The Final Days of Ritz Camera

In 2005 I bought my very first DSLR from Ritz here in San Diego and three years later I returned to buy my D300. I haven’t been in a store in awhile but I have been to two of them within the last couple of days. The outsides are lined with going out of business signs and when you enter its just a sad mostly gutted store that lacks life. The online revolution just hasnt been kind to the giant who never adapted to the new lifestyle. Laugh if you will but this is a sign of the times, for some areas these stores were the only place where people can try the camera before they buy.

For those of you with a Ritz or Wolf Camera store nearby you should go and check them out and see if there are any deals that may interest you. The two stores I visited had different final closing dates but had similar sales. They have 60% filters, 40% off camera bags like LowePro, up to 40% off of tripods (I saw a couple of Manfrotto) and up to 25% off of cameras. The main cameras that I saw were Sony, Canon, Olympus and the Nikon 1 series. I saw a Olympus pen selling for $220 and a Canon 60D kit selling for $750 new. The deals will vary per store but they are all closing, to find the store closest to you click here. With that and in closing I encourage you to support your local business’ and share your thoughts below.

Tagged as: Ritz Camera

Arnoldo

Too bad… I’ve been there some days ago (Florida Mall – Orlando-FL) to purchase a OM-D EM-5, but they did not have it in stock. Then the clerk gave me the bad news…
ChrisGampat

Ritz has been known in the industry for forever; and they opened up many, many stores. I currently work for B&H Photo Video, but I agree with you Peter; this is a sign of the times. What will happen to brick and mortar stores when so many people simply just choose to shop online instead? Not only that, but what about Photo Specialty stores in general? While the big consumer electronics companies can survive, it will be interesting to see just how the Photo Specialty stores (with people who actually know what they’re talking about) do in a place and time like this.

I’ve never been in a Ritz, but now that it’s gone I’m very sad I haven’t.
- Peter Walkowiak
  
  When people try out a camera in store at B&H they really dont have the fear that people are going to leave and buy it somewhere else. B&H has a very strong online presence so Im not worried a bit for them, also unlike Ritz’s online pricing B&H is very competitive.
Chris

Reading the customer reviews on an average ritz or wolf store gives a clear idea why they were doomed a long while ago.https://plus.google.com/104428661371828292849/about?gl=US&hl=en-US
They are hated by quite a good number of customers. On the other hand, I never had problems with B&H or adorama and always hear good things about them.
- Peter Walkowiak
  
  exactly, also you get a sense of pride when ordering from the New York stores that you just never got with Ritz… Sad to see that Ritz couldnt pull a B&H a long time ago and turn it around.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Atlanta-Owner/782134078 Atlanta Owner

I went by our local Wolf twice since this started and to be honest, unless you need a small accessory, I’m not sure I’d bother. This particular location at least, never did have good quality filters or tripods, etc. At one point their web site said, “20-40% off EVERYTHING”, yet when I got there, all of the cameras were only 10% off (after having been marked up about 20%). Even with the discount, most of them were higher than you can find on Amazon or Costco. Last week the camera discounts were still only up to 15%, even though the wording of their site suggests 40-60% off everything (with a * for “exceptions” of course, meaning, nearly anything important).
Couple of things to remember, too: The liquidation company has already taken them over. All sales are final no matter what. The manager of the store I went to suggested that the liquidation company has told them to sell cameras even if they know they are defective, and “letting the customer deal with the manufacturer for any issues” – he’s refusing to sell the defects.
David Ritz was not a well liked person among the store employees and management, from what I’ve been told. I’ve heard stories from those who met him that he was arrogant, and could care less about hearing suggestions for company improvement from employees or the public. It’s not a surprise at all that this is happening. I just feel for the employees – David Ritz still has his savings account and vacation home…. they, do not.
- Peter Walkowiak
  
  Well said. I most definitely feel for all of the employees. In their final days they threw everything at the wall to see what stuck… it was sad to see them start selling cell phones…