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  #1  
Old 2nd May 2012, 10:26 AM
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Default Boots to close 160 film mini-labs

Didn't realise they still did developing etc.
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Old 2nd May 2012, 07:05 PM
Mike O'Pray Mike O'Pray is offline
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Andy I read your title and then had exactly the same thought that I then discovered you had made into your one liner. You have to wonder how many other film users realised that in bigger towns/ cities they could walk straight in for processing and presumably the smaller branches of Boots would take film and send to labs or would they?

Unless Boots made things easy for customers then it isn't surprising that it couldn't generate enough business.

Big companies are often crap at making non-core stuff work properly

Mike
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Old 2nd May 2012, 07:39 PM
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Just when I was thinking of buying a Boots wood & Brass field camera which is up for auction (not Ebay) !

I've noticed there are never any customers at the processing counter and digital bits in my local Boots, usually see people in Jessops as I'm passing though.

Ian
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Old 2nd May 2012, 07:43 PM
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I used to get slide film developed at boots and they did a good job too. And smaller boots would always send film for dev and print.
It's more of a wonder to me that people didn't know. Boots have always sold film. And 160 mini labs makes them one of the biggest processors of film in the country. Why didn't you know?

My guess is most men stay out of chemists cos they are all £10 plus shops and full of stuff women like to buy.

Oh, and traditionally chemists were always the goto place to get film developed. It figures really since its all about chemistry isn't it.
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Old 2nd May 2012, 07:58 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Argentum View Post
Oh, and traditionally chemists were always the goto place to get film developed. It figures really since its all about chemistry isn't it.
The local chemist also used to be a convenient supplier of those "useful" chemicals like Boric Acid or Formaldehyde. Now that Boots won't even sell me a small bottle of Meths, I only use them to get syringes on a needle exchange program* or brown glass bottles (500ml or smaller).


* Intended for drug (ab)users, but also a handy source of free 2ml & 5ml syringes when you need to measure out small quantities of Rodinal/HC110/Pyro
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Old 2nd May 2012, 08:04 PM
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Anyone else read the title of this thread and thought "what the hell is 160 film?". I was envisioning some ancient kodak rollfilm format from the 1920s and wondering why Boots was still processing it
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Old 2nd May 2012, 10:21 PM
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Anyone else read the title of this thread and thought "what the hell is 160 film?". I was envisioning some ancient kodak rollfilm format from the 1920s and wondering why Boots was still processing it
You should have a look at the currently in production fuji films.
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Old 3rd May 2012, 11:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Argentum View Post
It's more of a wonder to me that people didn't know. Boots have always sold film. And 160 mini labs makes them one of the biggest processors of film in the country. Why didn't you know?
I had assumed they had given up on film processing years ago. I have never needed their film services as I process my own film (B&W). The last colour film I shot was in 1969 and I sent that to Kodak.

I don't even know which is our nearest branch but it will be 20 miles away whether it's Ashford or Folkestone.

I expect Snappy Snaps et al. will be happy though.
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Old 3rd May 2012, 03:15 PM
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On a positive note, think of all those processing machines up for grabs
I must admit to using Jessops for colour, as they've always done a pretty good job
Phil
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