[mee]

and no jobs for anyone

Anyone?


I think there are a lot more than just camera sales and cashier positions available. Those are largely minimal experience, minimal pay jobs and there will always be smaller amounts of cashier and customer service people around, even if the majority of front facing brick and mortar jobs become automated. The local Walmart just hired even more people recently, despite a remodeling of the store that included twice as many self checkouts. There are customer service folk that watch the self checkouts and helps customers and there are still cashiers for those that want them. Plus a lot of stocking and inventory folk. Also, they have adapted to offer online ordering that is ready when you arrive in the parking lot. So some of those people shifted to readying those orders and loading cars.


It isn't as if all sales positions are disappearing... and smaller business (think restaurants and niche specialty) will always have on hand cashiers and customer servicey type positions even if chain fast food, department, and electronic stores were to fully automate sales. It's not so glum.


Photography stores are in an awkward position since sales peaked around 2010 or 2011 for DSLRs (back when everyoneee needed one to take 'nice' pictures of their kids), back to an enthusiast and commercial photographer catering business. Demand has waned back to the roots right around the time online stores were really hitting their stride.


This is different from say.. the local Meat Market/Butcher.. that still seemingly thrives today despite the giant Kroger (grocery store) across the street and the Walmart less than a mile down the same road. You're not likely to order a lot of meat online (unless they are fancy steaks) but a camera can be an ideal product to be sold online... plenty of reviews, information, sample photos, 2 day shipping, and liberal return policies to ensure you make a right choice.

[beachgardener]

lets hope the future is rosy then

[mee]

lets hope the future is rosy then

Indeed! Stress Less.

[phoebus]

...The Pentax DFA*50 sold out its initial batch even though not one of us had handled it in a shop or even seen it, despite being very expensive.

Actually I had seen it and had a play with one on a K1ii back in February before either was on sale.. ..and bought it from a B&M store in the UK on first day of availability in UK. I appreciate I was lucky to have such opportunity - Pentax (Ricoh) is fortunate to have a couple of enthusiastic stores in southern UK that actually stock a large range of Pentax gear - not something that is available in every country.

[dc1500]

I've been using some sort of k-mount camera for decades. But we all fall for the hype in some way in the end. I have a K3 and recently (last couple of years) a Nikon D500. It is not a better camera all round. The media made me think the D500 was the ultimate camera in every way. The Pentax is better at some things and the Nikon better at others. This is true of almost every camera. You just have to choose what is best for you in your budget. Everything else is pretty meaningless. There is no doubt that the D500 get's a better press than it should and the K3 less publicity, especially when you take into account the Nikon costs nearly three times as much.

In the end it matters not how defensive we are, Pentax will survive if it makes a profit and it won't if it doesn't.

[Asimov]

Saab disappeared in 2012.
I still don’t understand why.
Numerous articles were written trying to explain the demise of a brand of cars that had proved its worth many times.
The only remaining truth was that the take over by General Motors turned out to be hostile and that Saab was sacrificed on the altar of mass production and mediocrity. One competitor less to deal with.
Pentax seems to have undergone its share of mergers and takeovers as well but at least there are no in house adversaries (correct me if I’m mistaken).
Pentax was probably in a lot more danger when Samsung tried to dabble in the DSLR market.
Anyways.
My Pentax SLR is still very much alive and I am sure my K5 will survive for quite a while.
I will quietly sit this one out and move on to the next Pentax when I feel like it.

[H.Abendsen]

could somebody plz close this thread? this is ridiculous.

[Pål Jensen]

GM have ruined all the brands they have been i touch with. They simply dont understand branding. Cadillac fom no.1 luxury car to pimpmobile. Indeed the whole us car industry went from world dominition to making cars impossible to sell outside the us.

[monochrome]

GM have ruined all the brands they have been i touch with. They simply dont understand branding. Cadillac fom no.1 luxury car to pimpmobile. Indeed the whole us car industry went from world dominition to making cars impossible to sell outside the us.

Tariffs, labor constraints, macroeconomic policy (they’re all elements of one condition, really) and demographics had a lot to do with that. Post-war American dominance of many things eroded as the Baby Boomers came into their acquisitive years, rejecting anything and everything their parents favored. Caught short by successive energy crises, capital and labor bound to a suddenly unworkable business model and wearing the tarnish of ‘Dad’s Cars’, it was inevitable that GM must completely abandon its traditional customer base or die with them. They made the wrong choice.

That being said, Cadillac has separated its management from GM, and they’re doing good cars now.

[Asimov]

could somebody plz close this thread? this is ridiculous.

Hmmm! Don’t tell anyone we’re having fun.
Terrible things, those unvoluntary subscriptions. 😎

[Clinton]

Pentax still here eh?

[Tangent88]

Only thing announced at Photokina being the GR III, it doesn't look that good really.

Olympus had nothing new either.

Not looking that great for either company TBH, full-frame Mirrorless cameras and Smartphones look to be the future of photography and Pentax/ Ricoh and Olympus do neither.

[RonHendriks1966]

Only thing announced at Photokina being the GR III, it doesn't look that good really.

Olympus had nothing new either.

Not looking that great for either company TBH, full-frame Mirrorless cameras and Smartphones look to be the future of photography and Pentax/ Ricoh and Olympus do neither.

So you think that Olympus and Pentax both go belly up?

[totsmuyco]

M4/3 like Pentax have their own followers. Not everyone wants full frame or MILC, me included.

[D1N0]

Nothing like dredging up an old Pentax is Doomed™ thread.