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I really like B&H, but....

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Want to bet on that?
ChatKat said:
And if you want to go shop for
camera equipment of Christmas you can because they'll be open!
--
Chat Kat in Ca.
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Except during special holidays, like this week, they usually close on Friday afternoons and all day Saturday. They resume orders at sundown on Saturday night and are open Sunday mornings and afternoon. They post a holiday schedule on the website.

If you want to do business at those times, I'd suggest you try Canoga Camera in CA. They do not observe those holidays.
--
Juli
http://www.pbase.com/julivalley/galleries
Canon FiveDee, Canon 2oD, Canon Gee3, and Canon S7o, Fuji Eff30.

 
DRP said:
they seem to be much more
focused much more on their own convenience and holidays than they
are on what is ideal for their customers.
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We are certainly sorry this has vexed you. B&H's web site won't take orders from Friday evening through Saturday night and this has been the case for about a year now. Our owner elects to put his faith first and his beliefs before profit. His choice of course.

Even if you could place an order at B&H noon Saturday, it wouldn't get read or fulfilled until Sunday because there's no one here Saturday anyway. In the long run, from the satandpoint of when we'd ship and when you'd get your merchandise, there's no change at all.

Autumn is full of holidays and this year due to the coincidence of holidays and weekends it seems there are more of them, but we observe the same schedule every Autumn. We're closed for the 2 days of Rosh HaShannah and for Yom Kippur (a solemn fast day and a holy day, but not a holiday per se) and for the week-long holiday of Sukkos (or Sukkoth if you're from that side of town).

Again, I am sorry if this vexed you.

--
Henry Posner
B&H Photo-Video, Inc.
 
doesn't vex me... i understand it, just don't agree with it.. i just don't feel your religion (or your boss') has anything to do with your business.. but hey, I also don't think everything should be closed on the day columbus "discovered" america.

--

Savage.
 
oh yeah, and way to go on stocking up the most popular 5d for the beginning of the rebate.. i mean you don't have to be a business major, or jewish to realize how many of those are gonna sell.. perhaps you got a surge of purchases.. right before the rebate??... maybe.. otherwise.. bad planning..
--

Savage.
 
Buy from somewhere else, I have to admit, I hate their scedual, they have lost a lot of business from me and MANY other, but they choose to, and because its their business, they can close whenever they want.. Accept it and buy from someone else on the weekends..

They have the freedom to select when they will and will not be open. I dont agree with the whole idea, but thats the way it is..

I HAVE a REAL QUESTION, what do people who follow the same faith the owners of BH PHOTO do when they HAVE to work on a holiday or weekend..

For example, could they be a wedding photographer? a Doctor, etc.

Someone who has to be on-call all the time.. esp a doctor..

I have to tell you, if my doctor told me he could not do critical call on weeksend I would find a new doctor..

If anyone know the answer to this situation let me know..
 
smearedblue said:
it's not good business to ignore the faith of your customer base.
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"... faith of your customer base." What does this mean?
smearedblue said:
In my opinion.. i don't care what religion you are, has nothing to
do with me buying a camera.
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They follow their beliefs strictly, which governs their lives including their business. This world needs more open-minded people and less closed-minded ones.
smearedblue said:
I don't really care though, they can do
what they will, I wasn't goingt to throw away money at b&h anyway.
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Ha. Keep saying garbage like this. It's not like BH needs your money anyway.
smearedblue said:
--

Savage.
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--
Pbase:
http://www.pbase.com/robotzer0

Comments are welcomed.
 
AFAIk there are -as in almost all religions that have rules like these- exceptions for emergencies and maybe even for absolutely necessary work.

Don't think wedding photograpy would be included in those categories. Maybe getting married is not done on the sabbath?
Geoman said:
I HAVE a REAL QUESTION, what do people who follow the same faith
the owners of BH PHOTO do when they HAVE to work on a holiday or
weekend..

For example, could they be a wedding photographer? a Doctor, etc.

Someone who has to be on-call all the time.. esp a doctor..
Click to expand...
 
B&H knows Who the real 'center of the universe' is, and it ain't the original poster.

Anyone who wants to take on B&H will have to do a heckuva lot more than stay open during the Jewish Holy days and Sabbath to get my business. Like offer a H U G E range of merchandise at great prices, fast service, knowledgable people on the phones, and a really amazing web site.

Maybe the OP wants to give it a try??
 
If you understood it, then there wouldn't be this debate. Their religion calls for them to do whatever Friday night through Sat. night and that (apparently, I don't know the details) includes "no work."

