[Michaelina2]

Canon and Nikon on the hook for about $40 million.

Perhaps Pentax absence from the Ritz line-up was a smart move.

For more info...

Ritz Camera seeks bankruptcy protection - BusinessWeek

Cheers...

[asdf]

Canon and Nikon on the hook for about $40 million.

Perhaps Pentax absence from the Ritz line-up was a smart move.

For more info...

Ritz Camera seeks bankruptcy protection - BusinessWeek

Cheers...

"HA HA!"

Here's the slogan from their website: "Celebrating our 10th anniversary and going strong!"

Their prices seem exceptionally uncompetitive.

Canon and Nikon on the hook for about $40 million.

Perhaps Pentax absence from the Ritz line-up was a smart move.

For more info...

Ritz Camera seeks bankruptcy protection - BusinessWeek

Cheers...

Nothing cheery about this news. I just bought some gear from them. I am afraid to say that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

[rfortson]

Nothing cheery about this news. I just bought some gear from them. I am afraid to say that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Well, I don't wish to see anyone lose their jobs, but Ritz was the pitz of service and selection. Like a moth drawn to a flame, I went in there on occasion, but can honestly say I rarely ever found anything of value there, unless it was a 3 year old closeout widget that I alone needed. Their attitude was consistently condescending (for some unknown reason), so I don't think I'll shed too many tears for them. Besides, chapter 11 just means they're going to stiff Nikon, Canon, and Sony, and then keep on peddling the same lousy service, at least until they go Chapter 7. Maybe Pentax saw the writing on the wall and pulled out from Ritz.

It's also funny considering the several posts I saw where a Ritz "sales professional" attempted to steer customers away from Pentax because they were about to go out of business.

Thank goodness for the internet, or I wouldn't own any camera equipment. The only things I've ever bought from B&M stores have been from the specialty camera stores (the few that still exist) simply because they've given good service/advice/whatever. Ritz has never fallen into that category.

[roentarre]

Moved to general talk section.

[Michaelina2]

I don't think the loss of Ritz is funny at all.

Anything that reduces the competition is bad for everyone. While not being able to "hold" a model may turn a buyer off, perhaps Pentax marketing strategy of identifying and avoiding zombie B-M settings is smart.

C-N's losses will need to be recovered at some point. Let's hope Pentax can be even more price competitive and start to gain market share. I want Pentax and those that sell their products to make a fair profit. While I don't like paying more than the street, when you look at the complexity of the product and the images that result, Pentax is a bargain even at full price IMHO.

Cheers...

[cardinal43]

I bought my K100D from Ritz in Sep 06, and the sales person (a young lady), was reasonably familar with the camera and, to her credit, never tried to talk me out of buying Pentax. She told me she was a Nikon shooter, and had considered Pentax, and thought it was an excellent camera. It was a Labor Day sale when I bought mine and I paid maybe $50 more than online, but I was able to walk out with it that day and I knew it would be easy to return if something was wrong.

[Blue]

There's another thread that has been going about this:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/general-talk/52069-ritz-camera-files-bankruptcy.html