It’s taken me days to recuperate from overdoses of Thanksgiving–week turkey and all the Black Friday sales I tried to cash in on. What a mistake (the turkey, that is!) For my wife and millions of shoppers who actually get up before dawn to pack the malls and stores, Black Friday marks a day where everything they’ve been planning to buy the kids, relatives, and significant others goes on deep discount sale for several hours or a limited time. For me, new low prices and dramatic discounts help me determine, and sometimes discover, new trends in the photo and consumer electronics industry.
For example, last year I noticed that the price of high quality, 20-inch CRT computer monitors had dropped to around $300 (from nearly $1,500 two years earlier). So I told everyone who asked me whether they should get a flat screen LCD monitor (expensive but flat) or an older (and larger) CRT to purchase the CRT. Why? Dollar for dollar, most LCD monitors can’t hold a candle to a good CRT when it comes to reproducing accurate colors and wider gamut. I can’t give the same advise out this year, since most manufacturers got out of “fat” CRTs altogether and only sell LCD monitors for your computer. (But keep your eyes open.)
This year I scoured the ad pages and flyers tucked into newspapers looking for bargains and unusual products that might give me a glimpse of the future so I could appear just as smart and savvy to my friends who ask my opinion. That’s when I noticed that a really decent 7.1MP Kodak EasyShare Z710 digital camera with a 10X optical zoom can now be purchased for only $200 (as part of a bundle with a G600 printer dock that jacks the total price up to $349). I also saw lots of 1GB memory cards being tossed in as enticements to buy other digital cameras (Free? Last year a 1GB card cost $80-100!). However, my biggest surprise came while I was shopping for holiday lawn decorations at Home Depot. That’s when I ran into the expanded Home Depot Consumer Electronics section (coming to a Home Depot near you, if not there already.) In it, I found 50-inch Plasma HDTV’s, Epson video projectors, a five Megapixel Polaroid digital camera with 3X optical zoom, DVD players, batteries, and lots of cables. But missing were the lawn tractors with built-in Bluetooth, GPS, and MP3 players. (I hear John Deere is working on those for next year.)
If this new CE section is successful, I wonder how long it will be before I can walk into a Home Depot, pick up some fertilizer, hammer and nails, and a few extra memory cards to go? Will the same store carry DSLRs, computers, surround sound audio systems, and home networking products as well? (The last two are a likely fit). Perhaps someday I’ll even be able to sit in the Home Depot Cafe and surf the web while waiting for the clerk to mix a few gallons of paint for me. I won’t hold my breath on that one, but I can predict the following in the year ahead:
1) Digital cameras will continue to drop in price.
2) Photo printers will continue to drop in price.
3) Memory cards will continue to drop in price.
4) Computers will continue to drop in price.
5) Hard drives will continue to drop in price.
6) Big screen TV’s will continue to drop in price.
7) Ink Jet ink prices will continue to RISE in price!
Big box stores have skimmed off all the easy money from the photo sector (cheap photofinishing and point and shoot digital cameras).
The result has been that the local mom and pop camera stores can't compete and have been going out of business. So we end up the losers, with no close by place to get accessories or advice or even used equipment. I now need to drive 15 miles to the only store which still does E6 and 120 size film developing. There are no places left which do sheet film.
There is more to a market than the lowest price, service and breadth of stock count for something too.
Posted by: Robert D Feinman | December 02, 2006 at 07:48 PM