Price lists

[Tony.T]

It's that time of year when I like to 'freshen up' our price list.

Always looking for new ideas, let me run this by you.

I'm beginning to think that most customers don't understand the concept of tiered and per print pricing. In the old days of film you had a price of, say, up to 15, up to 27, up to 40. Then different prices according to the print size with a premium for rapid services. Most people accepted and understood this.

Nowadays People come in with digital media and ask ' what will it cost to print these?' The standard response is' I need to know the quantity, size of print and when you want them'. The conversation goes rapidly downhill then.....

So, I'm thinking of going back to basics by grouping together quantity of prints, sizes and pricing them accordingly.

for example:-

up to 5, 10, 20, 30, 50, 75 then 100 and any more than that per print. Film would have an additionnal £3.00 / reel to cover processing, express services would be, say 50 % more.

Do any of you do this?

I would really like to get away from the per print pricing which I feel causes a lot of customer unease as they (and we) really haven't got a clue what the job will cost. At least with film you can see at a glance how many exposures there are and can price it instantly. I know most (all?) customers don't know exactly how many shots they've got on their media, but most know to an accuracy of around 20 which should be enough to enable us to give them a firm price.

If you understand where I'm coming from then please give me some input. Indeed if any of you do this then please perhaps share your price list with me (discretion guaranteed)

thanks in advance-

Tony

[kioskguy]

Some Snappy Snaps have been offering package prices. I was passing through Ipswich recently and noticed the shop there had price bands for different quantities. Not sure if the other ones are doing this too?

[philspectrum]

Most customers have no idea how many prints they have, especially now 2gig is a minimum card size, and there can be thousands if images. I would love to have an envelope price of say £3, and then all prints at say 12p

this would be like the old c41 days, but I just don't think I could sell the idea.

I recon it costs spectrum the same to process an order of 20 or 200 prints, so how can I cover this?

Phil

[Photographis]

to be honest I find very few people want bulk prints nowadays, the only time I see people is when they cannot get their home printer to work properly, or they want something special. With copy shops (and even Staples) now doing prints, is it really worth chasing? Our collective 'push' should be towards 'quality' not 'quantity', customers are quite open about the fact that they will get the bulk of their printing done at tesco/asda et. al. and only go to a specialist when they want something 'special'. This is our U.S.P. in my humble opinion.

  As for 'package' prices, I like the idea, Tony, but like Phil am unsure about it's structure and implementation.

I did try a while ago to sell cheap, un-corrected batch printing, priced to seriously challenge Tesco's. Even though our un-corrected output is still better than Tesco (value) corrected, I had very few takers, finding my customers were happy to pay the premium for corrected prints.

  These are difficult and uncertain times for everyone, made more difficult for our trade with the explosion of digital technology. Adapt to survive.

[Tony.T]

Thanks for the input so far.

I'm actually not trying to 'cheapen' my output- there really is no point in trying to compete with the supermarkets. Rather I am trying to create a really simple to understand at a glance price list that will give the customer confidence in using us rather than Tesco etc.

For instance:-

NEXT DAY SERVICE

Up to 4 prints  £3.00

5- 25 prints     £3.50

26- 50 prints   £6.00

51- 75 prints   £8.00

76- 100 prints £9.50

101+ prints 10p ea

EXPRESS SERVICE

Add 50 %

FOR FILM

as above plus £3.00 to process film

Pay no attention to the actual figures but please comment on the concept!

Have a nice weekend everyone-

I'm off to break some clays tomorrow  

hhmmm- the smell of cordite in the morning....... ;D

[Photographis]

I like the concept Tony, and the tie-in with film processing. I think the danger is that it could get to long and complicated and end up being another pricelist that you need to explain.

As this is an additional list, KIS, call it a digital/film processing package, keep it to say 15, 25 and 40 prints + reel price (that way some of those appalling cheapy suc's could fall into the '15' bracket), then add the alternative sizes.

   ?

Hope you had a good morning!!

[Tony.T]

I like the concept Tony, and the tie-in with film processing. I think the danger is that it could get to long and complicated and end up being another pricelist that you need to explain.

As this is an additional list, KIS, call it a digital/film processing package, keep it to say 15, 25 and 40 prints + reel price (that way some of those appalling cheapy suc's could fall into the '15' bracket), then add the alternative sizes.

