Ritz Camera closing 300 retail stores, liquidation sales start April 4th
By Ross Miller 
posted Apr 2nd 2009 11:21PM
posted Apr 2nd 2009 11:21PM
As part of its newfound bankrutpcy status, Ritz Camera's gearing up to close more than 300 of its around 700 brick-and-mortar stores across the US, or about 43 percent of its retail presence. Starting April 4th, the affect stores will begin liquidation sales that'll go on until -- in the words of the press release -- "everything is sold to the bare walls." Forget DSLRs, if you were needing any fancy, brick-and-mortal shelving units, now might be your chance! Hit up the read link for a PDF listing all the closing stores.
ehhhh
Microfiber + Lens = Happiness
david ritz drove this company into the ground. he was a self indulgent asshole and the company would have failed even in a good economy. Look at his latest ads if you have any doubt. (ads of him and carmen electra)
Another victim of the economy.
Next?
Another victim of the internet. Stores can't afford to be showrooms for people who just want to play with the goods and then go home and order online from a warehouse. Brick and mortar shops will be folding in droves with or without a good economy. Mark my words -on the calendar you have on the fridge.
Is the brick-and-mortal line a pun (hence being a victim of the failconomy), or a typo in this context?
Either way, I think engadget just inadvertently coined a new term for failing big box stores.
Maybe it's just me but I think this is really just weeding out the weak ones. I went into Ritz a few times just because they are everywhere but I never bought anything because they had a limited selection and high prices. They didn't have what I was looking for. And the sales reps were clueless.
Same for Circuit City, Good Guys, etc. Those were crap stores with prices much higher than online, and sales douches who didn't know much but were all too aware of the commission they'd get if they sold you something so they would say anything to get a sale. Not what I want when I want information.
Don't think this economy. How ritz could stay open was always a mystery. Who uses camera stores anymore? like video rental stores they're an idea from another era.
Yes, Nikster, all hail the New World Order where you can get stuff for dirt cheap but have no way of trying it out before buying it. And Lord forbid that you have to make a return - make a call over the phone and complain to some faceless, unsympathetic representative, or maybe send an e-mail and wait two to three weeks for someone to get back to you.
Not all of us were born with silver spoons in our mouths. Some of us actually have to eke out a living on those commissions. More store closings mean more bitter people on the street, just itching for a reason to spark a mass riot.
You may look down upon them from your Ivory Tower, Nikster, but remember - there's a whole lot of them out there, and just one of you.
I don't agree. When you're buying a camera, especially a DSLR, you're buying a tool you should feel very comfortable using. Button placement, how it fits in YOUR hand, viewfinder brightness. These things can drive you to take photos or make a camera a pain to use. You can read about these things online, but one try at a physical store and you would "get it."
Some physical stores, like B&H and Adorama, are competitive with online prices.
@The WC:
So you're saying it's gonna be like a bad zombie movie? Hordes of moronic beings somehow posing a serious danger to, well, _anyone_, by dint of sheer numbers and ridiculous blunders on the part of the endangered.
Sorry, some of us like buying at lower prices _because_ we didn't come silverware-equipped; some of us might be in danger of losing our jobs, too, even if they do require more intelligent thought than a typical retail position, and be trying to save money to make it through -- some have _already_ lost their jobs. So we're evil for not paying higher prices simply as a donation to you? Tough.
And if you really think rioting is gonna get you anything besides bruises and if you're _real_ lucky, broken bones, go at it, I guess. It's an ugly mess, and nobody wins, but maybe you'll give as good as you get, and maybe that means something to you. I think if I was out of work, my time would be better sent searching for another job, so I could _stop_ being a disgruntled unemployed zombie, but then I never did have the brains for retail.
@ Benson:
If your job is threatened/gone, then what the heck are you doing buying cameras at all? At what point did you say "OMG this camera is so essential to my life I must have it but I can find better prices on the internet!" Rather than buying luxeries, shouldn't you be spending money on essentials such as food and water?
And in answer to your other question, "searching for a better job," the bar has been raised so high that not even secondary education gives an advantage. Ask a bartender, secretary, sales rep or mall cop whether they have bachleor's degrees - I know some college graduates that had to take occupations like those, simply because the jobs they wanted to get into were "not available at this time."
Just as long as Ritz crackers are still being made. They are gooooood.
Anything of real value would easily be moved to another store. These closings are more about cutting costs than dumping inventory.
Too bad, I want a 24-70 f2.8...
M
Chances are they wouldn't have the 24-70 2.8L if that's what you were hoping for! Everytime I've been into the Ritz stores they didn't have any high end lenses!
About time.... they've been too expensive since I first stepped foot in a mall (with my mom) in the 80's...
too expensive? actually in doing the research they are very competitive with the best buys and circuit citys!! also ritz offers free camera classes so they can teach you how to operate your camera. does best buy and circuit city do that? do they let you come in for an hour for 1 on 1 training on how to use your camera? do they offer free prints with the camera you are purchasing or free digital photo books? before you start judging based on prices--look at what the whole package is instead of just the dollar amount---the last time I checked when circuit city was going out of business--their digital point and shoots were more expensive then what ritz camera had on the shelves. No one should be happy for any business closing--it just means more people without jobs--and a very unhappy society to live in. Alot of people who are losing their jobs have families to support--but I guess in your world its sooooo easy to find another job!!!
Big, I agree with that. I want the 14-24mm and 24-70 for my D700. But we all know that's going to other stores.
Actually I work at the Boca Raton Ritz......we are closing and I am losing my job.....out of 13 stores in south Florida 11 are closing we haven't shipped anything any of the other stores. we do have a couple nikon lenses even though we are a smaller location like the 12-24mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, 17-55mm f/2.8 DX and a 12-24mm f/4.0 DX. It would cost Ritz way to much to move that much product around to the remaining 57% of the stores. They are just going to liquidate the rest.
Jake do you know if the Palm Beach Gardens store is going to stay open? Sorry to hear that your location is closing, but I used to work at PBG and that was an upper class mall. Would hate to see Tom and Sean and Peter out of the job.
Kind of sad another one is going.
Nothing was wrong with Ritz Camera. But the internet is driving this company out of business since you can get what they sell for cheaper...
I bet all the "Good Stuff" will be transfered to the stores they are keeping, or sent back to the wearhouse to be sold online, or at their other stores.
Plus they are soo much more expensive than any one else. (Like Circuit City was)
Not to mention the fact that they are f-ing expensive, Wait and check out their "sale" prices and for God sakes take it out of the box and make sure it works if you buy something there. Also, don't use a debit card, use a regular charge card so you can do a charge back if needed. Remember the people who bought flat panel TV's from Circuit City that were smashed when they opened the box at home? No refunds....
yay 4 near me.
PDF list of stores closing:
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i'm surprised the one close to me isn't closing since we have some in fort worth(texas) closing
Ritz was and still is great for those times when you need custom film processing and do not have the equipment and/or the needed skills to do it. They will be missed just like I will miss my Kodachrome.
brick and mortal?
Awww the one near my house is closing. Oh well. I remember when I got my first 35mm from a Ritz. I still have it somewhere around here. Probably should use the thing some more considering what I paid for it, LOL.
Uhh
Actually, of all the places to buy camera equipment Ritz is actually the best place I have found.
Except for the price (unless the item is on clearance and has been for a while).
In most cities that have a Ritz or Wolf, one of the stores is the pro store and the employees are actually photographers.
I have found many of them to be very savvy.
I was in the Ritz in Sarasota, FL (Tamiami Trail location) and they are pretty sharp. One of the guys I dont prefer but all in all they know way more than the advanced consumers and run with the pros.
What made Ritz unique is the have a store policy that allows you to really try out the equipment.
It made a world of difference when I purchased my last camera body as I was trying to decide whether I should switch to a different camera system (brand). Their policy is you can get a full refund within 7 days of purchase.
No restocking fee.
Sure you can buy stuff online.
Read reviews and generally not participate in your local economy, but this is yet one other reason the economy is where it is.
A majority of that savings you saved, whether in taxes or lower price, didn't go to a local retailer or to sales tax.
I can't place much blame as I have several online retailer favorites myself.
On the liquidation...
I pretty much lurked at Circuit City while it was being liquidated and it wasnt till the prices were at 30-40% off that they were competitive with online.
Since the advantage of buying locally was to be able to bring the item back the local store, it made no sense to purchase till the item was MUCH cheaper than I could buy online.
So...
Before you go crazy on buying from Ritz... Do your research ...
Bring your web enabled phone and CHECK PRICES PEOPLE..
Geez..
Besides most of their inventory will end up on eBay anyway...
As a film shooter, my local Ritz is the only place I can get a extremely limited selection pro-film in a jam. Their prices are almost 50% higher than ordering from B&H/Freestyle. Sure it'll suck if they close, but I always felt like I was getting raped paying $11 for a roll of Tri-X
I never went into a Ritz and bought anything useful. They push the crappy Quantaray crap. One time, I went in for colored gels...yeah, they didn't have em. Once you go past amateur photographer, Ritz has nothing you want. That's when you gotta hit up your local ma and pa shops or B&H/Adorama. I won't be missing them! The online Ritz store is 100000% better than the b&m stores. But it's also completely different owners or something.
I am not surprised, I know the one down the street from my house was never too good, service was bad selection wasn't to vast nor was their information. The one by my school is a little better, but still not as good. If I really want to purchase a camera or camcorder the place I shop at is Samy's Camera, way better than Ritz.
Ritz Camera? What's that?
It's like something called a "blockbuster" store, on it's dying faster.
_only_ it's dying faster
My local Ritz's problem was they stocked nothing above the basic camera lens kits, very little film, memory cards, flashes or anything else...even filters were a bit iffy...
I have no problem paying a little more at a local store, Unless their next words are "Well we can order that for you"
If i wanted it ordered, I'd order online, and I dont mean because its cheaper or anything, but usually because my local stores can never give a definite date, its always "well..a few weeks or a few months" and then also throw in "No returns" on top of it
I'm not referring to Ritz specifically there, they usually did give a definite date for when something would be there, and I will say the couple times I did stuff with them, they WERE nice (Except the one roll of film they botched..)
To survive as a brick and mortar these days you need the following:
1. Knowledgeable, helpful sales people more interested in making someone happy than just getting a huge comission..
2. Decent selection and decent stock, and prices that while are higher than online, are still reasonable
3. Good return policy, No restocking fees or some form of a demo period for people
Look im not saying a store has to carry every lens under the sun, But perhaps carry the most common/popular lenses from the system they stock...
For me, B&H and Adorama as well as Amazon are not excellent options because I live in NYS, meaning I pay 8.75% tax on my orders from them...and shipping...
Which hurts :/
Ritz needs to cull out some of their smaller less profitable stores, then in the remaining stores they need to increase and diversify the inventory, Start carrying professional-level equipment, Start carrying more lenses and accessories photographers need..and the prices can perhaps come down just a bit
The people at my Ritz were always nice and actually very knowledgeable, I really dont want them to go, I want to see them put themselves in a position to do better business however...
Guys, hold up! We can still save them if we give up digital cameras and stop buying online. C'mon!
haha,
yeah and we can also save those remaining "24 hour video stores" that linger on the outskirts of the dirty cities if we stop streaming and downloading porn online.
Ritz/Wolf took too damn long to become more competitive with their pricing.
Between B&H, Adorama, and KEH, poor old Ritz/Wolf didn't stand a chance.
Even BB, JR, Fry's, Buy.com and others will drop the prices from time to time. Ritz/Wolf never did.
i think a new cannon or sony DSLR might be in my future, if the price is right.
It's spelt Canon. And Sony? Seriously? What is wrong with you?
Coming from a person who actually worked in that company, im not surprised this happened, the internal workings of the company are all jumbled and confusing, and there are to many loopholes that the company looses money off of. I am glad I quite when I did.
I've been a customer of Ritz for over 20 years. Bought a couple of point-and-shoots along with some higher end consumer Digital cameras. I haven't processed my pictures anywhere else since I can compare my brothers pix(Costco developed) and my Dads(local drugstore developed). My colors ALWAYS looked better. I can't tell you how sorry I am to see them closing stores. I can definitely understand why this is happening, but it is still hard. I REALLY don't want to be stuck with my choices being WalMart and BestBuy. There are "Pro-shops" I can go to, if I want to have someone give me a bunch of condescending attitude along with just-as-high price. As if I want to hear anyone tell me" Oh, a Nikon D-90. We really only deal with customers who own at least a D-200"! Ritz was a nice middle ground. As for service. I've been happy with it. I can see though, how if a company pays slightly above minimum wage and "motivates" with miniscule Sales Incentives, that they many not be able to keep the best or brightest sales staff. And come on, how much are the sales guys going to invest in a relationship with a customer if they know that at least half well waste their time, play with all the toys, get their opinions then hit the internet? What would be YOUR motivation? So, while you sit back and order the same product on-line from some place in Jersey, saving a couple of bucks and waiting for your product to ship....think about the poor guys wondering what they are going to be doing for a living. I'm sure most weren't expecting this to be a career, but a little compassion isn't too much to ask for.
As for price differences. When you figure in the customer service(as with any retail, you'll find good and bad salespeople), the ability to drive somewhere close to get a problem solved, the fact that with each camera you get classes(again, some good, some bad), some free photos developed(25 4x6's at my store), a FREE photo book, sometimes a printer promo. I've got to say that the prices/convenience tend be rather appealing.
Now, if they actually PAID their employees, and had stock in more of the high end products, they probably wouldn't have to take such drastic measures.
Good luck on the restructuring, and my best regards to the employees.
thanks for that... really. I wish more people saw it the way you do.
I feel bad for some of the really good associates that are now jobless like so many others these days. Some are lucky and get transferred to other stores (we've taken on two more at the store im in).. others not so much. I do agree with a few people that have had bad experiences though, of course there were some bad apple stores. What many do not realize is that not all Ritz stores are meant to be stocked the same. We have "ultra" stores that carry things along the lines of L&ED glass and D700s... D3... 5DMK2.. etc. Usually you can just ask someone in your local store where the closest is and if they dont have what you need... most of the time it can be ordered.
I have been spending a lot of time online lately defending the company I work for because of course... a lot of people generalize and assume... one bad experience or bad store means they all are the same. Most just go online and complain.. they never tell any higher up managers so no one ever brings attention to problems.
I work in the Beltsville, MD location next to corporate and I guarantee anyone that shops in that store(plus many left in our area)... will receive the best customer service we can provide.
Jake,
I live in Boca....I feel bad that you are losing your job.
So long Ritz. I recently wanted to buy a camera from them and wanted them not to match, but to come down a bit to be closer to an Amazon price. They wouldn't and I bought from Amazon. Mind you I was going to pay a higher price to have the camera now, but I wasn't asking for them for a direct price match, just to come down a little.
Screw them.
I manage a boca raton Ritz Camera, and they are basically shutting down the palm beach market. The only stores left around here are going to be in Palm Beach Gardens, and Sunrise in Ft. Lauderdale. The main reason behind alot of these closures is their unprofitable P&L reports. My store was closed for 2 months last year due to remodelling, so i was bascially marked for death because of the time closed. I do however have two Nikon D700's, D3's, and a variety of high end lenses available for when the sales start. I mainly feel bad for the hordes of finishing customers that will be left in the dust. sad
Do you know if there will be any left in the Naples/ Ft. Myers area?
Yeah I worked saled in the PBG store and was never a fan of the inner workings of the company, but man did we have a lot of loyal customers come in for photo finishing. I had a feeling they would leave that store open the Gardens is a nice mall.
I worked 3 weeks at Ritz and I have to tell you this is no surprise.
Their computer system was so archaic. Like it was something out of the 1980's.
Most of the time their system didn't reflect current sale prices. You had to enter manually.
Another thing that annoyed me was calling your regional manager twice a day with your sales figures at specific times. What a waste of timer this was. I mean, aren't the registers tied into the computer system?
They didn't want the advanced or professional photographer. The grandma and grandpa point and shoot (Coolpix) crowd was where they were focusing.
Also, they were so bent on selling these awful looking photo albums, personalized coffee mugs, and t-shirts.
I remember one incident involving a regional manager trying to get the customer to buy into a photo album she didn't want. She got frustrated and left.
Our store had very little stock and I became accustomed to saying "We don't have it here but I can get it from our warehouse in Maryland."
As a sales person you weren't allowed to make any decisions. If a customer wanted to buy 4 cameras at a reduced price you had to call your regional manager and hope he gets back to you in a reasonable time.
I'm a photographer and I was amazed at how this company operated. It's like they lost track of why they were in business.
So much time wasted on fluff, bureaucracy, and old technology.
Why can't Ritz and all these other electronic stores just close up the store fronts, move all the merchandise over to East and West coast warehouses, revamp there web sites, drop the prices, and just sell online, because they have the name already people are familiar with and trust. Instead of killing all the jobs, hire the folks over, or retrain them to deal with web customers, service and technical support over the phones.
Most people dont realize that Ritz Camera Centers and the website Ritzcamera.com are two totally different companies. The website is Ritz Camera Interactive, they share the same warehouse, but thats about it. You can not buy something online and return it into a store.
Good riddance. They have horrible customer service.
Is that PDF of store closures sorted at all? It doesn't seem to be in any specific order beyond, perhaps, store number.
Writing a PERL script to sort it... :-)
there always expensive anyways, fuck em
how kind. you speak to your mother like that?
Expense is relative. If you want cheap, you get absolutely no service. Sounds like someone may be shopping for their photo equipment at Target? Now there you get cheap! Only problem is...no service! I'm willing to pay a little extra if I get to pick someone's brain or get a little one-to-one service. Have you purchaed at a specialized camera center? You'll pay through the nose, but they'll answer all your questions and show you how to operate that $$$ system you just bought. You get what you pay for. Enjoy your little point-and-shoot.
It's all because of bad advertising, image, and poor pay scale. Good associates leave companies that don't recognize and pay for experience. I weak ad-campaign that peaked with Cameron Electra is a joke. First time I wondered into a camera store, while checking out colleges to attend, I was so happy to see something besides best buy or walmart. Are people so ignorant to the fact that big box stores are evil, and have all ready ruined the economy. If they put in hard wood floors, carried key products, and and geared ad campaigns to the younger generations, all the yuppies would come running with mouths and wallets open.
I just recently bought a D40 from my local store and they were very helpful, I'm sad to see these stores close and I feel bad for the people who will lose their job. And remember that just because you have a bad experience at one store doesn't mean that the entire company is the same.
I work for a Ritz on the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border and yes I am losing my job as well in a few weeks. I have read the comments from quite a few "Haters" and frankly you are ignorant. You can only get so much information from the internet about what is the best camera for you, trust me. You get specs on the camera but you don't know if it fits you. I have heard more internet horror stories because people are buying sight unseen, usually based on a friends recommendation or a bogus review, too many times it is Gray Market, and they get screwed when they have to either return the unit or god forbid it needs factory repair. Just because 1 camera is great for your friend does not mean it is for you. To say that stores like Ritz cater to mom and pops and grandmothers is another ignorant comment. Are you the only person in the world? Everybody deserves to be treated properly and have their questions answered. I have an extremely diverse group of customers and I treat them all individually, from Pros to beginners, everyone is different. As far as not having the higher end cameras and lenses in stock. My thought is does it make sense to put a $5,000 body on a shelf just so some guy who is never going to buy it can play with it? If it was my store the answer is no but that is not the Ritz policy. Ritz does have larger stores that actually do carry these cameras and lenses and have them on display, I asked friends of mine who work at the store if they sell them as floor models and he told me it almost never happens, the customer wants it ordered new. If I have a customer who is buying a D300, D3 or even the 5D I have NEVER had a problem ordering one. Customers tell me they prefer something brand new, never opened and ordered specifically for them. They know what they are buying and don't need a tutorial. It would sit better with me if I was spending that kind of dough to know it was never handled. Plus if something is opened and it sits on the shelf people automatically want a discount for something that may or may not have ever been touched. Think before you judge. And I laughed when I read that they never have the 24-70 2.8 lens. Frankly that is more a function of what it is, probably the most versatile portrait lens made. I have ORDERED that lens countless times for this very reason. We can only stock so much. And again, you probably went into a smaller store that does not have order points for these products, look for an ULTRA STORE if you want to play with it. Or... do what most of us normal folk do and rent one, take it out for a week at about $70 bucks and order one once you are sure it will do what you want it to do. Frankly we need more companies that cater to people who may or may not be comfortable with buying online, Christ, with identities being stolen every second someone has to be there to help people with these purchases. There are too many of you who rely solely on the internet who have never even had a checkbook, seriously that's ridiculous, it isn't the future, its a sign of what the end will look like. I pay some bills online but my landlord is not set up with PayPal, sorry. And besides that, if you want to get face to face advice from a sales rep regarding what could potentially be a major purchase where are you going to go, Best Buy? Have you ever talked intelligently to an associate at Best Buy and asked them to explain what an F-Stop is or what ISO is. They haven't got a clue, they aren't qualified to carry my camera bag! People have the right to buy wherever they want but people come to us because we are a CAMERA COMPANY, our sales staff are camera people, we are photographers who are passionate about what we do. You don't buy tires at the grocery store do you? Feels kind of nice to go to a specialty shop where the sales staff knows everything you would need to know about tires. I also don't care to be lumped into what you call "Clueless" Salespeople you have dealt with at Ritz, I guarantee you have never dealt with me. Clerks at other retailers sell based on making more in commissions and they sell certain product that may make them more. They do not give a shit about the customers needs at all. Granted we all have to make a living but I would rather treat a customer the way they deserve to be treated than sell them the wrong camera just to pad my check. I ask the right questions, I show them cameras that fit their hand as well as their budget and I don't make them feel inferior, "There is no such thing as a stupid question". I doubt YOU were born with infinite knowledge. By doing what I do they come back, time and again, but more importantly they tell their friends and so begins the greatest form of advertising, referrals...not showing off with Carmen Electra. What truly bothers me about the closings though is that they have literally shut off entire areas to Ritz services. Between classes, Free Prints, Photo books and a number of printing services. Customer bases that we have built up over the years will now be forced to deal with lesser sales people and lesser quality labs. Ritz still has the best bang for the buck when buying a camera, they is extremely competitive with pricing and although we do price match I think I have done it only 2-3 times ever. I think most people realize that pricing on the internet is so bogus you cannot base it on that, 90% of those companies are pulling bait and switch, gray market, or flat out scams. I had a Woman in just after Christmas who saved $40 dollars on her camera buying it online but it didn't come with the charger that she bought from me for $39.99 because the camera was NOT RETURNABLE. That is a fact and that is why we don't match online pricing. I close with this as I realize I tend to get a bit wordy on these things but If you go out for a dinner at a 5 star restaurant and you have an amazing meal, great service, and just an incredible experience you may tell 2-3 people, however if at that same place you have the worst meal, and just horrendous service you wont even realize it but you will tell between 6-10 people.