Jessops Refurb

On the Huh

On the Huh

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Walked into my local Jessops today to buy an overpriced CF card. :eek:

It has been completely refurbished. Very modern looking. Wasn't sure if I liked it at first. But then I noticed that you could just pick up any camera on display and have a little play. No longer in a glass cabinet!

I just had to pick up a Nykon D700. As a Canon 5D2 user I must admit that this camera felt great, but the buttons and stuff looked a lot more complicated.

The staff were much more attenitive then usual too. Things are looking up for Jessops IMHO. I just hope that they can be able to compete more with the WWW. I don't mind spending a little bit more with them over the web, but normally not as much as I paid for my CF card today.:D

Anyway, I hope that the improvements made at my local store will be the norm throughout the country.
 
Even if I was able, it would take topless hotties to get me to walk into Jessops again..the refurb just wouldn't cut it.
 
Not a big fan of Jessops either but where I live it's about the only place you can go 'view' products in the flesh.

If they're moving towards letting you have a feel without the third degee - that's fine in my book.
 
I went in to a refurbed Curry's Digital in Pompey a few weeks back and the layout was much the same. Hands on is great, but those alarm thing still go off way to easily.

Local Jessops is tiny, I wonder if they will bother doing the change or keep it traditional with locked cabinets.
 
There used to be two Jessop stores in Cambridge about 300 yards apart, until one closed, and the other remaining one got the refurb / make-over.

I find them pretty good, most of the staff have been there for a while, and know what they are talking about, and stock levels are pretty decent.

They can be surprisingly competitive on camera bodies - they make the mark-up on extended warranties and CF cards / filters.
 
I've had nothing but excellent experiences is Jessops. They have always price matched and the managers know their stuff. The other assistants have always gone to ask if there is something they don't know.
 
I've bought several items from Jessops and had no problems apart from a siggy lens which was replaced with the 70-300mm IS USM Canon lens.

The one thing I liked about them is the extended warranties - approx 10% of the cost - definitely better than the usual 30% or more from the white goods retailers.

.
 
It's just the prices and the lack of choice. Here in Leicester where it all started they just have one store (managed by a TP member). The prices are a good 15-20% over anything you can find on the net and the argument that you are paying for advice and service doesn't work. Some staff are helpful (including the TP member) but several seem to have little knowledge. They are fine for selling a compact for Mrs Smith 'who wants a blue one' but know little about more complicated stuff. As much as I (genuinely) want to support Jessops they offer little more now than Dixons/Currys etc. The store they let go a couple of years ago (Hinckley road) was full of enthusiasts stuff not least a stock of secondhand which is a big attraction to get real photographers into the store.

Leicester Jessops always loooks clean and tidy though but then again it's just floor space with most stuff in cabinets or chained up. I have £100 worth of jessops vouchers but tbh having been into the store several times to spend them I have always found the item I'd like mint secondhand at half price or with a considerable discount online. The warranties do seem pretty good. Bought a 2nd hand camera and it was easily transferred to me but how good it is depends when and if it happens!
 
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Lack of stock is the second biggest problem after over-priced in our local Jessops (King's Lynn). You're lucky if they have more than a couple of lenses per manufacturer.. and I have gone passed the window a few times and seen one or more of the manufacturer cabinets completely bare except for their own branded flashgun.
 
I agree Alastair - Rugby's two stores were melded into one that not very big TBH and there's a massive lack of stock. Yep, the cater for people wanting compacts and low-end DSLRs and have all the relevant accessories (cases, tripods, memory cards etc) but as a highstreet photographic dealer, of which they are the only one in Rugby, I find myself always reaching for the internet instead. These small stores are great for people who just want to buy something simple - the section of compacts is actually pretty good in the Rugby branch. On lager items though it's an oder in jobbie that doesn't always hapen for the next day.

I stick to the NEC now for actually hands-on testing things I like
 
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Refurb with most products playable at one of the Croydon stores I noticed. Much, much nicer, more accessible feel to the place.
 
I think they're going through the Birmingham store at the moment - a lot of building activity towards the rear of the store.

I can't fault Jessops (most of the time) and even though I am an honest 'looker' in the store - made it quite clear I was looking and not in to buy - they guy spent a bit of time talking to me about my photography, my gear and aspirations and offered me a chance to play with all the Nikon gear to compare it to the Canon stuff. Not a pushy salesman at all and knowledgeable.


Great stuff if they're mowing in this direction - now all they have to do it get a bit more competitive on price (although they are there, or there abouts, with bodies and lenses.


DB
 
I like a couple of the staff including the manager at the store and they price match the very best that they can or heavily discount accessories, I can usually get what I want from there or Jacobs a few doors up at a price that is not too far off internet.


BlackCloud said:
It's just the prices and the lack of choice. Here in Leicester where it all started they just have one store (managed by a TP member). The prices are a good 15-20% over anything you can find on the net and the argument that you are paying for advice and service doesn't work. Some staff are helpful (including the TP member) but several seem to have little knowledge. They are fine for selling a compact for Mrs Smith 'who wants a blue one' but know little about more complicated stuff. As much as I (genuinely) want to support Jessops they offer little more now than Dixons/Currys etc. The store they let go a couple of years ago (Hinckley road) was full of enthusiasts stuff not least a stock of secondhand which is a big attraction to get real photographers into the store.

