Black's Close Toronto Stores
- Thread starter SkyRider
- Start date
I was surprised they lasted this long after the demise of film technology. They were geared for family photo needs and I remember them since I was a kid. Most family camera needs now served by smartphones or small pocket cameras obtained by through any electronics store. Henry's has the semi-pro /pro market so I can see them around for quite a while.
I hate to say it but I've been surprised too. The only thing I've used them for in the last several years was a passport photo.
Their problem was that they were catering to a lower end market with low margin products. Disposable or cheap cameras are everywhere including Wal-Mart and you cannot compete with them. The moment Shopper's Drug Mart started offering passport photos, I knew that these small photo stores were done.
Henry's and Vistek should be around for a while as long as they stick with the higher end crowd.
Agreed,...people who think that the shift from brick and mortar to online, can continue on its current path,...are really simple minded.
FAST
They've been on a long decline. 210 stores when Fuji bought them in 1993, 113 when Telus bought them in 2009, last 59 stores closing now. Telus said they will try to place as many as they can in Telus stores, and I wouldn't be shocked to see some become Telus stores, depending on their leases.
I remember when Blacks was the leader in one hour photo (for about 20 bucks for a roll of 24 in the 80's lol). Take a roll of film to them now, and they send it out and you might get it back in a couple weeks lol
What's wrong with online shopping? Don't have to leave the house, get the best prices available, no sales taxes, free shipping in many cases. What's not to like? I especially like the no sales taxes part.
That's too bad for retail workers. But in life there are trends in jobs. Technology plays a big part, but also sector/industry.
What stinks for retail workers, is a boon for online companies, internet marketers, warehouse staff fulfilling online orders, shipping companies, and any company that fulfills/executes payment online...... Paypal, credit cards.
Online shopping also offers a much broader amount of goods. Lots of stuff offered online would never make it to store shelves. But in this day and age, even small scale companies can make $$$ selling online.
No taxes? Where?
I always pay tax when I buy from Amazon.ca, but my last order some reason had zero tax! It's not like it's tax exempt products or anything. Maybe it was a mistake. Too bad my order was only $30 and not $300 or $3,000 worth!
The people who fear online shopping are businesses/workers that can't adapt. I don't see WM, Costco or Canadian Tire going broke.
The type of business also will dictate whether online hurts brick and mortar or not. You can buy a car online of you want, but I don't think people are going to pass up testing out the car and buying it from a dealer. However, HMVs are almost all gone. They specialized in music which is a product that can be digitized and sold through the internet as bits and bytes for $1 per song. Too bad. The industry changed from vinyl to tapes to digital. Oh well.
The last remaining stores now try to keep afloat selling figurines, t-shirts and music magazines/books.
Just checked my Amazon.com orders and no tax or no duties and similar items cheaper including when you factor in shipping....on .ca there is tax...go figure the logic in that one please and thank you 
No taxes? Where?
I always pay tax when I buy from Amazon.ca, but my last order some reason had zero tax! It's not like it's tax exempt products or anything. Maybe it was a mistake. Too bad my order was only $30 and not $300 or $3,000 worth!
The people who fear online shopping are businesses/workers that can't adapt. I don't see WM, Costco or Canadian Tire going broake.
The type of business also will dictate whether online hurts brick and mortar or not. You can buy a car online of you want, but I don't think people are going to pass up testing out the car and buying it from a dealer. However, HMVs are almost all gone. They specialized in music which is a product that can be digitized and sold through the internet as bits and bytes for $1 per song. Too bad. The industry changed from vinyl to tapes to digital. Oh well.
The last remaining stores now try to keep afloat selling figurines, t-shirts and music magazines/books.
Success in life is when you see things in the future and act on it before it comes. Just use common sense and logic. You do not need a crystal ball. Twelve years back when I got my first digital camera, I figured that film will not be around much longer. I got friendly with the girls at two Shopper Drugmart stores and they saved all the plastic film cans for me. I have 2 1/2 buckets full. I use them to put small things like USB flash drives, camera memory cards and electronic chips. The plastic cans are translucent so I can put colored paper in them and mark a number and letter to quickly identify what is in them. I catalog the info in g-mail. So if I want to know where my USB flash drive with specific info, I can Google it on my G-mail and find it in seconds in a drawer with hundreds of plastic film cans.
Interestingly, Reitmans announced last week that in the latest quarter, same store sales were up 3% from a year ago, but online sales were up 97%.
All the mom and pop photoshops are gone or just about gone.
I guess I sort of saw the Black's demise coming just like I saw the demise of Blockbuster years before they actually went bust.
SC's are dying a slow death death. Harper is trying to kill MP's and SP's.
Which other industry is bleeding?
I guess I sort of saw the Black's demise coming just like I saw the demise of Blockbuster years before they actually went bust.
SC's are dying a slow death death. Harper is trying to kill MP's and SP's.
Which other industry is bleeding?
Actually, the really simple-minded people are those who believe the shift from bricks and mortar to online can be stopped or reversed.
All we can do is accept it and prepare for it. There's no going back.
Newspapers, magazines.
Film/tv is trying to figure out how to survive post netflix/download.
The music industry has changed for the worse.
Manufacturing is down since free trade.
Like with everything in life now days you need to be prepared for the every changing dynamic...from business to personal to hobby it constantly happens. You need to adapt to ever change and to be successful be a couple of steps ahead of it, maybe even influence it to various degrees.
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