My Tri-City residents used Costco Photo Center for all their photography needs. The turnaround time was fabulous, the quality excellent, and the service offerings superb. Unfortunately, Costco no longer has a photo developing department, leaving locals to shop elsewhere to bring their photographs to life. To replace this service, customers must find an alternative in the form of electronic ordering or other customer friendly face-to-face.
When Costco closed their photo centers, they formed a “pass our business” enterprise with Shutterfly (Shutterfly.com), an on-line photography business. Many Costco customers had already been using Shutterfly for some of their photographic projects, so the switch was not intimidating. Shutterfly, like Costco, offers a variety of services. From digital photographs, customers can create cards for all occasions, wall art, ceramic mugs, magnets, ornaments, blankets, calendars, prints of all sizes, and even photo books. Almost anything on which you might want to display a picture can be created. The software on this website is intuitive, making projects a breeze to complete. Once you are happy with your creation and you pay for the project, the shipping department will take care of the rest. Shutterfly offers deep discounts and often free shipping. Once an account is created with this service, customers will receive special offers both via mail and e-mail. Costco chose an excellent on-line photography project creator to pair with their clientele.
Some of Costco’s customers that used the photo center frequently are not comfortable with the on-line process. They are seeking local businesses where they can talk to a service representative face-to-face. Walgreens has seen a dramatic increase in their sales for prints. Like Costco did in the past, prints are offered as a same-day service. Like other on-line services, Walgreens can create not only prints, but also posters, banners, books, cards and even have the ability to transfer old tapes, slides, and VHS to DVD format. Because Walgreens have at least two stores in Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, customers can address their photography needs with convenience. Additionally, the Walmart stores in the Tri-Cities have like services. Like Walgreens, there are store locations in each of the Tri-City communities.
Spectrum Studios at 830 N. Columbia Center Blvd, suite B2 in Kennewick offers in-store photo printing, card printing, along with film processing and scanning services. Customers can order photo books, cards, calendars, cups, and various gifts through the on-line branch of this business. Additionally, those customers who used Costco for their passport photos can now have those taken at Spectrum Studios. If you are in need of business cards, they offer digital printing on-site. To view the services of Spectrum Studios, visit spectrum-studios.photofinale.com.
Although many customers of Costco miss the convenience of placing an order at the in-store photo center and then shopping the warehouse for an hour before picking up their photo order, there are many alternatives that are also convenient. Stores are increasing their machinery and allocating more space and services for photographic projects. Consider Shutterfly if you’re comfortable navigating on-line, or drop into your local Walgreens, Walmart, or Spectrum Studios for one-on-one help with your creative photography projects.