The real problem is the general attitude of people wanting something "right now." The Internet has made that attitude worse because now people expect things to ship 24/7/52 instead of driving/walking/etc to a store that does have limited hours of operation.

I never liked the laws that kept stores closed on Sunday because it was forced by Big Brother. If, however, the store owner CHOSE to close on Sunday, then that was and is fine (Chik-Fil-A comes to mind). If someone feels that strongly that a camera store needs to be open on such-and-such day, then that person needs to create a business plan, present it to a bank, secure a loan, and open a camera store that is open on such-and-such day. Or, simply buy somewhere else.

These days we hear more and more "don't push your religion on me." That's a two-way street. Don't you push your religion (or lack there of) on the folks who own/run B&H.
 
DRP179766 said:
It seems like they are becoming much less customer focused.
Success is not always the best teacher, and when it comes to
customer interface issues like the times when they are actually
accepting orders on their website - they seem to be much more
focused much more on their own convenience and holidays than they
are on what is ideal for their customers.
Click to expand...
Well it's not like B&H invented Yom Kippur or the concept of a Sabbath; they just obey them. Occasionally that's been inconvenient for me, too, but I do something radical: I wait for them to reopen, and then I place my order.

The thing is, when I've dealt with them over the phone, no one has ever lectured me in Yiddish about how I should find faith. I give them the same respect; I don't expect them to abandon theirs just for my money.

Being religious and being moral are two different things, and B&H happens to be both. I happen to like the fact that the store puts something above money. I ordered a macro lens once, and they sent me two; returning one of them wasn't a hassle in the least. I'm confident that if I ever have any trouble, they'll go miles out of their way to make it right for me. Over the years, they've earned my respect.

You should be happy to be doing business with somebody who doesn't want your money enough to slit your throat for it. Sure, there are plenty of other retailers that are open Saturday, and some of them are honest folks, too. But the internet is filed with snakes in the grass, when B&H are good honest folks, with good prices.
 
they can. My stepfather is an observant Jew and for years worked on Saturday because he had no choice ... other than to give up his job, which he needed to put food on his family's table. He didn't like it, but it was a choice he made. His life, his choice, his karma, etc.

B&H is owned and run by orthodox Jews, and they do have the option of staying closed on Saturday ... i.e., there is no one there to say "come in to work or you're fired." That choice is one of the perks of owning your own business.

Yes, their website used to accept orders on Saturday, but they apparently were not happy with this compromise, so they stopped doing it. I am not a religious individual, at least not in that sense, but I respect anyone's right to practice their faith as they wish ... provided they do not try to force it on me. Not taking my order on Saturday is not my definition of "forcing" their faith on me, since there are a jillion other places I can go.

The real question I'd ask the OP is, why is it such a big deal to wait one more day to place your order ... or to place it a day earlier, or on a weeknight, your lunch hour, etc., etc? You get the idea. It's not an earth-shaking problem, so get over it!
tominboston said:
DRP said:
What has changed during the past year is the ability to place an
online order when they are closed.

I accept and support the observation of their faith, but it still
seems like their website could accept an order anytime it is
convienient for their customers.
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While it could be argued that since the orders aren't actually
processed until B&H reopens, no religious rules have been violated
by accepting online orders on the Sabbath. Others, I'm sure, would
claim the practice is exploiting a modern day loophole to violate
religious teaching and tradition.

I sure don't have the answer as to which interpretation is correct.
Clearly B&H has had a change of thinking on this issue. I think
you just have to respect their choice. I find it hard to believe
that Saturday monrnings are the only time you can order camera
equipment. But if that is the case, then you'll just have to find
another supplier. I'm sure B&H would understand.

--
Galleries:
http://www.pbase.com/thenkel
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--
-Michael
http://www.novalight-imaging.com

'When you come to a fork in the road, take it!'
-Yogi Berra

 
wow... that was great.. what an ingenious was of countering my complaint.. i already stated.. I don't even care.. I don't order from b&h.. just suggesting that if they wanted to keep the customers that they didn't already discourage with their over priced products, they'd at least make up for it with useability and or customer service.. guess not.
--

Savage.
 
Maybe because I am Jewish (not orthadox) my opinion is bias, however who are we to tell an owner of a private business when to open and close. If you can't place an order when it's convenient to do so, then order from anther store. The owner of B&H clearly knows that he loses business, but chooses to open and close when he wishes.
--
Josh
 
Just a silly question, but why not take the order on Saturday. As long as somewhere along the line your website warns the orderer that it won't ship until Sunday I can't see this being an issue. Most companies quote x business days for delivery anyway, so weekends don't count.

jerry

--
jerryk.smugmug.com
 
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