Tale of Two Camera Stores

I returned from a business cruise and somehow the digital camera lens cover that opens and closes stopped opening and closing. Off I went to a camera store - of which I had no particular brand in mind - just someone who could tell me if it was a battery, or if it was broken, and know what they were talking about.

At a large mall here, I stumbled by Store #1 - a large regional brand. The three guys across the counter basically ignored me for over four minutes - my feeling was that one of them thought the other would make the effort to greet me. After the uncomfortable long wait for a "hello", I finally caught someone's eye. Once I told him it was a Kodak Easyshare, he looked, as if disappointed, that I didn't have a $1000 camera they could work on and abruptly told me to try Kits Cameras - which apparently is part of Ritz Camera - the OTHER store in the mall. Off I went, feeling almost like I had taken their precious time away from them.

I found Kits (which inside only is branded Ritz, sort of interesting) and the store manager, who approached me, couldn't have been happier to see me. She quickly took the camera and went to blow the lens with air, spending several minutes at this. She came back and assured me that she tried to get anything that was jamming the cover blown free, but that it still wouldn't close. I thanked her - and then told her how the other store disregarded me - she laughed and said that happens all the time with that store, and that they get lots of new customers that way. Then she asked me how I print my digital photos - and let me know that they do color correction at about half the price of printing photos at home. This was a good piece of information to know - not pushy, but very informational. I reflected on the two experiences - literally back-to-back, and know where I will go next time I need a new camera - or anything else in the way of accessories.

It's nice to be treated like someone really does value your business.

Do all of your clients or customers think that you value their business? If you're not sure, it couldn't hurt to drop them a thank you note (handwritten and mailed) or an email to let them know this.