B&H and Adorama Closed!

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
Per carrigman:
I think it is
outrageous for these two firms to treat its customers like this.

When's the last time anybody found stores open on Christmas Day in a
predominately Christian area?

Last Christmas.


I've seen it, but my thought has always been
that somebody should get a life and just close the place for that day.

Because it's Christmas?

Hey, if you ever own a store you can "get a life and close the place for
that day," for whatever delirious joy that brings you.

Neil

"Rita Ä Berkowitz" ritaberk2O04 @aol.com wrote in message
...
(PeteCresswell) wrote:

When's the last time anybody found stores open on Christmas Day in a
predominately Christian area? I've seen it, but my thought has
always been that somebody should get a life and just close the place
for that day.

What's Christmas? It's just another busy shopping day for most. It's sad
to say Christmas caved into the almighty dollar.

But that's GOOD. It's good for business and good for the economy.

Also, it's very traditional in a pre-Christianity sort of way, which is good
in itself. When you say "Christmas caved" it sounds as though you think it
stood for something it never really stood for. It's the good old pagan
celebration of the winter solstice, the origins of the Yule tree, exchanging
gifts, the colors red and green, etc., loosely adapted to a Christian
culture but really having no foundation in Christianity itself.

Neil

"Bill in Alexandria" BMcGovernWITHOUT wrote in message
news:YBr6f.7385$v_5.6682@dukeread07...
I am sympathetic to John's disappointment.

If New York City is, what, only 25% Jewish, you'd think a big
company like B&H would have enough trustworthy and competent staff to
serve its broader customer base.

On the other hand, B&H is not alone. My son tells me that the A&P
grocery store across the river in Hoboken closes on Saturday noon before
Easter, and doesn't open again until Monday morning. You'd think that the
only large grocery store in the little trendy town would want to better
serve its customer base.

Since I like B&H, I would be VERY disappointed if I made an effort
to go there only to find it closed--for me, sometimes it's years between
visits to NYC.

Bill

"carrigman" wrote in message
...
I'm just back from a trip to New York City where high on my agenda was a
visit to B&H to buy a Canon lens. Off I went one morning only to find the
store closed for the week. No word of explanation. No matter, there was
always Adorama. So I hightailed it down to West 18th Street only to find
myself, together with a bunch of other bemused photographers, staring at
shuttered windows and a notice saying they too were closed for the week!

All to do with a Jewish holiday, I understand. Surely they have enough
non-Jewish employees to cater for the rest of us? I didn't see any other
major New York stores closed for religious reasons and I think it is
outrageous for these two firms to treat its customers like this.



Here in Pennsylvania, only 60 miles from Philadelphia, in Lancaster County,
the Amish and Mennonite business owners never do business on Sundays, and
they close even on such religious holidays as Good Friday and Ascension
Thursday! I admit to having been somewhat startled about the Ascension
Thursday closings, but that is their right, and they owe no one anything in
the way of compensation. For a customer to go about complaining on the
Internet--to a potential worldwide audience--is not only inappropriate, but
it is a display of contempt for the religious traditions of others.

I have never heard a Jew complain about Christians that close their
businesses on Sundays. And I have never heard a Gentile complain that Jews
keep their businesses open on Sundays, either. Really, who cares about
petty stuff like that.

What I do remember is back in the days of the Blue Laws, when I was growing
up in New Jersey, when stores were prohibited from selling certain types of
merchandise on Sundays. You could buy cameras, film and accessories on
Sundays, but not clothing. Our local department store had to rope off the
apparel sections on Sundays, and they turned the lights off in those areas
of the store.

Thankfully we have progressed to where the State is completely neutral in
these matters (But, last time I looked, taverns in Pennsylvania could not
open for business on Sundays unless they also served food. And even today,
one cannot buy a new car in Philadelphia on Sundays, because the dealers are
prohibited from opening. And this when the City of Philadelphia is about to
license slot machines at various locations within the next several months!)

"½ Confused" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 22 Oct 2005 10:00:16 -0400
"Bill in Alexandria" BMcGovernWITHOUT wrote:

I am sympathetic to John's disappointment.

If New York City is, what, only 25% Jewish, you'd think a big
company like B&H would have enough trustworthy and competent staff to
serve
its broader customer base.
snip

Bulderdash! A staff that has a generous vacation policy IS usually
trustworthy, competent, and loyal. Good for the company, good for the
customers, and good for the longevity of the business.

Jeff (not a confusing issue)

Although that is true, the real bone of contention is that control freaks
like the OP have no standing when it comes to dictating to privately-owned
business when they must be open and when they may close.

Sort of makes me want to tell him to go f*** himself!

Rita Ä Berkowitz wrote:
Yes, this is called shopping around and buying merchandise around your
criteria. That being said, you don't blame a merchant for your poor
planning and lack of will to do some research.

