Keeping It Local
At our last Photo Meetup meeting, member Jim brought up a great point, and it’s one I think bears repeating here. The discussion was about various resources for photography gear research. I mentioned that on more than one occasion I’ve spent time at Greg’s Camera here in Tucson, but money at B&H. It’s hard not to… the guys at Greg’s have the smarts, but the guys at B&H have the discounts.
Jim made the point that people who do what I’ve done will ultimately spell the demise for small retailers like Greg’s. I know Jim wasn’t picking on me personally (or at least I hope not… right Jim? Right?), but I certainly have taken his point to heart.
Our photo meetup group, and the other camera clubs in and around Tucson, represent a good size batch of local photographers. If we’re not championing the cause of local support, who will? It would be a real shame to lose the few remaining camera stores we have in Tucson. Photographers need gear, local photography stores need customers. It’s a win-win, but only if we choose to make it so.
I plan to buy another speedlight or two this year (maybe even this month). Without having done the research yet, I’m willing to bet that I’d save about $40 buying at B&H. As a NAPP member, there’s no shipping charge at B&H, so it’s not like that becomes a pricing factor. So the question is whether I feel I get $40 worth of benefit by buying locally.
I’d have to say that I do.
I’ve taken advantage of their advice and expertise, which is worth something. But more than that, I just plain like having them around. They’re close to home, they’re available when I need them (like that day before a big family portrait shoot when I needed a new lens or that time I desperately needed a sensor cleaning kit), and most importantly, they were patient with me when I didn’t have a clue what I needed back in the beginning.
It’s great to spend time in your local camera store, but it’s even better to spend some money there too.