Technology brings about creative destruction for Ritz Cameras on clarkhoward.com

You may have heard the news that Ritz Camera has filed for bankruptcy. As the nation's largest retail photography chain, Ritz was in 40 of the 50 states operating under several different names.

The decline in film processing has contributed to the company's troubles. Many people have switched to digital cameras and no longer ever print a photo! Camera sales have also been hurt as cameraphiles turn to web sellers and the rest of us buy ours from non-specialty stores.

There are several thriving websites you should check out if you want to manage your photos online. These include Flickr.com and Shutterfly.com, among others.

Technology never stops marching along, bringing with it creative destruction as some businesses falter and others rise up to fill the void. If you're a business owner, are you adapting with the times or are you going to succumb to them?

What others are saying

That's Just Great!!!
I have purchased 3 DSLR's from Ritz over the last 2 years. Their prices were no worse than anyone elses and I'm not fortunate enough to live near B&H or a simular store.
Plus when my wife drags me to the mall I have a place to go that's close to Bath and Body Works which is where she goes. ;-)
By Scott Strang @ 02/25/09 04:02:37 PMreport abuse
"Decline in film processing"
Anyone heard of that cute little company Kodak? The whole company was centered on film. In the last years, with the evolution and commonality of digital growing, they've dropped back and punted a number of times. And they're still solvent. It's lack of forward looking thinking from the top down that has these end results.
By That Guy @ 02/25/09 01:35:54 PMreport abuse
online photo site -snapfish
snapfish is a good online website for managing your photos
By Tonya @ 02/25/09 11:29:27 AMreport abuse
Ritz Camera
Clark is correct and did not tell a half truth. Clark said "The decline in film processing has contributed to the company's troubles", that is the whole truth, this has "contributed" among other things. I believe Clark's point was that things change, companies that don't change with the demand go away.
By Ter @ 02/25/09 09:53:07 AMreport abuse
Online Photo Sites
Be VERY VERY careful posting your photos to online sharing sites, and make sure to read the fine print in the user agreement (UA). A number of these sites have "rights grab" clauses, stating that the company running the site has the right and ability to "grab" the rights to your photo, and use it as they see fit, even to the point of selling it for a profit. FaceBook just went through a phase of saying they even owned all your content after you CLOSED YOUR ACCOUNT, implying that you NO LONGER AGREED WITH THE UA. They changed their tune VERY quickly. Just be aware that these places can use your work for free and even turn a profit on it, without you ever knowing.
By That Guy @ 02/25/09 08:15:44 AMreport abuse
Ritz and Film
Clark, I love you but sometimes you only tell half-truths to make your point. Film has been dead for a decade...so why bankruptcy now? Ritz went bankrupt recently because it made the knucklehead decision to buy a huge Boating Company (Boatworld) in addition to its camera company. Who's buying boats now?

Also, FYI buying cameras on the internet greatly increase the chance that they are knockoff cameras (i.e. Chinese) that are not covered under warranty in the U.S. Lower cost...higher risk.
By Brian @ 02/24/09 10:09:30 PMreport abuse
Ritz demise
People do print digital photos on occasion. Ritz actually does a good job with that, however many other companies compete with them. I think the main reason for failure is the pricing of cameras and accessories. Their stores tend to be small so they cannot stock a large variety of items. It is also easy to find a better deal on a new camera at websites such as Amazon where you can normally avoid sales tax. There are too many camera sellers on the web to think a brick and mortar store could compete.
By Jason @ 02/24/09 05:34:00 PMreport abuse

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Feb 24, 2009 -- Technology brings about creative destruction for Ritz Cameras

What others are saying