April 21, 2011: Harvey Norman in Corio, a suburb of Geelong in Victoria, has launched a Pro VIP program, offering discounted print services to professional photographers.
The offer is not across the Harvey Norman chain, but an initiative of the individual franchisee at the Corio store.
Pricing ranges from 10 cents for a 6×4-inch print, 29 cents for a 5×7 and $1.95 for an 8×12, through to $14.95 for an A2 poster and $29.95 for an A1 poster produced on an Epson wide format printer. All prices are well under the already-low Harvey Norman RRPs for print services.
Harvey Norman Corio is promoting the Pro VIP offer via printed fliers with an attached redemption voucher which encourages recipients to apply for a Pro Photographer VIP Card. There doesn’t seem to be any requirement to establish professional status.
While there are no pro labs in Geelong, there are several photo retailers who have established a niche handling work for professional photographer customers, semi-professionals and camera club people with specific printing requirements.
One store owner Photo Counter spoke to (who asked to remain anonymous) described the Harvey Norman offer as ‘just ludicrous’.
She said she had already lost at least one pro customer who sells a lot of 5×7 prints from events such as debutante and graduation balls. That one customer alone represented thousands of dollars of business.
The $1 price point for 5×7 prints at her store, in a nearby suburb, was three times the Harvey Norman price.
‘How can you be expected to compete at those prices?’ she asked.
She said that a special channel had been set up for pro work at her store, which was handled across the counter and printed direct from disc or USB without auto-correction – to suit professional photographers’ requirements.
The Harvey Norman service seemed to be via kiosk rather than across the counter. The promotional flier stated that the store had just had a major upgrade to its photo centre, with a new Fuji 770 lab installed.
Calls to Harvey Norman Corio were not answered at time of publication.
Your Comments
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Posted By PG04/23/2011 08:48:29 AM
Nothing new here, many of you including Robbo are trying to get into Harvey`s business by competing at their crazy low prices, why shouldn`t Harveys get into yours? RGB/Kayell here have been offering $1.50 8×10`s for ever, yep three times our special price! But… they are out in the boonies unlike Harvey`s you might say, but the do offer a fantastic service, better than so many who think they are in the pro business. We didn`t compete on $6.95 d&p, the corporates who used to pay our `huge` d&p prices still pay our going rate for digital printing. If you can`t understand why you shouldn`t be in business.
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Posted By Robbo04/22/2011 07:55:30 PM
Get with guys two years ago at the trade show about 400 `pro` photographers showed up From memory last year 2000 put themselves in that role. It`s a lots of lost business and those poorer quality prints are setting the. `standard` that customers will accept
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Posted By chris bennett04/21/2011 05:44:27 PM
My advice, don`t lower your prices because of perceived competition. Any Pro that would go to Harvey Norman is already going there. The difference is so stark that price difference is irrelevant. Hold tight guys…
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Posted By Mako04/21/2011 05:11:02 PM
I and others approached ACCC re: predatory pricing and printing below cost. (True cost including rent, TV and Catalogue advertising not just the paper and chem. cost of a 6×4 sheet of paper). We were told that if consumers were getting it cheaper, the ACCC were satisfied, end of story. Pity we don`t sell milk, someone might listen then.
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Posted By Luxman04/21/2011 04:57:32 PM
pro work is traditionally labor intensive with excessivley low margins and many re-do`s. To deal with Pro“s is a labour of love… and always hard work. I think Harvey Norman will either regret this move, ar annoy the photogrpahers who are not used to be treated the same as mums and dads. Time will tell
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Posted By Kevin04/21/2011 03:59:22 PM
Someone should tell these fools pro-printing involves inspecting the prints and re doing with adjustments to colour/density match them. Can`t be done on an auto-correct printer. Maybe they`ll just get in the backyard pro`s who don`t know the difference between good or bad quality.
Your Comments
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Posted By PG04/23/2011 08:48:29 AM
Nothing new here, many of you including Robbo are trying to get into Harvey`s business by competing at their crazy low prices, why shouldn`t Harveys get into yours? RGB/Kayell here have been offering $1.50 8×10`s for ever, yep three times our special price! But… they are out in the boonies unlike Harvey`s you might say, but the do offer a fantastic service, better than so many who think they are in the pro business. We didn`t compete on $6.95 d&p, the corporates who used to pay our `huge` d&p prices still pay our going rate for digital printing. If you can`t understand why you shouldn`t be in business.
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Posted By Robbo04/22/2011 07:55:30 PM
Get with guys two years ago at the trade show about 400 `pro` photographers showed up From memory last year 2000 put themselves in that role. It`s a lots of lost business and those poorer quality prints are setting the. `standard` that customers will accept
-
Posted By chris bennett04/21/2011 05:44:27 PM
My advice, don`t lower your prices because of perceived competition. Any Pro that would go to Harvey Norman is already going there. The difference is so stark that price difference is irrelevant. Hold tight guys…
-
Posted By Mako04/21/2011 05:11:02 PM
I and others approached ACCC re: predatory pricing and printing below cost. (True cost including rent, TV and Catalogue advertising not just the paper and chem. cost of a 6×4 sheet of paper). We were told that if consumers were getting it cheaper, the ACCC were satisfied, end of story. Pity we don`t sell milk, someone might listen then.
-
Posted By Luxman04/21/2011 04:57:32 PM
pro work is traditionally labor intensive with excessivley low margins and many re-do`s. To deal with Pro“s is a labour of love… and always hard work. I think Harvey Norman will either regret this move, ar annoy the photogrpahers who are not used to be treated the same as mums and dads. Time will tell
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Posted By Kevin04/21/2011 03:59:22 PM
Someone should tell these fools pro-printing involves inspecting the prints and re doing with adjustments to colour/density match them. Can`t be done on an auto-correct printer. Maybe they`ll just get in the backyard pro`s who don`t know the difference between good or bad quality.
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