# Who killed Blacks Photography chain?



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Telus just announced it is closing the entire Black's photography stores in Canada, citing that the business is going downhill and they couldn't
find and eager buyer for it. 

A victim of the smartphone cameras and changes in consumer buying habits. Like many other chains in today's economy who shut down completely or
downsize to a holding operation to consider their options.



> As a result, Canadians are taking more photos than ever before but having fewer of them printed commercially, hurting businesses such as Blacks.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repo...tography-to-close-all-stores/article24873218/

Besides, the iphone6 is coming out, and it will replace all the iphones out there in use already, followed shortly after by the iphone 6S ( which will be renamed iphone7)...<evil laugh> bwaaaaha ha ha!



> The Touch ID fingerprint scanner could be integrated into the display, according to one rumour, rather than sitting in the home button. But the most interesting rumour about the display, and more likely, is that it could feature Force Touch which has made its debut on the Apple Watch and new MacBook. The technology means the screen can tell between a tap and a press opening up various opportunities.
> 
> We thought the cameras would almost certainly be upgraded, although we're not sure a rumoured *21Mp rear camera is probable and the latest rumours* suggest a jump to a 12Mp sensor.


21MP? That is more than most digital cameras offer now. 
The camera industry will be the next victims to the almighty Iphones..which will continue to evolve to artificial intelligence where you can ask "<insert name of new artificial intelligence morphed entity with female or male voice option..you select which one you prefer of course, but that is the only decision
you can make with your rather obsolete human brain. 

Now, besides all the current features, including tv streaming and facial/fingerprint recognition in case of theft, the new iphones have GPS tracking to find out where you may be at any given moment.....

Years ago, 1970, there was a movie called Collossus: "guardian of the world", The Forbin project, where a super computer takes over the world.
The film is based upon the 1966 science fiction novel Colossus, about a massive American defense computer, named Colossus, becoming sentient after being activated and *deciding to assume control of the world and all human affairs for the good of mankind*.[1]

furthermore..



> Guardian/Colossus then arranges a worldwide broadcast. The supercomputer proclaims itself "the voice of World Control" and *declares its mission is to prevent war, as it was designed to do so. *
> 
> Mankind is given the choice between the "peace of plenty" or one of "unburied dead". It also states that it has detected the attempt to disarm the missiles. It detonates two in their silos "so that you will learn by experience that I do not tolerate interference".
> 
> Guardian/Colossus informs Forbin that "*freedom is just an illusion"* and that "*In time you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love*". Forbin angrily replies, *"Never!*"


allrighty then!

Now lets all hail IPHONE 6S and it's spawn, Iphone7, 8, 9, 10 and beyond. Never in 10,000 years of man's knowledge and mistakes, has there been packed so much of man's knowledge into this small handheld survival unit..
.available for a price with a 2 year contract from it's "pushers .."RoTeBel", which command every decision you make in your waking life.

*Coming soon*...."Download University" while you sleep. No longer do you need to go to a physical school of higher learning or take boring courses from an old fuddy duddy prof. With the new* Iphone10* compatible ear piece/receiver, you can download courses from a program you select to fully train you in the field of expertise you are interested in.

Instead of paying for expensive University degrees, you can earn them by paying your monthly fees to ROTeBel, who will select you as a candidate for employment, when you complete your training, taking a percentage of what you earn instead of paying for years of college tuition.


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## slacker (Mar 8, 2010)

I was at the mall, trying to get passport photo once upon a time. Saw a sign from Blacks that they do passport photo, I thought to myself Blacks is quality, so should be good.

Turns out they wanted 45 dollars for a couple of passport photos.

I was shocked, and walked away.

Japan camera across the mall charges $15. Still not dirt cheap, but at least closer to reasonable.

Their stuff seem generally quite overpriced, and not for general middle class consumer.


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## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

I don't know why this would be a surprise. About 15 years ago I was in business school. One of our case studies explored the effect of digital photography on film manufacturers, and predicted the death of Kodak. Digital cameras, scanning film to CD, etc. extended the photography industry a little further, but the trend was clear. Disruptive technology brought everyday photography to the masses. I remember spending $400 at Blacks on film and developing pictures when I took major trips. Last year I took a major trip with my iPhone and spent $0 on photographs.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

slacker said:


> I was at the mall, trying to get passport photo once upon a time. Saw a sign from Blacks that they do passport photo, I thought to myself Blacks is quality, so should be good.
> 
> Turns out they wanted 45 dollars for a couple of passport photos.
> 
> ...


^$45? That's highway robbery! No wonder people are no longer shopping at their stores. At one time they had 113 stores across Canada,
Telus paid millions to buy them a few years ago...one of their bad investments, they can write off when they close the stores and put
over 500 people out of work. 

These days..it seems to be the beginning of a trend for the big chains to downsize, cease operations or go out of business by declaring
bankruptcy.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

carverman said:


> ...
> 
> *Coming soon*...."Download University" while you sleep. No longer do you need to go to a physical school of higher learning or take boring courses from an old fuddy duddy prof. With the new* Iphone10* compatible ear piece/receiver, *you can download courses from a program you select to fully train you in the field of expertise you are interested in.*


 ... yes, a U of iCEOs to ensure the perpetual success of RoBeTel.