   ?

Hope you had a good morning!!

Like your thinking- do me a favour, could you dummy up a price list for me to see along those lines- I think between us we could be onto something.

And yes, we did have a good morning- a very tricky course but I shot ok, cleared one stand, the last pair with one shot, so I broke the pieces with the 2nd shot ! I asked if they would score me 11/10 but they declined, miserable sods  ;D

[AJLA]

Annie Oakley eat your heart out!!!!!!!!!

Interesting thread..

[Tony.T]

Annie Oakley eat your heart out!!!!!!!!!

Interesting thread..

Unfortunately 'Annie' didn't shoot so well yesterday- you get days like that- I should know, I've had a few myself.....

[Photographis]

excellent day out then ! But be prepared, Annie will get you when you least expect it  ;D

I'll get something together over the next couple of days Tony.

[Liz]

Thought I'd chip in but don't know how valuable my info is to you given the different locale (not to mention Country) and different competiton.  We charge $4.00 for minimum number of prints stopping at 4.  So 1 print $4.00, 4xprints $4.00.  This is because we have a lot of structured travellers (backpackers) who use our machine to giggle over their collection, and then order 1 print to cover the cost of their half hour or more time burning up our electricity.  Then us having to swap and reswap cannisters to print one blessed print usually at 5pm.  (Hey...I'm old, getting cranky and petty   ).   Plus the Chemist across the road charges $3.95 for machine useage so they're prettty well........ah.....stuffed you may say.  That's price level 1.

We then charge 29 cents per print up until 100.  Over 100 we charge 22 cents.  This last one we run as a special every day on a sandwich board outside the shop.

People get confused with too many price levels when the multinationals just give them one broad print price (but often charge a kiosk useage fee, or next day, or some other hidden negative.)

  

[Photographis]

Couldn't agree more Liz, and your contribution is valid. All these long winded pricelists help no-one and only serve to make the customer suspicious and hesitant.

  For this thread locale is unimportant, it is structure we are looking at. I do like the principle of a minimum fee, but as yet it seems unacceptable in this area, what about other areas? The simple pricing that Liz is using also appeals, our price breaks are 5,25,100,250,399,400+ over 5 standard sizes.

Any other input on this?

1 to 5 @ £2.50

5 to 100 @ 30p

200+ @ 20p

hmm. All your fault Tony!

[Tony.T]

Like Liz's ideas, but I don't think the UK public would pay a fee just to use a kiosk- although I would love to, the number of kids who come in, use the machine, time and electricity then just walk out without ordering anything drives me crazy (good thing I've got the 12 bores locked away at home..... )

I've tried to keep my pricing similar to that of film to keep things simple. I'll have another think and post up an idea or two.

[Liz]

Hey Tony, just saw your problem with giggling teenagers vs giggling backpackers.  You know, to my horror, my husband marched up to them for about 3 weeks straight and asked them if they intended to print because they were holding up the machine, about to close, not a public service, and other such stuff that took him to say on the day.  I hid.  But it worked.  The word got around not to use the machines unless they were going to print, hence the one print, so we upped the ante to 1-4 same price.  He's happy now. Message? Your shop....your rules.

And film?  That old hubby of mine skyrocketed the price.  Like to twice our competitors and they still come in.  People go, "Oh my God".  He says, well digital has taken over, chemical prices up, etc. etc.......then sells 'em a digital camera.  .  I'm a girl.  Can hide well.

[Photographis]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I like it Liz, I really do. The picture in my mind of your husband berating whilst you make yourself invisible.......

Oh yes.

He should be up for an award for that, i'm sure.

It's a funny thing, after talking to another member of this forum about the problems associated with 'professional' photographers, I took a 'no-nonsense' approach to one particular pain in the a##, and returned his work to him incomplete (inapropriate folders, cropping, etc) and not only was his next order properly formatted, it was also bigger. Now he realises I am not prepared to do ALL his work for him, his work is a pleasure to do.

[Tony.T]

The last few posts made me laugh- truly wonderful.

Liz- can we hire your hubby by the hour please (a man I could truly relate to  ;D- )

[Colopt]

Good thread.

I like the idea of a base charge say $3.00 and then a per print price which is the same regardless of quantity, but like others here I feel it won't go down too well with customers.