It is not a matter of assigning fault or blame. A transaction only
occurs if the buyer and seller can meet each other's needs. I do not
plan every purchase a week in advance -- maybe others can and do, but
that's just not the way I am.

B&H was, in some cases, less able to meet my needs than other sellers,
so the other sellers recieved my money. I am not "blaming" B&H, just
choosing to spend my money elsewhere.


Good planning and communication will
eliminate these problems and heartaches.

Once again -- there is no "heartache." I am just saying that B&H lost my
money (in some cases) because they were not open when I wanted to make a
purchase.


If Friday evening is the most convinent time for you to pick
up the item, and the store is closed on Friday evenings, then you will
probably go somewhere else, even if it is slightly more expensive.
Again, lack of proper planning and scheduling on *YOUR* part is the crux of
your problem not B&H's.

Why would you schedule your entire life around B&H? Should I take a
different job so I can shop at B&H on Thursday evening? Or refuse to see
my girlfriend so I can go there on Sunday? B&H is only a seller -- one
of many who offer very similar pricing. If they are open, I'll
go there. If not, I'll simply go elsewhere.


Mike, the race card has been played so many times by so many different
people that, yes, it's petty.

I think it's possible that racial issues are raised a lot because there
is a lot a racism and racial tension.


The problem is when there is *REAL*
discrimination being inflicted it goes unchallenged because of the
pettiness of the fools that overplayed the race card prior.

So you can only mention a problem if it is of cataclysmic importance? I
don't think you have to ignore the little problems in order to address
the big problems.

-Mike

none wrote:
carrigman wrote:
All to do with a Jewish holiday, I understand. Surely they have
enough non-Jewish employees to cater for the rest of us? I didn't
see any other major New York stores closed for religious reasons and
I think it is outrageous for these two firms to treat its customers
like this.

B&H has lost some of my money because of their frequent closings.
However, it is a privately owned buisness, which can be operated
however its owners like, as long as they do not break the law.

Personally, I would be more concerned about their hiring practices,
which seem like they might be discriminatory on the basis of both
ethnicity and religion. I have not met every B&H employee, but it does
seem like all of their employees are Hasidic Jews.

-Mike

I don't know about that...
-When applying for a job there, I suspect many potential employees balk at
being informed that they will be "out of work" for nearly the entire month
of October. Most people would have a hard time dealing with the financial
remifications of this non-work schedule.

none wrote:
John A. Stovall wrote:
If Freedom means anything it should mean an employer can hire who
ever he want's and the market will decide if he made the correct
choice.

There are some people (libertarians) who believe that the only
important freedom is the right to do what you want with your private
property. Most people seem to disagree with this, which is why we
have minimum wage laws, worker's compensation laws, and
anti-discrimination laws.
Personally, I do not believe that libertarianism can be justified. In
any case, hiring discrimination is against the law, so it is a
reasonable concern, even if you disagree with the law's intentions.

Bull.
Should churches have to hire atheists if one applies?
-Or other people not of their faith?
Of course not.

To not realize that these businesses are Orthodox is just plain ignorance.


"carrigman" wrote in message
...
"Mark²"
"Outrageous to treat their customers like..." what??? What have they
done to you except to expose your poor planning? One visit to B&H's
website and you'd have seen their huge sign noting their closed days this
month. B&H and Adorama have the best reputations in the industry. What
is outrageous is your disregard of their right to honor their religious
beliefs through the conduct their own business.

The closure of these stores during the normal business week is not
something one expects and so the need to check their websites was not that
obvious.

All other major stores in NYC seemed to be operating as normal. And surely
many of them are Jewish owned?

Anyhow, I'll know better next time.

John

wrote:
On Sat, 22 Oct 2005 11:55:19 GMT, Gary Edstrom
wrote:

You know, it wasn't that many years ago in this country that
virtually all businesses were closed on Sunday. I can remember a
time when the only places open for business on Sundays were SOME
grocery stores and SOME gas stations. EVERYTHING else was closed.

Yup, and things have changed. These businesses have opened for
business on Sundays, or not, or have passed from the scene. The
same with B&H. I wanted to order a flash and lens from B&H but
was unable to because of their holidays. I purchased them from a
competitor. This will either adversely affect B&H or not.

They have always done this...
and...
....they are *THE* biggest photo/video store on planet Earth.

-Seems to me they have pretty good business practices.

If New York City is, what, only 25% Jewish, you'd think a big
company like B&H would have enough trustworthy and competent staff to
serve its broader customer base.

On the other hand, B&H is not alone. My son tells me that the A&P
grocery store across the river in Hoboken closes on Saturday noon before
Easter, and doesn't open again until Monday morning. You'd think that the
only large grocery store in the little trendy town would want to better
serve its customer base.

It's a free market. If they're treating their customers that badly,
someone else can waltz right in and take a portion of their business. If
that hasn't happened, then either nobody has seen the opportunity, or their
customers really don't mind that much.

steve