> Instead of paying for expensive University degrees, you can earn them by paying your monthly fees to ROTeBel, *who will select you as a candidate for employment*, when you complete your training, taking a percentage of what you earn instead of paying for years of college tuition.


 ... why? what for? when you got all those smart devices/phones, watches, etc. to do the work now. RoBeTel doesn't even need humans to man its call center or maybe they already have only machines/computers given they have removed the "please dial zero for an operator" function. :biggrin:

Maybe those old collectible Canon, Pentax, etc. cameras will go up abit more in value?


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## fraser (May 15, 2010)

I paid $6.99 for my passport picture last month. Costco.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

We have a big plastic bin full of slides and pictures in the basement..........that we haven't looked at in 30 years but still lug around with us for some unknown reason.

The last few years our son has taken thousands of pictures and they all fit on the computer or a small USB storage thing.

I just got a new phone. It is an LG G3. The guy said it had the best camera to date. I said I didn't care, but I would take the phone for the $49 package sign up deal.

Now all I have to figure out is how to carry the stupid thing around all the time.


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## Daniel A. (Mar 20, 2011)

Carverman I'm not sure if your post is just a commentary or whether you have a view about the demise of Blacks.

In my view I'm surprised they lasted as long as they have in the changing retail space.
I do give them full marks for making a decision rather than waiting till they go bankrupt and screw the employee's. 

Many focused retailers must be struggling in today's market.


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## yyz (Aug 11, 2013)

Matter of time with Costco doing prints,passport photos etc. I think they were flogging Telus phones as well weren't they.That was what probably bought them extra time before the plug was pulled.Ever strolled through the mall and looked at how many stores and kiosks are selling cell phones?You'd swear it's the #1 business going.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

carverman said:


> heyjude said:
> 
> 
> > I don't know why this would be a surprise.
> ...





> _Photo printing has *suffered double-digit declines annually for many years ... Last year,* the retailer tried to reshape its stores with a new prototype ... _


From the link says it all ... If the main business is declining that badly, it is mis-management to try to address it so late in the game.


Cheers


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ... RoBeTel doesn't even need humans to man its call center or maybe they already have only machines/computers given they have removed the "please dial zero for an operator" function. :biggrin:
> 
> Maybe those old collectible Canon, Pentax, etc. cameras will go up abit more in value?


They already have. back in the 70s, I had a Pentax, and all sorts of big honking lens..wide angle telephoto and filters and stuff like that.
About 10 years ago, I bought a Canon digital camera (it crapped out after 5 years with the imaging sensors going bad) and bought a cheaper Nikon.
I gave the Pentax and all that heavy glass that cost thousands in 70ish dollars to a student who was interested in photography...should have kept it.

Remember those Kodak "Pony" cameras..that you actually had to wind the film into it in a darkened room? Or the Polaroid "swinger" B&W camera where
you had to buy these film packets, and stick each one into the camera take the picture..wait...wait and wait for it to finally develop and then
coat it with this special coating on a separate tube that came with each packet.

Wow! That was considered the latest in photographic technology back in the early 70s..

Poloroid sued Kodak when they came out with their own.."instant cameras'..now they are both gone.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

sags said:


> We have a big plastic bin full of slides and pictures in the basement..........that we haven't looked at in 30 years but still lug around with us for some unknown reason.


Yup..had thousands of slides too..cost me a fortune in developing them..and a Kodak projector and screen..used to put on slide shows for my friends and familuy..now all of those slides are gone..don't know what happened to them..threw them out as it was too expensive to digitize them. 



> The last few years our son has taken thousands of pictures and they all fit on the computer or a small USB storage thing.
> 
> I just got a new phone. It is an LG G3. The guy said it had the best camera to date. I said I didn't care, but I would* take the phone for the $49 package sign up deal.*
> 
> Now all I have to figure out is how to carry the stupid thing around all the time.


Better use it before it becomes obsolete or the lithium battery gives out. 
Usually that is the way it goes with the older generation...we use it for what it was intended for..actually making phone calls...not like the current generation..
texting, twittering, facebook posing, streaming audio, streaming video and online shopping.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Daniel A. said:


> Carverman I'm not sure if your post is just a commentary or whether you have a view about the demise of Blacks.


Just reporting it as I see it..the writing was on the wall for them, just like Radio Shack, then "the Source" and other brick and mortar retail outlets...it is starting to be a trend
with online shopping..Why do you think CP is discontinuing door to door delivery and investing in online shopping these days? 



> In my view I'm surprised they lasted as long as they have in the changing retail space.
> I do give them full marks for making a decision rather than waiting till they go bankrupt and screw the employee's.
> 
> Many focused retailers must be struggling in today's market.


I'm sure they are. We will be seeing a lot more of this in the future. Remember FutureShop? gone...why?
They used to promote good deals at one time, and even had their own affinity credit cards.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

fraser said:


> carverman said:
> 
> 
> > slacker said:
> ...


