So yesterday we got our pictures taken. I was a little worried about the “sales” people harrassing us to buy pictures. I heard a horror story about the hard sell, so I became a little cautious. I have a great business mind, (or maybe I am just a good con artist) so I was ready to get a good deal if we got any pictures. After the photographer took our picture, and commented several times that we must have done that before (Who hasn’t gotten their picture before? ), we went to the little room to purchase our poses.
She began our process showing us an older woman and how their “retouch service” totally changed the look of her picture. Do I look like I need airbrushing? Now don’t get me wrong, I do love a good airbrushed panama city tshirt, but my picture? So I said yes, would you please airbrush my picture and make me look like Arnold Schwarzenegger!
After our airbrush she began to show us all the frames we could get. I wasn’t impressed by the frames at all. Most of them had scratches and dents and pieces of wood knocked out of them. It was just not a good presentation. (Cracker Barrel, would be upset)
Then she began to tell me all about how I could give these pictures away as presents. I am glad that she told me that, cause I didn’t know where I was going to put all 12 of the 16×20′s that I was planning to get.
So then the big question came…What size pictures do you want? I told her it depended on how much they were. If the pictures were $2.50 a piece we might get a whole bunch.
She then began to tell me that 95% of people customize and mix and match packages, so she didn’t really have a price sheet. You don’t have a price sheet? I could feel the “you’re about to get ripped off” meter starting to sky rocket. So I just kinda starting thinking to myself and not paying attention to our sales rep anymore. She then tells us that she has some packages but that 95% of people don’t buy from the packages, they customize. So I start looking at the sheet and looking at the picture packages. It had several packages with 4 wallets “retouched” for $800, so I was thinking maybe we couldn’t afford any portraits. So I have the “we ain’t getting any pictures today” look, and suddenly she has some “special” packages.
Of the 4 special packages, we chose the one with the most 8×10′s. But then I was left with the problem that I wasn’t going to be in the top 95% of people who bought pictures, if I just chose this package and didn’t customize. So I asked if there was a way to buy additional pictures, and you won’t believe this, but she pulled out a price sheet!
Are you kidding me? A price sheet! I thought you didn’t have a price sheet! We decided that 85 8×10′s were probably enough and we didn’t need to customize our package.
So I have some great shots of my biceps and my beautiful wife, but we are in the bottom 5% cause we just couldn’t take the plunge and customize.
Maybe I can goto Kmart and get into the top 95%!