I don't know why the cost of more prints should go down so dramatically with quantities, it's not like it's costing less to produce.

I have been thinking of putting up my digital print prices, so as I can spend more time doing stuff that actually makes money, like large format printing, framing etc. I am happy to move away from 4x6 inch prints, doesn't worry me if I don't get many  , at least the prints I do will be for a profit.

Currently prices range from 75c to a min of 40c each, but might put it up to 45c. I don't know how others can make a profit at less than this, but for me there's no point in doing it for any less.

[Photographis]

  'Lost leaders' are for supermarket chains. Unfortunately small businesses are expected to follow. I remember many years ago many local bakers were in trouble because of supermarket discounting, this is very similar.

[Colopt]

Your'e right, there was a time when local bakers were a threatened species, but now bread at the supermarkets is no cheaper than a baker's.

The wheel always turns.

[mike11918]

Don't really know if my input matters much as I am a rather noob to the forum, but I am California, USA. I charge 13 cents for all my 4x6 prints whether it be one stinkin print or 1000. My objective is to get customers through the door to make them see that we in fact offer various other services, in particular our portrait studio services. I don't hope to gain much on the digital 4x6 prints themselves, but rather gain customers all together. I have found that once a customer is already in the store they don't much care about the prices I have on other services. Our studio portraits, video transfers, enlargements, etc. are very high margin and we accept the busy body work of 13 cent 4x6 digital printing. My neighboring grocery market and Costco charge relatively cheap for the prints and I most definitely need to stay in the market, therefor I offer 13 cent digital printing in not days or even several hours but in ONE hour-within reason of course.

[Colopt]

If it works for you that's good. Seems like an expensive way to get people in to the shop though.

I wish pubs would start giving away free beer in the hope that I will buy some food!  ;D

[cecilh]

If everyone in our small came in it would only be 7000. 90% of our customers make for our Kodak instant machine at 49p whatever the quantity. Only 10% ever ask the price. We have a minium of 3 prints that gets rid of the single prints from mobile phones that takes up a lot of time.

[NeilT]

As the market has matured, and people now understand that home printing in bulk is expensive, time consuming, and frustrating, they are now re-discovering the local photo store, where, they (the consumer) can press buttons on a kiosk, so they hold some control of what they are doing, but price in general is not an issue, as a lot of them would have gone done, the route of doing home printing and the cost involved.

Once they have a very large amount, then sure let them haggle, and then do the discount.

The 35mm days of 24 prints for £1.99 at the <big name> did not matter to the independent mini-lab, it did not matter then, and the same is true to-day

[Tony.T]

As the market has matured, and people now understand that home printing in bulk is expensive, time consuming, and frustrating, they are now re-discovering the local photo store, where, they (the consumer) can press buttons on a kiosk, so they hold some control of what they are doing, but price in general is not an issue, as a lot of them would have gone done, the route of doing home printing and the cost involved.

Once they have a very large amount, then sure let them haggle, and then do the discount.

The 35mm days of 24 prints for £1.99 at the <big name> did not matter to the independent mini-lab, it did not matter then, and the same is true to-day

Very good point, and in the main I would agree with you. However, I am finding that people are becoming very price conscious, and when it is difficult to give them a price due to all the factors involved they get frustrated because they don't understand how our (the industries?) pricing structure operates. it's at this point that they simply walk out, leaving us to flounder like a fish on a slab  

[Photographis]

Hi Tony, sorry been distracted.

  We do 24x d&p for £5.49. Removing the dev @ £3.00 gives you a print price of just over 10p p/p.

  36x being £6.49 giving a print price just under 10p.

Having monitored the digital input of the type you describe, although I do occasionally have people who 'dither' about the price/quantity, most only want 'the last few' or very specific about which ones they want (have a long list taken from the camera screen that bears no or little relation to the actual file names), and unfortunately that type of customer comes to us because they are either incapable of, or do not want to, use the supermarket/ self service kiosks. Because of the extra work involved with these clients, I wouldn't feel happy offering them such cheap prints. So the question has to be, How do you differentiate ?

  As an aside, our local Tesco's have now gone over to the HP kiosk/print solution, and their p/p cost has now risen to 30p. If Tesco's are having trouble keeping their per.print costs to previous levels, I will be staying with silver halide for a while yet.