Leicester Jessops always loooks clean and tidy though but then again it's just floor space with most stuff in cabinets or chained up. I have £100 worth of jessops vouchers but tbh having been into the store several times to spend them I have always found the item I'd like mint secondhand at half price or with a considerable discount online. The warranties do seem pretty good. Bought a 2nd hand camera and it was easily transferred to me but how good it is depends when and if it happens!
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I went into the one in Milton Keynes a few weeks back and must admit I was quite impressed. The general appearance is much more welcoming. As my dad is looking to buy a new bridge camera, I thought I'd have a play with the one he fancies and report back. I was also pleased that they will now match their own website prices, something they've refused before. I was aware of a discount code and the assistant asked a colleague and they said they would accept that code in store too.


I did realise that some of the staff hadn't improved. When I was looking to see how quick the auto focus was, an assistant came over and asked what I thought etc. Said I was quite pleased and impressed with the fast auto focus, the response was "Ah yes, that'll be the 30x zoom and 10 fps" :lol:

That said, my dad went into his local branch at the weekend and got really knowledgeable staff.
Unfortunately Jessops (and others) need to see staff more as an asset than simply someone to take money in exchange for boxes.

I wish them luck, their body prices are usually reasonable, and they're always an option when you need something in a hurry.
 
I sometimes buy a few things from Jessops, and I find the staff much more knowledgeable and helpful than the usual Currys/Dixons clueless drone.

If they can keep prices fairly competitive with the web then I will be glad to continue supporting them.
 
The nearest Jessops is about 20 miles away, and it's a small store with very limited stock. Closest large photographic shops are 80 - 90 miles away, so I usually buy on the internet and have a quick browse round the stores if we go to Edinburgh. Doesn't happen very often, thankfully. Going to a city, that it!
 
I bought my first film SLR from Jessops in Bristol (Whiteladies road branch), chap was very knowledgeable and sold me some s/h stuff to get me going. The one at Cribbs Causeway has recently had a refurb as well, but of the Sony stuff they have it's all entry level.
 
There are a couple of them in Preston but I don't tend to use camera shops locally anyway. The biggest problem is that, at least in the stores I have tried, I feel that the staff don't really know what they are doing. Some might but when the staff don't know the difference between an SD and a CF card.....
 
The staff in the Colchester store have been very helpful to me, phoning round for stock, helping me with printing for a competition a couple of weeks ago and giving advice on cleaning gear and other stuff. I cant fault them.
 
john_s said:
There's only the one on Fishergate now... the Deepdale store closed a while back.
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Did it? I bought one of their flashes and a Sandisk 8Gb Extreme III over christmas with their strange pricing.
 
I bought a 24-70 2.8 lens from the Brighton Jessops yesterday.
Reserved for pick up from store online, about half an hour later had a phone call arranging to pick it up, (they said they would text). Went into the store a couple of hours later once I had finished my meeting, met with the young man who had phoned who attached the lens to a D300s (which is what I told him I had) and let me have a play. Clearly knew his stuff and was happy to share, chat about cameras and gave me a healthy discount on a gorilla pod too.

Was pleased with the service offered all round, to be honest and yes they been refurbed too.
 
MartynK said:
The nearest Jessops is about 20 miles away, and it's a small store with very limited stock. Closest large photographic shops are 80 - 90 miles away, so I usually buy on the internet and have a quick browse round the stores if we go to Edinburgh. Doesn't happen very often, thankfully. Going to a city, that it!
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I only live 25 miles from Edinburgh, don't you think that for Scotlands capital city its very poor in terms of camera shops?
 
I went to Jessops to look at cameras, having shortlisted a couple. They were very helpfull and informative.
When I had made my final choice a week or so later, I went again to the same Jessops in Solihull, I had at that time decided on the 7D and the assistant was very informed as to the workings of the camera.

I know that I paid more than I could have paid elsewhere, but with a 'major' purchase of a good camera, I prefer to buy new and have extended warranty and a shop that I can walk into if I have any problems.

TP has been great for the extras, I bought 2 lenses before I purchased the camera and am adding more bits as I go. Am looking for a good light meter, probably the Seconic L358 and some additional lighting gear ..................... this hobby gets rather expensive !!!

Malcolm
 
DrRusty said:
I went in to a refurbed Curry's Digital in Pompey a few weeks back and the layout was much the same. Hands on is great, but those alarm thing still go off way to easily.
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The trick is to put the camera back down before walking out the shop. ;)
 
Bucketp said:
I only live 25 miles from Edinburgh, don't you think that for Scotlands capital city its very poor in terms of camera shops?
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Well, it's a lot better than rural Dumfries and Galloway, for photographic stores anyway!

Seriously though, I don't have much to compare it with. I haven't been back in the UK for very long. Do you have any recommendations?
 
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