Tesco stores not film friendly

Peter Black · Jul 8, 2010

Ah well, in spite of yet more massive profits and something like a £6million refurb on their second biggest store in Inverness, the home of the £1.98 dev and write to CD is no more.

I often use(d) XP2 for trying out a newly acquired camera and the 1 hour service at £1.98 is just brilliant for that, but today I got the "we don't do film" response when I went in with a trial roll from a recently acquired Nikonos. She offered a postal service at £5 plus £2 to write to CD, but £7 for sometime maybe next week wasn't so good. She suggested I tried Boots and a phonecall confirmed they still processed 35mm, so I'll probably head there tomorrow now.

Missing you already ..............

pentaxuser · Jul 8, 2010

Peter I know it gets a poor reception with analoguers today and usually rightly so but you might want to check out Jessops. If there is branch nearby it may well have an in-store film processor. Might not be any cheaper than Boots of course. I just don't know.

pentaxuser

Jeff Kubach · Jul 8, 2010

I'm afraid that photo shops are becoming less and less film friendly throughout the world(especially in the USA)

Jeff

Peter Black · Jul 8, 2010

pentaxuser said:
Peter I know it gets a poor reception with analoguers today and usually rightly so but you might want to check out Jessops. If there is branch nearby it may well have an in-store film processor. Might not be any cheaper than Boots of course. I just don't know.

pentaxuser

There is a Jessops in town, but that's a special trip with car parking to pay for and a very "shoppy" closing time of about 1730 with processing finished an hour or so earlier. Tesco was closer, free parking and a very flexible finishing time on the processing, but well past 1730 anyway. There is a Boots just along from it that stays open until about 2000, so I'll have a trip in to see what they charge.

alexmacphee · Jul 8, 2010

I think that might bring on my 'I don't do Tesco' response...

However, I don't think it's Tesco who do the photo processing in Tesco's ; if it's the same business model as Sainsbury's, it'll be an independent franchise operating out of rented supermarket space, which is why the photo processors in Sainsbury's don't take Nectar cards in transactions. I stopped putting films to one of the Sainsbury supermarkets near me when I went back for my one-hour film and saw the guy with a strip of 35mm wedged under the armpit of a big hairy cardigan, and discovered it was my film. My local Boots branch, on the other hand, are very good at film handling, and all staff use white gloves when handling processed materials. Unfortunately they don't do 120 any more, but at least I have a proper local photo shop that does.

Martin Aislabie · Jul 8, 2010

I have found it isn't Tesco/Boots/Jessops/.... that are careful or casual about film processing and handling - but the individual staff behind the counter.

If you talk to the people doing the processing you will quickly work out who knows and cares about what they are doing and who is there only for the pay

Martin

alexmacphee · Jul 8, 2010

My experience isn't broad enough, so I'm generally cautious when offering opinions like this, but the two branches of Boots I've used, one near home and one near my office (about 35 miles away) were both well trained, cotton gloves and the like. The Sainsbury's branch was poor, as was the Safeway branch (now Morrison's). The Jessops near my office was not bad at all, though I didn't care for their pay before collection policy. The Jessops near my home is good when it's the manageress who's on site, as she's sharp and knowledgeable, but not so good when it's one of the staff who has difficulty telling the difference between a roll of HP5 and a roll of Superia. I'm lucky in having a long-established family photo dealer nearby, staffed by people who know stuff about photography, and who can handle simple instructions that manage to confuse some of the non-specialist places, like when I want a dev only and uncut. So, true enough, I've found quickly those I can depend on, and stick with them.

mcgrattan · Jul 9, 2010

My experience with my local Boots has been uniformly pretty good -- the film is always very flat, and very clean; dust and scratch free. The prints, while consistent, are not as good as the best I've had, but they're also never the worst. My experience with many of the other high street operations -- Jessops and Snappy Snaps -- is less consistent, although the best high-street prints I've had, when they've been good, have been from Snappy Snaps. Jessops have always been the worst. They've lost my film before, at least once.

Steve Smith · Jul 9, 2010

I have the opposite experience of Tesco. Recently Tesco built a new bigger store and demolished the old store. They equipped the photo section with new equipment and the staff do a good job. It appears to be actual Tesco staff working there rather than a franchise.

