Couldn't understand how they stayed in business this long to be honest what with the advancement in technology and everyone whacking pictures on facebook the minute they are taken. Awful for the staff though.
Shame, future generations will never know the "apprehension" of walking into a photo shop to pick up pictures from a drunken night out and gauging the reaction from the person behind the counter.
I suppose my £50 Christmas voucher is down the swanny then?
There were police outside the one in Charing Cross/ strand apparently today so they were saying on LBC as loads of (understandably) pissed off customers were outside kicking off because they couldn't get in to get their digital cameras they had put in for repair etc.
Personally, if I know a shop is struggling financially, I don't use them, which of course makes it worse for them. Jessops have been struggling for a few years. I wouldn't have booked a holiday with Thomas Cook a couple of years ago etc. I suppose, if people don't listen to the news or read the news, they're unaware or don't think that far ahead. Vouchers are about as much use as a chocolate tea pot I'm afraid. I'd have used that asap tbh.
One at Bluewater still trading today with a notice about administrators. Apparently all the stores are to close, seemed to fall beetween 2 stalls the internet is very cut throat re cameras with lots of grey imports, and the pro guys do not use Jessops as they do not stock there gear. They went very close to this happening a few years ago, but seemed to expand even more?. I bought a new Nikon 6 months ago, bought it from John Lewis, matched the internet price, and will be there next decade?. Went to central London a day or so before the camera was not even in stock even at Grey's or Fixation. The west end was a waste of time, all selling mid range stuff cheaper at park cameras. Sorry to see it close though, always handy for bits and pieces.
The only surprise is how long they lasted. Like Kodak they thought the digital age meant little change in their business model. Sorry to hear you lost your money (voucher will be worthless). Stock will be sent back or sold to highest bidder.
Hundreds to go at Honda, Swindon ... small and medium sized businesses and branches/outposts closing all over the place, a hundred jobs lost here, two hundred jobs there ... my local Staples warehouse is closing, Comet has gone .. hundreds of young people thrown out of work with little prospect of getting another viable full time, well paying job with prospects ...... Mistakes going back over the past 50 years nationally .... too much emphasis on services, banking, not enough on manufacturing and basic resource processing, too many 'degrees' in soppy subjects. Things are looking bad .. send your children off to USA, Canada, Oz, NZ or Brazil a.s.ap.
I wonder what the average British high street will look like in 30 years time.
I imagine they will all be sold off to property developers and converted into flats. All shops will be huge supermarkets and the other retail outlet will be retail parks with the same bland corporations there.
Suppose also with things like amazon and online shopping in general the demand is nowhere near what it once was.
Never a big camera person, so never one to have used Jessops in the past. Gutted for the staff and people who do use them though. Smart phones with cameras caught the (very) amateur end of the market and the Internet got the experts with cheaper options than the High Street could ever offer.
I honestly fear that HMV will be next. Have been the beneficiary of gift cards from there for the last 2 Christmases & Birthdays and was hoping to replace my 12 year old PC with a new laptop. All stock has been gone for weeks and despite the staff saying it is like this every year and new stock arrives in Feb, I can't see it and think they will be gone soon. Walked round Oxford St branch today & couldn't honestly find anything to buy. It's a mess and many more people will be out of work & all that will be left will be the supermarkets selling Top 10/Cowell abominations.
I used to work in a bank next door to Jessop's in New Oxford St in the mid eighties and in the days when cheques were king and no-one had heard of "chip&pin" we took in their takings on a daily basis - their manager would always come in at 3.30pm just as I was closing up (yes, at that time I had a set of keys for the front door !!!) and then he would spend 10 mins sorting out all the cheques & cash to be banked, making us late tilling up and getting home............git !! Our branch manager was the typical old bank manager type (even down to the pipe) & wouldn't let us close the doors a minute early to serve as a lesson
One at Bluewater still trading today with a notice about administrators. Apparently all the stores are to close, seemed to fall beetween 2 stalls the internet is very cut throat re cameras with lots of grey imports, and the pro guys do not use Jessops as they do not stock there gear. They went very close to this happening a few years ago, but seemed to expand even more?. I bought a new Nikon 6 months ago, bought it from John Lewis, matched the internet price, and will be there next decade?. Went to central London a day or so before the camera was not even in stock even at Grey's or Fixation. The west end was a waste of time, all selling mid range stuff cheaper at park cameras. Sorry to see it close though, always handy for bits and pieces.
Bought my new Nikon from Oxford Street Jessops in September (I think it was). Only used them as I had £100 voucher to spend which brought it down to very close to internet prices. Feel very sorry for the staff obviously, have to say though in my dealings with them in several shops, not many of them new much about their stock or photography in general.
Agree, always good for picking up filters, cleaning stuff and other bits and bobs.
Interesting about John Lewis price matching, I wouldn't even of thought of them. Will keep that in mind for future purchases.
I don't feel sorry for Jessops as a business at all. In the '80s and '90s they expanded aggressively with no regard for their competitors. Many local camera stores were lost at that time. Here in Southend we had a local shop called Patience. Their customer service was second to none, but they couldn't compete price wise. I don't imagine for a minute that anyone at Jessops thought it was anything but good for them when Patience went to the wall. Now they have have been out-competed. What goes around come around.
