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Kodak trades prices ripoff


andy

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78.48% discount... Are you getting this as a respected and loyal KEX customer.. If you are getting any less, well.... You know best, and how KEX are looking out for you  ;D Mind you, you do have that KEX sign above your door ;) Well worth it  ;D

Ooops, sorry guys/gals for being a little negative (sorry for the pun) but boy it is really nice to be an independant knowing that the Pi$$ is not being taken  ;D

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So if Kodak are giving a discount like this to a large Chain of photo-labs in the south, this invoice does not relate to the Muppets, then are Fuji giving the same sort of deal to there Special customers, excludes FIS. Some photo-finishers are getting in the  low  80's per square meter i wonder what Asda and Tesco's pay.Is it a level playing field, NO never will be, small groups and independents always pay for what the large multiples get and are any of you out there getting more than 72.5% discount from your current supplier

Am i defending Kodaks policy No but i'm a realist and get stitched up just the same by Fuji, Canon and Pentax with hardware and that hurts more financially

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nope, not saying that, but the discount I see is for paper, unless I need new specs ;)

So if you are a member of KEX, you have to use Kodak paper, right?? So a buying group, to use KEX as an example, that has 250 stores buying in this case Kodak paper, is a paper buying group, regardless of if they "do there own thing or not"

If I was in a paper buying group, with some 250 members, then yes I would then expect some very "heavy discount"

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Yes, if we where a buying group and there lies the problem as we are not you know that as well as I. Having been a member of a buying group in my days as a Newsagent, we used to get great prices, but that was it ,signage was our problem, promotions other than generic national ones was up to ourselves and we still got stitched up by the supermarkets and large multiples, like Martins so in 30 years being in different retail trades I still hit the same problems, only now atleast I have the name of the Brand Leader above my door, signage that they pay for and the price reflected on that invoice is better than some very large wholesale/distributors get so you learn to live with it

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Hi all,    "only now atleast I have the name of the Brand Leader above my door, signage that they pay for and the price reflected on that invoice is better than some very large wholesale/distributors"

I would like to add a few points to this, firstly whether or not you call Kodak a brand leader, well in some peoples eyes maybe, this is largely due to advertising, but i do enjoy watching the ads for Kodak easyshare print at home and seeing leaflets dropping through my door for currys selling digital cameras and printer dock packages. If i were a KEX i would be extremely upset by this, problem in my eyes is that Kodak try to fill too many markets. It's ok to diversify but if i get a better price on Fuji film and pass that on to my customers, offer Fuji or Kodak film to a customer they will almost always go for the cheapest. Also most signage can be printed yourself if you have a wide format printer, and most local signage people will replace your signs for a reasonable amount. As pointed out before on these forums it is about the way you treat and educate your customers rather than what you are called and what brand you have above your door, as an independant i don't need a brand name next to my shop name, we have a local Kex and process more film etc than them..........

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Also if you don't keep driving you digital prices down, you can make a few quid in other areas anyway. THE DAY YOU WERE BORN  and FIRST NAME ORIGINS software available on this forum have done well for us. A local pub ordered some for an employee, they were so impressed they put them up in the bar and tell people where they got them!, also sungalasses do well for us.

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Yup, good post Andy.. The Kodak brand, though strong, is now nothing to what is once was. Ask any kid for a digial brand, and I bet they would never mention Kodak.

But keeping this on topic, how owuld you feel if you where part of a network with over 250 store, but getting nothing like the discount of a group of around a 100?

Double standards, and all of that.

I do take on board what Trevor says, and he does raise some valid points, me thinks he has got shares on Kodak ;)

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G'day

I've only been in the mini lab game for 18 months down here. It took me a whole week to realise Kodak would bleed me to death with there paper price......$154.00 + GST for Royal 6". I've been paying $90.00 + GST ever since that first week. I've heard all the bad stuff about the Grey market , but i have never had one problem. The paper is ordered in the morning and will be delivered that afternoon. I suggest people look elsewhere if they are being screwed....its your bottom line.

Mossy

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Great thread!

Kodak are desparate to get the volume and are cutting amazing deals for NEW customers only it seems. Those who are on contract are still stick with huge square metre prices. I know that Kodak staff who are taking part in an Express conference shortly are expecting a lynching from their customers - many of whom are paying 3 times more than the rest of the market. They don't have the confidence so it's hardly surprising their customers feel any differently.

I guess the invoice we see relates to Snappy Snaps and Kodak argue they have given them volume and profile in the market, but I don't think that can be justified any longer. That order was hardly huge and their stores are not the icons they once were. Would be interesting to see if their Head Office recieves rebates on top of these??

We know that Kodak have given some huge discounts to ex Agfa and Konica customers - but these are not available to existing customers. Only thing is you can get Kodak's Chinese paper at a fraction of even these prices. Maybe time to consider importing your own paper? We tried the Lucky product - which is part owned by Kodak, and the paper was fantastic.

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Here is South Africa we pay a "Grade 3" discount since we are a Kodak Express store but then on the other hand which i think is like a 30% discount (I might be wrong, will go and check) but our Kodak Express fees is about $200 a month and there is always a problem with the specials like pamplets that are too late or they dont have stock etc. The service is really pathetic.

Gerrit

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Same here in Canada, through our Image Check (our version of express) we get 45% discount off invoice on paper. That went down 10% a month ago. Also we no longer pay any annual fees to be a member. Kodak suffered a severe blow by losing a large pharmacy chain to Fuji and is now begging for business. They are getting rid of staff daily so the service sucks. Almost all the sales staff are gone. I think a couple in sales for the whole country??? They have to stop pretending its a big company and run it like we run our business. They also had a plan to drop dealers from the IC program that did below a certain volume 50K CDN dollars, but then realized there would only be 10 members left. No more flyers or conventions or even a Christmas card??

But the top guys are still making millions and apparently thats all that matters.

I feel better now.........

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It's great you are happy with KEX, but i think that as this thread was started by a KEX member everybody should be entitled to give advice on the question in hand. I don't think my post was at all anti-kex but sorry if it offended!. I think it would be far more helpful to join in the thread and issue your opinion on the subject, just my opinion guys as an unbiased mod!!!!

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I think the thread is good as it brings more transparency in the industry. It's been interesting to see what everyone has been paying and will give some a benchmark for negotiation with suppliers.

Kodak have been good for photography, but perhaps some of the comments are payback for the arrogance they've shown many in the industry. I know people locked into contracts amd still paying top dollar while Kodak have made no allowance for the recent dramatic changes in supply and demand.

How about a new section for some 'success stories'? There are some good things happening in the industry and it would be good to read something enthusiastic and motivating.

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some of the comments are payback for the arrogance
Yup you will get snide comments from me re Kodak...

I will not go into detail here, but unless you have been on the recieving end of how Kodacrap works, then I doubt if you will understand. I may one day post up more details on how KEX operated, and I think it will shock many.  :P

i thought the adminstrators and moderators would be impartial on a forum
Fair comment, but as I offer out this forum for everone, I will also express my own peronal views, "taking on my admin hat" I think the mods here do a superb job  ;D
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