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| - I'm a small business owner, so of course I want to see small businesses thrive.
BUT, I have a story to tell. I am telling it in hopes that this conveniently located camera store will change its ways.
I came into this store looking to BUY a camera battery charger for a very small camera battery. The store sells them - usually - but was out of stock. Heading on an excursion and wanting to have some juice in my camera for a little budding photographer in our family, I asked if there was any way they could charge my camera battery with a charger they weren't planning to sell individually (i.e., one that came with a different camera, etc).
REMINDER: I was looking to buy one, they didn't have one to sell me.
The guy in the store was super-nice. He checked around and came up with a charger that was to be sold as a part of an assembly with another camera.
He plugged it into the wall and charged the battery I'd brought in for about 30 minutes while we went to eat (Delux is right next door, and we eat there ALL THE TIME, so I had planned to buy my own charger and plug it in one of their outlets, which their super-friendly servers and the AWESOME ownership would've allowed in a heartbeat!).
30 minutes later, we head back over to Wilson's. The guy says "it maybe has enough for 20 to 30 pictures in it, are you sure you want to take it?" Um, yeah, guy, I had told you we just wanted to charge it quickly on our way to our excursion. We had told this guy our plans to run eat, then head out!
I said "yeah, we're done with lunch, and we have to leave."
He said, and this is the part where my jaw hit the floor: "that'll be $10.93."
WHAT?
REMINDER: I was looking to buy a charger, they didn't have one to sell me.
I don't want to pay their &$(#%&*%& electricity bill, however. Not exactly a tangible good or service!
I thought he was kidding. Because seriously, who charges MONEY to charge someone's very low-voltage camera battery for 30 minutes?
I've never charged my clients for such a thing. And I'm an attorney! We practically coined the phrase, "nickel and dime!"
I handed him $11.00. As I did, I told him him in very nice tones "I am floored. I seriously had no idea you'd charge me. I am absolutely floored. I had no idea you'd charge me." Massive hints, guy.
He said, "I probably should've told you there would be a charge."
And then, with a smile on his face, he gave me $.07 back.
****
UPDATE: I saw the owner responded. The person minding the counter very clearly told me he was charging for the voltage. I went to BUY, not "rent." And yes, I am a lawyer and I charge a fee for my services. You're a camera store, and you charge a fee for your...electricity? Paper boxes? NO - your products! You charge for products. Your service, your expertise - not voltage, not taking a thing out of a box and then putting it back in.
See the other one-star reviews. The correct answer, if you're an owner, is that the customer dictates the market.
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