Here it is:
"I work my side of the street and you work mine and yours?"
Well, I guess that is what I am saying. There can be no doubt that print volume to the labs in this industry are down. You could read the numbers for yourself if you had access. Trust me. Print volumes are way down. Prices are lower now than nearly any time in history.
Labs do have to make up for that lost revenue somehow. Every photo lab is a living, breathing business with real debts and real obligations that must be met. We have never gone out and actively pursued business. As most of our customer base is located in areas other than Cincinnati it wouldn't be too much effort to map out areas here where we have customers and simply stay away. No problem. We just haven't done it.
2005 saw another significant rise in our volume and expenses but revenue didn't keep pace. I talked on the phone last Thursday with a customer in Georgia that has become a friend over the years that he has been coming here. He informed me that he lost his 3rd small league to a parent with a camera. Lower price to the parent and the prints are just good enough. I am going to turn that on this situation and say that we are losing print volume. Lower print prices than we can afford to give at mass merchants and in-studio printing are the two biggest reasons why.
There is certainly very little that my friend in Georgia can do. There is a lot that I could do. What is the future for BB Color, Inc? I don't know for sure, but I can tell you that it will be what is in this lab's best interest and to the extent possible in the best interest of our lab customers as well.
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