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Not that surprised if my local store is anything to go by.
Hardly any cameras to try or even look at when I went in looking to buy.
Told me the camera I was interested in wasn't even released yet
Ended up buying it in John Lewis a few hundred yards away and yes of course it was out
Wonder what will happen to Camera Jungle who I believe are owned by Jessops
They will go the same way as Woolworths, Online only.
They are already online only, just seen they are lowering their prices by 20% (no reduction on the lens I have been looking at for the past few weeks)
Plus a code for 10% off, expect some bargains on there in the near future
Do any of their high street stores sell secondhand these days, or is it just online via their website and Camera Jungle?
i'm out!
.
There were some good stores back in the day, where you could talk to someone who knew the difference between a tripod and a light stand, and negotiate a price match to an advert in Amateur Photographer - my F100 and D70 were bought that way. But even before the last buyout they'd become more like the camera section in Currys and, in London where we're still lucky enough to be spoilt for choice, there are half a dozen better options.No surprises, I've never liked shopping at Jessops. Maybe I've had some bad stores, but I've always found them pushy and quite rude in some instances. When I was about to buy my X-T3 and lens I went in to ask some questions about it only to feel I was wasting this persons time. I asked if I could have a look at it with the 16-55 attached and was told to "come back when I am serious about buying it..." Never been spoken to like that before...funny story though as I went to WEX two days later and spent over 2.5k on camera gear....
Perhaps I should pop in if they survive - it generally just doesn't occur to me to go there nowadays, which is I suppose the problem.Last time I visited, about a year ago, both the London Oxford Street and New Oxford Street stored had camera jungle branded display cabinets containing second hand gear.
If anyone has any Jessops vouchers, use them now before they stop accepting them (like they did last time they went pop...) IIRC they were still selling vouchers but wouldn't accept them in payment then went under.
Asked then whether there really is a market for cameras that are not integrated into mobile phones, Mr Jones said: "The amateur photographer, you wouldn't see them walking down the street taking that perfect picture with a mobile phone."
Wonder what will happen to Camera Jungle who I believe are owned by Jessops
Some independents and small chains are still surviving, at least for now, especially if they have a complementary mail order business with keen prices, a decent secondhand range, or a particular speciality. In London we have branches of Park, Camerworld, Wex and LCE, Grays the Nikon specialist, at least five (!) shops selling mainly Leica, including a new branch of secondhand dealer Aperture, not to mention Mr Cad for vintage gear and places like Process Supplies for film and darkroom stuff. Most cities can't support this sort of diversity, of course, but there are a bunch of independents dotted around the country that you'll see listed on Camerapricebuster that mostly have both a high street shop and online sales. What there doesn't seem to be room for is a nondescript box shifter where good advice is thin on the ground in many branches. And if you know exactly what you want, why not go to John Lewis (where at least they tend to be polite) or your nearest Amazon locker?There must be some profit in the stuff they sell, it's the High Street Shop model which is all but impossible to make a go of due to high cost of rents, rates and staff.
I know I wouldn't make the slightest effort to get into a major town or city, running the gauntlet of traffic jams and parking fines just to look an item in the flesh (if it was actually in stock when you got there!).
I've never tried Brick Lane - will have to take a look the next time I go to the Rough Trade shop. The Camera Museum/Cafe is fun - spent far too much money there in its previous incarnation as the original branch of Aperture (I think a member of the same family runs it).Not to mention the Camera Cafe, specialising in panini and Hasselblads. Oh, and the camera stall in Brick Lane - great for old film gear.
Some very mixed opinions on Jessops here, I can only say that I’ve had excellent dealings with the Kingston store. The staff have been generally knowledgable, if I found that one person had limited knowledge there was always an alternative member available.
When I moved from Canon to Sony they gave me better part exchange deals than either Wex or MPB, probably didn’t do much for their bottom line though hence todays news.
Camera Jungle operation used to be above the Oxford Street one......hand delivered my gear . Now based I think in Reading but no hand delivered allowed there.Last time I visited, about a year ago, both the London Oxford Street and New Oxford Street stored had camera jungle branded display cabinets containing second hand gear.
No based in slough these days on the trading estateCamera Jungle operation used to be above the Oxford Street one......hand delivered my gear . Now based I think in Reading but no hand delivered allowed there.
one good reason to pay via credit card. Section 75 is greatRaises a question though, if they do go under where do you stand with the guarantee, guess Fuji would honour it? And a grey import backed by the shop/insurance?