Buying D90 at retail store vs. camera shop (Ritz)?

With a few hundred $ in gift certs from Best Buy the D90 could be had for about $1000. Going to a Ritz Camera store in town would cost about $1300. Is there any real advantage to buying the D90 at Ritz vs a store like Best Buy?

I see no advantages of spending an extra $300.00 for a D90 from Ritz vs Best Buy or another other store in that matter. Ask yourself a question, what will Ritz do for you that worth $200 to $300? Please don't be fool by the extra bonuses thrown into the deal because the real value does not add up to the stated (inflated value in that matter) value. I would buy from wherever cheaper providing that the store you bought from is reputable.

Paul

In the last 30+ years I have come to regard Ritz in about the same light as BB and CC, just another mega chain with hundred and hundreds of stores employing a lot of whom are part time students, many with only a limited knowledge of photography. In San Diego there are two real Pro Camera Shops, who have employees seriously into photography and who have worked for years at their respective shops. When I have questions I go to one of these shops, never to Ritz; Ritz is for general generic accessories not informed answers or specialized equipment. I do not want to imply that every Ritz (or Wolf) camera store across the country is necessarily this way, just that the local stores here are.

But when it came time for me to buy my D90 I bought it from BB. I don’t especially like buying things at BB, but neither camera shop had a D90 in stock yet, and BB not only had one but was offering a discount and I was about 99.9% sure that neither pro camera shop was going to match their price.

--
Brooks
http://bmiddleton.smugmug.com/

Brooks P said:

In the last 30+ years I have come to regard Ritz in about the same
light as BB and CC, just another mega chain with hundred and hundreds
of stores employing a lot of whom are part time students, many with
only a limited knowledge of photography.

Click to expand...

Agree 100%, unless you're going to a local store that has experienced people, there is no advantage - even so, the difference in your case would not be worthwhile - Perhaps when you are looking for lenses or other accessories, you can find a smaller store that will be able to help with good advice

Chris

You can get burned at the "too good to be true" web sites, but buying on-line from a reputable dealer, buying at a local store, or buying at a local "big box" store are all viable options.

Keep a few things in mind.

The tax situation can make a big difference when it comes to expensive items.
Shipping is generally not a big factor, but some places over charge, so check.

It's not unheard of to open a "new" box and find a used camera, or perhaps even an old brick. If you have a chance, for example at a store, open the box in front of the clerk. Make sure EVERYTHING on the parts list is actually in the box.

Check the return policy. Most are generous, or overly generous actually, but not all are the same.

Be prepared for a sales pitch aimed at accessories, kits with junk options, and expensive warranty offers. I generally don't buy any of this, but some folks feel more comfortable with extended warranties. Sometimes an add on is good, but usually not. Suit yourself, but be ready. If you can get them to throw in a memory card, great....... but be sure it's a good one, not something so small and/or slow that you'll never use it. Go for free shipping instead.

You might deal with a genuine camera guru, but chances are the sales staff knows less about the product than you do. Do your research, take advantage of touching the gear in the store if you can, but be prepared to get zero help from the clerk, or worse, you could get some really bad information.

Let bottom line price be your primary guide, but don't be fooled by the half price web sites.

Bob
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Just be careful buying at BB, Ritz, or any other large chain. Two recent threads on this forum attest to that. One describes someone who bought a D90 at BB, did not check it out in the store, and when he got home found he bought an empty box. The second bought a D90 at Circuit City and again did not check out the camera in the store. When he got home the camera in the box turned out to a D50. Both had a great deal of difficulty returning the cameras and convincing store management.

If you can, buy at a local camera store. They should open the box and check out the camera before you pay for it and take it home.

Tom Ray

tbr48 said:

Just be careful buying at BB, Ritz, or any other large chain. Two
recent threads on this forum attest to that. One describes someone
who bought a D90 at BB, did not check it out in the store, and when
he got home found he bought an empty box. The second bought a D90 at
Circuit City and again did not check out the camera in the store.
When he got home the camera in the box turned out to a D50. Both had
a great deal of difficulty returning the cameras and convincing store
management.

If you can, buy at a local camera store. They should open the box and
check out the camera before you pay for it and take it home.

Tom Ray

Click to expand...

Thanks! If this is the only issue, however, then i will just open the box prior to leaving. I would do this anyways.

I paid list price for my D90 body and kit lens but after the wonderful live.com 25% cashback offer, I paid $799 for the body and $190 for the lens, shipped, no tax, both from camera stores on ebay, not the Buy More. If you want to save money, you have to get creative.

The problem with buying it from BB is the sales tax, which around here adds 8%. At least through the Ritz online store, it's free shipping, no tax, which saves you $100 over BB in that by itself.

In the end, you need to buy your camera from a Nikon Authorized store so that your warranty is intact, be it Ritz or BB, and I strongly recomend that you use American Express card that doubles the warranty up to a year. I've had cameras/cell phones go bad 18-20 months later and within 24 hours of giving the the info they wanted, they issued a full credit on my credit card. BB also has a great warranty but a substantial costs. Ritz has the best warranty but at even higher costs (~ $400 for 2 years), but I had cameras I got at Ritz for my clumsy wife that she dropped and I brought in the remains and they gave her a new camera.

Word of advise. If you buy at BB, CC, Ritz, etc., please open the box in-store in the presence of a manager or customer service folks. I'm the guy in the thread/message above whose D90 turned out to be an altered D50...I could have avoided the whole fight with the retailer if I had pulled the camera body out of the internal box at the counter. Good luck...it's a great camera...

Small correction to an earlier post. You don't need to buy from an authorized dealer for the warranty to remain intact-- you do need it to be a camera manufactured for the USA (not gray market, not purchased from another country). There are deals to be made if you are creative within boundaries and know what you want. Avoiding sales tax is a good way to save some money. I was leary of waiting 45+ days for a live.com refund, but had a 10% off coupon for ebay: I bought my body-only d90 for $850. That's more than the live.com folks, but I didn't feel like waiting for cashback and the negotiations that go with that deal. If you can get a kit for under $1100, tax/shipping included, I think that's a pretty good deal.

SaraTatter said:

With a few hundred $ in gift certs from Best Buy the D90 could be had
for about $1000. Going to a Ritz Camera store in town would cost
about $1300. Is there any real advantage to buying the D90 at Ritz
vs a store like Best Buy?

Click to expand...

--None what soever but make sure you get whats supposed to be in the box, something called a new camera..not a returned one from a disgruntled user when they find out the better pricing around..$1000.00 from BB I say go for it..forget Ritz on all accounts, they're not even close on most items price wise and their extended warranty sucks too....

'I am what I am and thats all I am' Popeye 1960. Favorite famous Hollywood celebrity. Don't have time for the rest.....