News

Photo kiosks make impact on camera shops

March 28, 2005

Contra Costa Times: Tammy Jackson of the Bronx likes to print her digital photos at the Costco Wholesale store in Brooklyn, where on a recent Saturday, the lines in front of two Noritsu desktop kiosks moved quickly - largely because Costco does not allow editing of 4-by-6-inch prints, priced at 19 cents each, reserving the privilege for more expensive enlargements. That does not bother Jackson. "I'm a plain Jane," she said. "I don't do a whole lot of fancy stuff." She said she preferred the interface on the kiosk at Costco to one she had tried at a drugstore, which asked her to make more choices. "It's faster," she said. Not every kiosk user takes her approach. At Concord Camera in Concord, N.H., customers are invited to perch on stools and sip coffee while customizing images from their digital cameras on one of the store's five Agfa Image Box desktop kiosks, each placed on its own cafe-style table. Coloring books are provided for children. "Customers bring friends and show them how much fun it is to make prints," said Michael St. Germain, owner of the store, where customers pay 39 to 49 cents for a standard-size print, depending on the quantity ordered. That is more expensive than at chain stores in his area and around the nation, where the price for a 4-by-6 print is typically 29 cents. Click here to read the full story. (Registration required)