Tri-X at CVS

[BetterSense]

Last time I was at CVS, I noticed they had 24-exposure rolls of Tri-X in stock. Even though I have bricks of Arista Premium lying around, I couldn't help but buy one just so help them move product. At 3 times the price!

 

[DanielStone]

eek? 3x's ???

geesh, they must be buying it from someone who is buying it from someone who is.... oh bother, you get what I mean.

-Dan

 

[Barry06GT]

.
They might be stocking it for local college and high school students taking photo classes.

CVS is very community oriented.
.

 

[jasonhall]

I would guess the manager or someone as such is a "shutterbug" and likes film. That, or someone local has made a fuss for them to carry it. Certainly can not imagine this being a normally stocked item any more (as sad as that maybe). Then again, maybe it is a test run to see if it will sell. My concern is, will the people in their lab know what to do with it if some of it comes back.

Jason


P.S. The college student idea is rather likely...and probably the most likely reason. To bad the premium on the cost.

 

[mrmekon]

Publix, the supermarket, has a policy that if a customer requests a product that they can get, they will special order it. My dad requested a single tin of licorice altoids... they ordered the minimum, a full gross, so he could have his one tin. The rest went on the shelf until they sold out, and they weren't restocked.

I don't know if anyone else has that policy, but maybe CVS did something similar when a customer requested Tri-X?

 

[martyryan]

All of the CVS stores in this area (Oklahoma City) stock Tri-X. I have bought some before when I was out of B&W, but it is very expensive.

Marty

 

[paladin1420]

Our local CVS (northern NJ) stocks Tri-X too. I always assumed it was because of the local high school photo program. I've bought a roll or 2 but 24 exposures isn't such a great deal for me. Still, I'm glad when I see it on the shelf.

 

[Sirius Glass]

CVS in Los Angeles near UCLA also stock Tri-X 400 135-24. Again at a higher price than Bel-Air camera [which is closer to the campus] or Samys.

steve

 

[removed account4]

they used to be community oriented
back when cvs stood for community value store
but now they pretty much are trying to make
as much $$ like everyone else ...
so charging an arm and a leg for the film
doesn't sound too out of line, no matter what market / region
you are in.

they also sell cr123 batteries for $7 each when
you can buy them for between 1-2$ at other places ...

 

[Alexander Ghaffari]

All the CVSs that I have ever been to had 24 exposure 135 format Kodak Tri-X, but they always cost a lot more than say Freestyle. Sometimes they have Elite Chrome 100 and 200 too, but they always have Tri-X.

 

[michaelbsc]

CVS in Los Angeles near UCLA also stock Tri-X 400 135-24. Again at a higher price than Bel-Air camera [which is closer to the campus] or Samys.

steve

I have checked several dozen CVS stores from Florida to SC to NC to NJ to MA and every one has a few rolls of Tri-X in stock. I try to buy one a month.


MB

 

[Roger Thoms]

Yeah the Long's near my house which is now CVS carried Tri-X, haven't been in since they change hands. I buy Tri-x 36 exposure for $4.00 a roll at Calumet here in San Francisco so it might be hard to buy it from CVS.

Roger

 

[MattKing]

The CVS prices quoted probably reflect the sort of reasonable profit margin that drugstores enjoy when they sell most of their other products.

As much as we may enjoy low prices, I wonder if more of the analogue products we enjoy would be more easily available if prices like this were more typical.

Matt

 

[B&Wpositive]

Elite Chrome 200

Look who has Elite Chrome 200:

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/search/sh...ddFacet=SRCH:kodak&pageNum=1&removeFacet=null

And Tri-X.

CVS.com

Not cheap though. Tri-X is twice the retail price.

 

[2F/2F]

Every CVS I have ever been in stocks Tri-X and BW400CN. They used to stock Kodachrome and Elite Chrome as well, but I don't see them any more. I do not buy my Tri-X there as a matter of course, but the fact that they carry it has come in handy on a handful of occasions when I needed b/w film late at night on the way somewhere. I think it is about $7 for 24 exposures. If not on the way somewhere in a rush, PIX, a 24-hour film/photo rental house that also has a film counter, will open up their door for you if you call them. I got some 4x5 Tri-X for my Speed Graphic there at 1 a.m. one night, and loaded up the holders in a changing bag.

 

[stealthman_1]

Our Long's carried disposable cameras. Last time I was in for a prescription refill at the new CVS, I looked and they had Tri-X. Someone high up on the food chain at CVS must love Tri-X, because I can't imagine they are selling much of it. There is no way the average film shooter left today knows they can't just drop this off for processing...but I guess I don't know that CVS doesn't offer silver development...do they?

 

[michaelbsc]

So Buy Some!

Our Long's carried disposable cameras. Last time I was in for a prescription refill at the new CVS, I looked and they had Tri-X. Someone high up on the food chain at CVS must love Tri-X, because I can't imagine they are selling much of it. There is no way the average film shooter left today knows they can't just drop this off for processing...but I guess I don't know that CVS doesn't offer silver development...do they?

I think they still carry Tri-X because it was part of the service agreement with the Kodak Kiosks for thier one hour service. I seriously doubt they did any B&W development in any CVS I've ever seen. But the send out service should have handled it.

As far as being surprised they have it, and everyone groaning about the price, everybody just go *BUY* one lousy roll.

Is it a bargain? Heck no. But I'll tell you that the next time you want to pickup two rolls of B&W at 2:30am you'll be glad they still carry it. If *NOBODY* buys it, then it will go away.

In my neck of the woods it's about $8/24-roll. Not cheap, but one roll every few weeks won't break the bank. Give up lunch at McD's one day for it.

If you can't afford one per month, then buy one per quarter. If you can't afford one per quarter, then just buy one and quit with that.

 

[Ektagraphic]

Every CVS I have looked at has had Tri-X. They use to all sell Elite Chrome 200 too.

 

[aldevo]

I think they still carry Tri-X because it was part of the service agreement with the Kodak Kiosks for thier one hour service. I seriously doubt they did any B&W development in any CVS I've ever seen. But the send out service should have handled it.

As far as being surprised they have it, and everyone groaning about the price, everybody just go *BUY* one lousy roll.

Is it a bargain? Heck no. But I'll tell you that the next time you want to pickup two rolls of B&W at 2:30am you'll be glad they still carry it. If *NOBODY* buys it, then it will go away.

In my neck of the woods it's about $8/24-roll. Not cheap, but one roll every few weeks won't break the bank. Give up lunch at McD's one day for it.

If you can't afford one per month, then buy one per quarter. If you can't afford one per quarter, then just buy one and quit with that.

If it does go away, it will but slowly.

The Tri-X at my neighborhood CVS is 2+ years expired. Which is just about right given the usual level of attention displayed by CVS employees. It only costs $6 for 24 exposures, perhaps because the pricing is as dated as the film.

I actually know of a convenience store in Arlington, VA that (until it burned under suspicious circumstances in 2008) still carried Kodak disc film complete with "Proud Sponsor of the 1992 Winter Olympics" livery.

I'd rather give my money to Freestyle. If they fold, I can just about forget about buying B&W enlarging paper on this side of the Atlantic ocean...

 

[Lruw]

I have seen Tri-x at CVS too. I walked through a CVS yesterday and they also had Fuji Acros and two types of slide film. I sincerely doubt that they sell them since it was a store without a photo counter.