For the staff though, it must be awful and I really feel for them. I hope that they can get jobs as soon as possible, but with the economy as it is that's going to be really tough.
As for vouchers, I've never bought them and never will. Cash is infinitely better because you're not restricting people to where they spend it and if any thing happens that means you can't use cash it will be so catastrophic most of us will be dead anyway. Vouchers smouchers.
I wonder what the average British high street will look like in 30 years time.
I think some will be like Orpington, a mix of pawn shops, pound shops, betting shops, cheap take away/restaurants and the odd crap pub. Others maybe more fortunate and be converted into housing.
Very sad to see Jessops go under but we all do the internet thing now. HMVand WH Smiths, I think, will be next
My recent dealings with them when getting photos developed was poor. Most of the young staff could've been taken straight from Maccy Ds and if you asked about cameras would just list of the specs.
Feel sorry for the staff though but it seemed to me like they were a shop that just sold cameras rather than a shop for photographers.
I did use the New Oxford st branch quite a bit and found them to be very helpful. Tottenham Court rd used to be full of HiFi and camera shops whats left offer very little choice.
So joining Comet workers today sees the Jessop workers and soon to be London Fire service workers many of whom will soon be lost in the unemployment statistics and be smeared as shirkers.
Things will get alot worse. When supermarkets get more self-payment tills, on-line supermarket shopping increases. That's when we will be in the crap. Supermarket jobs in the past were for second-earners in the family supplimenting the main-wage earner. Still we're all in it together! Starbucks coffee anyone?
I wonder what the average British high street will look like in 30 years time.
I think some will be like Orpington, a mix of pawn shops, pound shops, betting shops, cheap take away/restaurants and the odd crap pub. Others maybe more fortunate and be converted into housing.
Very sad to see Jessops go under but we all do the internet thing now. HMVand WH Smiths, I think, will be next
I wonder what the average British high street will look like in 30 years time.
I think some will be like Orpington, a mix of pawn shops, pound shops, betting shops, cheap take away/restaurants and the odd crap pub. Others maybe more fortunate and be converted into housing.
Very sad to see Jessops go under but we all do the internet thing now. HMVand WH Smiths, I think, will be next
No mention of charity shops?
Every other shop will soon be a charity shop in Orpington. At least they provide plenty of voluntary work for our Big Society.
Comments
Shame, future generations will never know the "apprehension" of walking into a photo shop to pick up pictures from a drunken night out and gauging the reaction from the person behind the counter.
; )
Shoddy
Jessops have been struggling for a few years. I wouldn't have booked a holiday with Thomas Cook a couple of years ago etc.
I suppose, if people don't listen to the news or read the news, they're unaware or don't think that far ahead.
Vouchers are about as much use as a chocolate tea pot I'm afraid. I'd have used that asap tbh.
Was expecting to get a bargain a la Comets.
Apparently all the stores are to close, seemed to fall beetween 2 stalls the internet is very cut throat re cameras with lots of grey imports, and the pro guys do not use Jessops as they do not stock there gear. They went very close to this happening a few years ago, but seemed to expand even more?. I bought a new Nikon 6 months ago, bought it from John Lewis, matched the internet price, and will be there next decade?. Went to central London a day or so before the camera was not even in stock even at Grey's or Fixation. The west end was a waste of time, all selling mid range stuff cheaper at park cameras. Sorry to see it close though, always handy for bits and pieces.
Like Kodak they thought the digital age meant little change in their business model.
Sorry to hear you lost your money (voucher will be worthless).
Stock will be sent back or sold to highest bidder.
I wonder what the average British high street will look like in 30 years time.
Suppose also with things like amazon and online shopping in general the demand is nowhere near what it once was.
I honestly fear that HMV will be next. Have been the beneficiary of gift cards from there for the last 2 Christmases & Birthdays and was hoping to replace my 12 year old PC with a new laptop. All stock has been gone for weeks and despite the staff saying it is like this every year and new stock arrives in Feb, I can't see it and think they will be gone soon. Walked round Oxford St branch today & couldn't honestly find anything to buy. It's a mess and many more people will be out of work & all that will be left will be the supermarkets selling Top 10/Cowell abominations.
those were the days !!!!!
Agree, always good for picking up filters, cleaning stuff and other bits and bobs.
Interesting about John Lewis price matching, I wouldn't even of thought of them. Will keep that in mind for future purchases.
For the staff though, it must be awful and I really feel for them. I hope that they can get jobs as soon as possible, but with the economy as it is that's going to be really tough.
As for vouchers, I've never bought them and never will. Cash is infinitely better because you're not restricting people to where they spend it and if any thing happens that means you can't use cash it will be so catastrophic most of us will be dead anyway. Vouchers smouchers.
and the odd crap pub.
Others maybe more fortunate and be converted into housing.
Very sad to see Jessops go under but we all do the internet thing now.
HMVand WH Smiths, I think, will be next
WH Smith I think, is picking up.
Feel sorry for the staff though but it seemed to me like they were a shop that just sold cameras rather than a shop for photographers.
Tottenham Court rd used to be full of HiFi and camera shops whats left offer very little choice.