Re: [Leica]He should have bought a Leica....

[Walter S Delesandri <walt@jove.acs.unt.edu>]

Hello, Horst
As usual, your post is superb.....I'd like to add a few points 
without disagreeing.

I (twice, same company) worked for a "high-end" amateur and 
pro camera store in Texas (Dallas and Houston)....our staff 
were intimately interested in photography....we were half 
pros, half serious amateurs.  The company actually looked at 
your portfolio and asked some questions....they paid poorly, 
but better than the "competition".....I worked as a stringer
all during my time in Houston....we bought used stuff at 
cost, and new stuff at net....I sold many a Leica product 
by showing the customer my work in a local publication and 
showing my battered bag of goodies....we went to lunch with 
the customers, and had many as long time friends...We had an 
in-house darkroom (we sold processors/furniture, etc...)
In l979 we did over a million in one store at a gross margin 
of 27% or so... within reason, we made "deals", lost on a few 
items, but made it up on bags, etc.....

Now, everything I've just described would be grounds for termination 
in any camera store.....the store forbids the salesman to 
shoot outside of "company" work....they're forbidden to 
'fraternize' with the customer....they see too much knowledge 
as EXTREMELY dangerous.....you get the picture.....I wouldn't be 
hired at all, and if I was, I'd last 'till the counter video 
camera caught me 'horsing' around with a customer instead of 
"closing" a sale.....now, they talk about "spiffs" and "co-op" 
advertising, and "price-points".....subjects I never heard 
as a professional "counter-man".....we had the respect of the 
customer, and respect for him.....

Profit was never discussed---it was assumed....except in the 
in-house repair shop....it only had to 'break-even'....it was 
a service for the customer.....we never sold a Nikon or Leica 
without checking the RF and running the speeds....and every 
camera was externally cleaned, as a service....even new 
ones that had been handled....we paid the bills and paid 
ourselves....nowdays, that ain't nearly enough :)

If the customer was not informed, but interested, we taught 
him....if he wasn't interested, we sent him to the "pointandshoot"
department, where the "snapshooter" saleslady took equally 
good care of him....and his 3x5s.....and his little album, which 
was assembled free when bought....

I know this ain't possible today, but it really DID exist...I was 
there....

Walt

On
Sun,
25
Jul 1999, A.H.SCHMIDT wrote:

> 
> 
> Isaac H Crawford wrote:
> 
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Dan S <dstate1@hotmail.com>
> > To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> > Sent: Friday, July 23, 1999 10:49 AM
> > Subject: [Leica]He should have bought a Leica....
> >
> > >
> > >
> >     Believe me, this happens all the time,,, People come in with their
> > "Wunder cameras" and have no idea what they have... My favorite was a guy
> > that came in complaining about his F5. His complaint was that some shots
> > didn't turn out they way he thought they should... After talking to him, it
> > turns out that he was doing night time cityscapes, in program, and had CVS
> > (a drugstore here in the states) develop his film... His question was, "How
> > do I make them look better?" Keep in mind that he didn't actually bring any
> > of his pictures with him, so it was a little tough. He didn't have enough
> > time anyway, he was going to be late for a shoot and he needed film. He
> > wanted the fastest speed slide film made. I asked him why and he said that
> > he was shooting the inside of a mall, "and they're pretty dark..." I tried
> > to explain how the sodium vapor and flourescent lights combined with the
> > pushed slide film would look less than optimal,but he'd have none of it, he
> > knew what he needed. The final straw was when he asked me to load the film,
> > I about exploded trying to keep from laughing...
> >
> > Isaac
> 
>   Don't knock the customers with their fully automatic cameras so much. The
> probability, that someone in the same shop would have sold them this camera, is
> on the cards.
> 
> I have yet to visit a Photo shop in which the sales personnel tries to sell the
> customer anything else, but a fully automatic cameras. I have never seen anyone
> yet trying to sell a Leica, unless the customer specifically for it and then,
> the sales personnel half the time didn't
> now anything about it anyway.
> 
> If the customer has to be told by the sales staff what he wants, the chance,
> that he needs a fully automatic camera is extremely high. He is guaranteed not
> interested in f-stops and speeds and focussing. Years ago, all he had was his
> Box camera. This was already fully automatic. Then when things got a bit more
> modern, then he had a Kodak Instamatic, with a 126 cartridge. Another automatic
> camera. This time even with flash.
> During this time, he was quit happy with the nearly sharp pictures  and he
> accepted, that only about 50% where usable, because they where not just black,
> like the ones he took of the football game in the back row with his flash. Now
> suddenly, he has the opportunity to be up there with the big boys. He can get a
> camera with the best lenses, it looks impressive, he can still afford it and it
> gives him 99% of perfectly exposed, correctly focused pictures.
> The 1% which are not so perfect, he does not even notice. Especially since he
> gets about 30% more perfect pictures, then the guy next to him, who with his
> fully manual camera.
> The one who, even so he knew everything about it and knew what  to do with all
> the settings of his camera, forgot in the excitement to focus, or left it at the
> previous f-stops, when the sun was covered with some clouds and now its sunny
> again. Or, just didn't have the time to focus correctly, because the subject
> didn't do him the favor to stand still.
> So what, if he dos not know, how to set anything on his camera, as long as the
> results are ok. You don't have to study biology to have babies? Do you ?
> 
> I bought my wife about 10 years ago a Fuji Fully automatic compact camera. The
> best camera she ever used. Why, because she can use it. Now, when she
> photographs me,
> she can concentrate on what she sees in the few finder. Im now always in focus
> and my head or my legs aren't cut of.
> 
> A good friend bought about  4 years ago a Pentax fully automatic SLR with a zoom
> lens.
> Now he loves photographing. His camera can do all the things he wants, including
> close ups. The result:  It is now his hobby. His pictures are very good.
> He is not at all technical minded and if I tried to teach him to use a manual
> camera, he would tell me where to go. And he is right.
> 
> The Moral: Let everybody to what he can do best.  If  the customer has a
> problem, help him, but don't try to convert him to be a Leica user. He would
> most probably not be happy after, and the amount of film he 'd buy in your shop
> would slowly but surely diminish.
> 
> Regards Horst Schmidt.
> 
> 
> 
>