Steve.

lilserenity · Jul 9, 2010

A new Tescos was built here recently, a Tescos Extra, massive store. But they only send film out to be processed. Also recently one branch of Boots in Worthing has stopped selling film (one still sells it) which was a bit of a shock. I think now in Worthing (pop 100,000) there is only one place to get film processed, Jessops as I am not sure if Boots still do it, and I don't use them as I just want the negs which they won't do without scans or prints.

Looking like home C41 might become more economical!

Ian Grant · Jul 9, 2010

My local Tesco's (when in the UK) did away with the processing counter sometime ago, you can only use digital media now abt kiosks in the store.

While in my local Jessops, buying film for my mother an old man, late 70's possibly early 80's told me no-one uses film any more The staff at Jessops are actually keen photographers and said they were the only place still processing film in the town, not quite true as Boots do as well.

Some of the labs here in Turkey turned off their C41 machines a year ago as there wasn't enough processing to keep the chemistry fresh & replenished.

Ian

Peter Black · Jul 9, 2010

Took the film to Boots this morning and helpful staff put the cost at £6.99 + £2 for a CD, so effectively £9 for same day (ie drop-off at 0845 and picked up before they shut at 2000 is 1 hour price). I had a 24 exposure HP5+ and have run it through the camera today, so that'll be developed tonight. I just took a few landscape shots and went into the depot of the Strathspey Steam Railway to finish off the last 4 or 5 shots, and their steam train only came along and linked up the carriages for an excursion! And me with maybe 5 shots and no more film ....................

Akki14 · Jul 12, 2010

Our local Boots has had its photolab disappear seemingly overnight and replaced with a shiny cosmetics wall. I was stunned when I walked in. The local branch of Snappy Snaps "does film" but it does it wrong - awful amounts of dust on my negatives last time I used them and paid quite a premium for 1 hour from them.
I now send off my c-41 (because I have developed c-41 before but I prefer prints and minilab prints will always be more worth my time than hours and hours spent in a darkroom) to these guys and the prints come back really nice and films all clean Dead Link Removed Shameless plug for them from me because they were fast (posted on monday, prints and film came back on thursday) and I thought others might like to use them while they can since labs are disappearing (Spectrum Imaging of Newcastle has closed now).

Ricus.stormfire · Jul 12, 2010

It's the same down here, though we have don't have Tescos. a few years back there was a 1 Hour service (Process, scan to CD/print) in almost every Pick 'n Pay, Game and Clicks (South African Chain stores) now almost none. The few that are left (not in my town) give crap results & have rude staff.

Where I live there used to be four labs, now only one Kodak (with extremely rude staff) and they told me upfront "look this will take 5 days and your results won't be optimal" - they just don't have the "traffic' anymore. My only recourse for color are the pro labs (which are far away) - at least I can do my own B&W.

Steve Smith · Jul 12, 2010

Akki14 said:
I now send off my c-41..... to these guys and the prints come back really nice and films all clean Dead Link Removed

Thanks for posting the link. I might try them out. I notice that they offer 120 processing for both 6x6 and 6x9. Quite a few process and print companies only go up to 6x7.

EDIT: Although I have just noticed that their price list for 120/8 and 120/12 are both listed for square format paper.

EDIT 2: I have also just noticed that this is the same company I recommended to a friend to get his wedding re-prints done after I posted the negatives to him!

Steve.

Steve Roberts · Jul 12, 2010

Boots in Plymouth still process C41 but the last two rolls of film I've had back have been disappointing - rather dark and/or strongly saturated colours. Unusually I couldn't be bothered to have a whinge about it. Either I was coming down with something or perhaps deep down I knew I'd be wasting my breath. The last C41 I had done and was pleased with was handed in to Dartmoor Photographic at Tavistock. They send out to a lab somewhere near Totnes apparently.

Steve

kiebee · Jul 28, 2010

Actually I'm not sure if my local Tesco still processes film, I must remember to ask.
If I remember rightly they used to send it off, so I won't hold my breath. Still, it would be nice if they did...

Blanc · Jul 28, 2010

Last time I got there Sainsburrys processed it for the next morning 5.25 for a 36p on a cd not so expensive.
Jessops on my experience mayu have really bad and dirty chemicals...

But be happy you can still find local people to process it fast. I'm back in France and eager to grab a C41 kit as I can only hope recieving my films in the 8 days after putting them on the desk more for slide or BW (happily I still have E6 and BW chemistry...)

Tesco stores not film friendly

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