Traffic In The Photo Trade - I Went To The Camera Shops

on November 04, 2021

And with open eyes this time, too.

How did I get to them? Well, mostly I drove my little car near to their premises, avoiding the 4WD's and desperate commuters. I tried to get a parking spot as close to the shops as I could. And there was a remarkable difference in the experience...

I needed something in the accessory line quickly. I called at CE first off, because I had seen one in the cabinets the previous week. Someone else beat me to it, and while it was fun to talk to the staff, they were between phone calls and it wasn't fair to monopolise their time. I shrugged and headed elsewhere...actually several elsewheres.

I had not realised, in 8 years of working at the Stirling Street shop, just how the traffic pattern of the city could affect the shopping experience. I went to three other places ( none of whom had the part anyway ) but in two of them the fight to get to the shop through the roads was horrendous. Main roads or back lanes do not make for a good time on a rainy day. Suburban connecting roads and residential roads are even worse - and there was one place that was absolutely unapproachable due to lack of car stopping or parking space.

In the end I've decided that Camera Electronic has two of the best positions in the city in their Stirling Street and Murray Street shops. You can park in the former and you can train and bus to the latter. It'll cost you parking money for the one, but if you're an old guy with a Seniors Card the city store is a free ride away.

Failing this, try the on-line catalogue. I also explored this for many retailers and found ours seemed to be the easiest one to navigate. Plenty of items on offer and you can get to them without the darned site kicking you out.

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