppers or Rexall inside the mall (pharmacies in shopping malls in Canada is common; in the U.S., not so much).

I'll keep going to my locally-owned and -operated labs for as long as possible!

david b said:
I sure hope someone from Ritz is reading this thread and this other one.

Bad customer service and poor experiences have been repeated over and over.

IloveTLRs · Feb 24, 2009

I used the Ritz Camera in the Cambridgeside Galleria Mall in Boston. Their prints were okay, but service so-so to bad. "One hour" sometimes meant 90 minutes.

For film they were okay to just jump in and out of. As could be expected the staff knew little to nothing about film. Last summer I went in and asked for Tri-X or TMAX, a girl behind the desk said "So, it has to Kodak all the time, huh?" When I said "Ok, do you have any Fuji B&W?" she reached for the Superia. Another guy behind the counter said "No, that's color film. He wants black and white." She just gave me a rude look.

Too bad, really. I used to use their one hour service to test cameras.

Ritz Camera files Chapter 11

mbsmith

removed account4

134k

MattKing

Moderator

Naples

Barry S

FilmIs4Ever

lns

DJGainer

Thomas Wilson

jd callow

Moderator

FilmIs4Ever

df cardwell

Oren Grad

Vonder

david b

alanrockwood

bob100684

panchro-press

bob100684

david b

bob100684

bobwysiwyg

accozzaglia

IloveTLRs

Ritz Camera files Chapter 11

Moderator

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency