I’ve seen henryp around before, posting very useful advice in some camera threads.
I think closing Friday early and all day Saturday is fine. But then shouldn’t you open up Saturday night? Especially in the winter around xmas when the sun seems to set at around noon. Seriously, for at least a month before and after the solstice . . . umm, xmas . . . umm, solstice, you could reopen at around 5pm and have at least 4-5 hours of productive shopping time.
Personally, I think y’all are just milking it and hoping you can get g*d to take the rap.
I’m kidding - but only about the last part. 
In that case, it’s ‘just’ an example of what you go to B&H for. Experts who know what they’re doing and are actually interested in their field.
Thanks for being around, henryp.
Coming at it from a complete outsider’s perspective, that system strikes me as super, super weird. It reminds me of a store we used to have up here called Consumer’s Distributing… they went out of business fifteen years ago.
But then, this is New York, where if you’re one in a million, there are ten of you.
Consumer’s Distributing (or Distributors IIRC) and Service Merchandise were very similar retail models, but not anything really like B&H at all. The main difference is that B&H has sales people that are very well-trained/educated in their field and they sell high-end equipment. I’m not saying their system isn’t a little odd compared to other retailers, but it’s not a good comparison with the other catalog stores like SM and CD.
Come on, I know you’re not stupid enough not to see the difference.
And for the record, I’ve bought (on line) from B&H for many years, without a problem.
I am forced to confess i do not recall what first attracted my attention to this forum. I do know it was a Google alert that brought me to this particular thread.
FWIW I have been online for B&H for 15 years or more. I date back to the era when CompuServe was where the internet cognoscenti hung out, when AOL was the new kid on the block and when Prodigy first offered Netscape Navigator to its members. Back then there were few forums and Usenet newsgroups were where conversations like this one played out. I know I joined dpreview during January 2000 and my first photo.net post was dated Mar 1998.
The sales associate in the computer section who I originally brought the package of discs to told me it WAS required to complete the sale. Rather than walk out (sorry, but I get enough circulars and random sales phone calls as it is), I gave a fake number and address.
B&H may be a great place if I want to buy a $3000 camera, but they still won’t be getting any sub-$500 sales from me in the future. And it sounds to me like that doesn’t matter to them anyway.
They get all my business, online and very efficiently.
I still think it’s annoying that they shut down the online ordering system for holidays. Why can’t they just record the transaction, with the disclaimer that they won’t be processed until the next business day?
Of course it’s their own choice, but they’ve lost a lot of business from me for this. I still order from them occasionally, but more often I’d just go to another web site rather than wait for the B&H site to start taking orders again. I bought more from them back when we used the fax machine for most mail-order, and I could fax them an order form any time, any day.
I think they can’t record parts of your credit card number, if they’re not doing the transaction instantly. Credit card rules. No storing certain information.
Same here, and they’re the first place I recommend to people looking to purchase photography equipment.
He was mistaken. I am sorry. If I am able to identify your transaction I will know who here misinformed you and he or she and the sales manager can review this so we do not repeat this error.
I may be biased but I think B&H is an equally great place to buy either a $3000 camera or any sub-$500 item you may want. YMMV. And, based on many things, not least of which are the gratifying comments from others and my participation in this thread I think it’s obvious it DOES matter to us.
We’re moving in that direction but until then we’re obliged to block online orders during the Jewish Sabbath (Friday sundown through Saturday sundown) and for any other Jewish holiday with Sabbath-like observation requirements.
Quite right. The three or four digit non-embossed security code printed (usually) on the back, which is not part of the actual account number, may not be retained.
Consumer’s Distributing was my thought too, as I read the thread. I don’t know whether CD went under because of the inconvenience of buying things from them (and long ago, weren’t they a place you had to have a membership?), or whether they just couldn’t compete on price. But I’d guess that when even the Liquor Control Board of Ontario moved away from that retailing model, CD’s days were numbered. In Ontario, at least.
I wonder if this kind of business retail model is common in the electronics (etc.) field. I recall needing some parts for project I was working on some years ago, and finding that the only electronics place in the Toronto area where I could get the particular items I needed had a retail desk whose weekday hours meant that I could only get there on Saturdays. And on Saturdays, they were only open between 10 a.m. and noon. And it was much as described here: order at counter A, pay at counter B, pick up at counter C. They could do it, I guess, because they were the only place in town where certain parts were available; and in fairness, their counter staff was quite knowledgeable. But it was, at times, quite inconvenient.
Good to see ya here, Henry. I had to look twice to see if I was logged in to Fredmiranda instead of the dope.
Love B&H. You guys always do great for me.
I ran into the same problem with the coffee roasting business I had. My shopping cart system stored the cvv, and I ran the cards manually when i came into the store in the morning. but they credit card companies took offense at that, had to switch to a gateway system (more expensive per order).
Bought 3 things from them. grey market every time. Didn’t care in the slightest.
Agreed. This is one of the reasons I love Chick-Fil-A, aside from the fact (not opinion, fact) that their food is so good. The entire chain is closed on Sundays, since the owners are Mormon, and I really admire a company that is willing to sacrifice profits for their principles, whether I agree with them or not. I’m inconvenienced, yes, but I can wait a day to eat a chicken sandwich.
The main issue I have with places like B&H, which I’ve been to twice, and Adorama, which I’ve never been to but purchased from over the phone, is that they’re rude to customers.
I needed a tripod case of specific, non standard dimensions, but had difficulty finding an outlet that sold it. Adorama’s website showed the one I wanted. To be sure it was in stock, I called their consumer sales number and placed an order over the phone. The gentleman I spoke to was, let’s say, brusk, but hey, I was finally getting my case so I was happy. When I received it a number of days later, it was the wrong model, which I guess I could have lived with, but it was also the wrong size, so my tripod wouldn’t fit.
I called Adorama to send the case back and order a replacement. First, I was called a liar when I told them the model I ordered and the model I received. The rep then verified the model number and found the discrepancy…but didn’t apologize for the mistake, or for disputing me. He then issued an RMA, but said I’d have to pay to ship the merchandise back. I asked to speak with his supervisor, but he said “I’m a supervisor.” :rolleyes: He ultimately let me speak with someone else who authorized the RMA and prepaid UPS pickup, but made it seem as though I was stealing from them. Needless to say I didn’t order a replacement case from them.
The upshot to this story is I subsequently found the case I wanted on Amazon’s website, which I ordered. When I received it, it was the model and size I wanted, and it was shipped from, you guessed it, Adorama.
As far as B&H is concerned, I will never shop there again. Yeah, they have almost everything, but I guess you have to be willing to spend big bucks before they will treat you like a human being. Don’t go there looking for a replacement camera battery, for example. Oh, they have them, but unless you also want to buy a DSLR you will be treated like scum and an absolute waste of their time. Hate them, and their stupid, archaic, Radio Shack rules. Do you really need my address for a $4.99 battery I’m paying cash for and can’t return?
This is a dangerous line of reasoning if there’s nothing more to it. It applies as equally to businesses that won’t serve, let’s say gay people, as to businesses that close down for religious reasons. They’re standing on their principles, after all, even when denying a sale.