Paulie, I'm beginning to wonder about that myself. It sure seems like they don't care about film customers at all. If you had asked me about this a couple of weeks ago, I would have had a totally different answer. There is a Walgreens right down the street from me, and they actually were doing a pretty decent job, and I was taking my color film there for a while. But now every time I go down there, the photo lab is closed, saying that it's only available for pick-up. I don't know if they're having trouble keeping the lab staffed or what. So I decided to go to another Walgreens across town. I assumed that if one Walgreens photo lab did a good job, they should be pretty much standardized and another one would do a good job too. That was a big mistake. They totally ruined my film and the negatives had some kind of chemical residue and spots all over them. I tried to clean it, but it wasn't coming off so it was something that actually happened during development.
I think they really just don't care. They gave me a refund, but I know they won't do anything to fix the machine. I know exactly what will happen. Probably most of the film that was developed there was from disposable cameras (I saw a lady drop off a disposable camera while I was waiting in line). So I'm sure a lot of their pictures will have the same problem...spots and streaks all over, but they really won't care because probably most people who take snapshots with a disposable camera really don't care that much about quality (that goes for digital P&S users too). But they'll just think "oh well, that must be because it's film."
So yeah, indirectly, they are trying to "encourage" people to go digital....even if they have to
force and
blackmail them by
ruining their film.
The thing that makes me really mad too is that it's not as if it's super cheap either. Walgreens charges almost $10 to develop a 36-exposure roll. $10 is still a lot of money, especially in these hard times. I don't mind paying more to have film developed...but it better be worth it, and I expect them to do a decent job. I've been looking online, and for another $5 or $6 more, I could just send my film to a professional lab.
Here's what I think is going on...my "theory." The 1-hour photo labs at Walgreens, Walmart, etc would really love to get rid of film processing entirely and just go entirely digital. But there is still enough business from film, especially from disposable cameras, that the corporate offices decided to keep it. But they're just doing it reluctantly. They don't care about quality, and for them it's just another small bit of profit on the side. Most of the "clerks" I've been seeing at 1-hour photo labs lately are totally cluess, usually kids right out of high school or just barely starting college. They're looking for an easy, part-time job. They probably
thought that working in a "photo lab" means that they would get to work at a computer and "photoshop" pictures all day...like they do with their "kewl pics" that they take with their cheap little digital P&S camera at home and post on MySpace. But when they find out that they actually have to work with FILM, they hate it. "eeew...I have to work with FILM and chemicals?!" But they need a part-time job for spending money, and there is nothing else for them (unless they want to flip hamburgers). So they decide to stay there. But they do the job grudgingly. They do just barely enough to not get fired. They don't check the machine or the chemicals. They don't follow procedures, and the managers don't care enough to actually enforce them.
And here is the other problem. The store manager or corporate office probably leans on the photo lab, making them squeeze every extra penny of profit they can from them. So the photo lab will pretty much use anyone they can, just to keep the lab staffed. So you wind up with a bunch of idiot clerks who don't want to be there in the first place (because they thought a "photo lab" was going to be all digital, editing "pics" on a computer) and the managers won't fire them because they need anyone they can get.
The 1-hour photo labs just can't understand the fact that some people are actually into photography as a hobby, and some people just prefer to use film.
Anyway, I'm ranting and this post is getting way too long now. Sorry.
I decided to call Freestyle Photo Supplies and ask if they could recommend a good lab for developing color film. The guy I talked to suggested a place called Swan Photo Labs. He said they do a good job and that's where they send customers' film. They develop all kinds of film, including 120, which is nice to know, since Kodak is going to make Ektar 100 available in 120 size.
http://www.swanphotolabs.com/swan08/mailers.php
So I'm going to send my next roll to them and hope for the best. I would like to try Dwayne's Photo. I send my 8mm movie film to them, and they do a great job with that. But I'm hearing mixed things about them when it comes to developing 35mm film and prints.