As a CAA Plus member, I can get one set a year at no additional charge.


Cheers


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

sags said:


> We have a big plastic bin full of slides and pictures in the basement..........
> The last few years our son has taken thousands of pictures and they all fit on the computer or a small USB storage thing.


We spent probably about three hours sorting through "keep" or "ditch" from my dad's collection. My sister delivered the first batch that were digitized by some online company on a USB key (one for each family member) at Christmas. I think the next batch will be distributed at Thanksgiving.




carverman said:


> ... the writing was on the wall for them, just like Radio Shack, then "the Source" and other brick and mortar retail outlets...it is starting to be a trend


Innovate or die ... though with Bell buying "the Source" to flog their cell phones, the numbers of outlets may have dropped but I still walk into their store in the local mall. So past tense does not apply yet.




sags said:


> We will be seeing a lot more of this in the future.
> Remember FutureShop? gone...why?


Too many consumers walking in the door, playing with the item, walking out and buying from an online store.


Cheers


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Eclectic12 said:


> Too many consumers walking in the door, playing with the item, walking out and buying from an online store.
> 
> 
> Cheers


The local FS has now become BB and I bought a wifi range extender after comparison shopping and reading reviews online, then buying it online and having it ready for pickup at the local store. Same day. I think they might survive.

They will also let you comparison shop in the store via the internet before buying.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Eclectic12 said:


> Too many consumers walking in the door, playing with the item, walking out and buying from an online store.


Yes, that is what shopping malls are starting to become at least for electronics...examine the item, ask detail questions, look at the price and then buy the same item online where it will be sold much cheaper.


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## fraser (May 15, 2010)

We seldom bother going into certain stores any more. And I do not like shopping. Many of the salespeople do not know the product that they are selling. It is easier to get the data on the web and it is invariably more accurate. Last three cameras we have bought (one for us, two as gifts) we purchased on the web. We did not go near a store. 

What I find amazing is what percentage of our non food items we now buy on the web. For convenience and for price. We just bought a bunch of Melitta 6 paper coffee filters on line at Staples @ $1.89. The same item is a $3.19 IF and when we can find that at the grocery store of in London Drugs. So, not only were they much cheaper but we did not have to run around trying to find them. Delivered to our door within 2 business days. No delivery fee since our order was above the limit. Exactly the same when we order books on line from Chapters or Amazon except at Chapters we sometimes get them sent to the store for pickup.

The public's shopping habits are changing. But retailers are also to blame for not changing their models quickly enough and for providing, all too frequently, a poor customer shopping/buying experience.


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

carverman said:


> Yes, that is what shopping malls are starting to become at least for electronics...examine the item, ask detail questions, look at the price and then buy the same item online where it will be sold much cheaper.


Blacks always made the best prints from digital images. Blew away the grocery store, drug store or Walmart prints.

Then Costco came along and blew Blacks out of the water! Very high quality prints, very fast, very cheap. Haven't been to Blacks for a very long time.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

fraser said:


> We seldom bother going into certain stores any more. And I do not like shopping. Many of the salespeople do not know the product that they are selling. It is easier to get the data on the web and it is invariably more accurate. * Last three cameras we have bought (one for us, two as gifts) we purchased on the web*. We did not go near a store.
> 
> The public's shopping habits are changing. But retailers are also to blame for not changing their models quickly enough and for providing, all too frequently, a poor customer shopping/buying experience.


I bought my current Nikon camera online at Henry's. Free shipping too. Had a small problem with it, contacted Nikon and sent it back for a warranty repair.
Works very well. I don't have a smartphone nor do I need one, just an emergency $49 phone I bought a few years ago at WIND and I'm on the pay-as-you
go plan for outgoing calls which I only do in an emergency, if my VOIP home phone doesn't work, or there is a hydro outage making my computer useless.

Today, most retailers have to have a website for online ordering or they will not survive, 
even if you still want to go to your local store to pickup just your order and nothing else..
...or have it delivered, if not in a hurry.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

We had researched a new washer and then found a store that had it in stock. A salesman tried to upsell us using the web in the store. We had never encountered that before.

Of course, he was only showing brands that the store sold but did not have in stock.


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## nobleea (Oct 11, 2013)

Specialty photo stores that cater to consumers will be gone in no time (black's etc)
Specialty photo stores that cater to professionals are doing just fine. These are ones like Vistek, McBain, B&H, Adorama. Don's photo to a lesser extent.


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## uptoolate (Oct 9, 2011)

I bought my first SLR camera - a Minolta - at Black's. Then graduated to Elm Street Camera and after they closed to Vistek which I love. I agree that it is amazing that Black's was able to stay in business as long as they did given how things have changed. DW still got a few things done there but I hadn't been in one of the stores for ages. 

As far as a 21 MP camera in a cell phone goes... the sensor is only one component of a camera and while cell phones are great because they are always at hand they have a long way to go to match other available systems when one wants the best images. Sort of similar to what has happened to audio quality with the replacement of some previous delivery systems by more convenient systems that offer much less fidelity.


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