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To: Art Bechhoefer who wrote (21439)	1/15/2002 3:35:59 PM
From: Ausdauer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 60323

Ritz Camera buys Wolf Camera It was just a few years ago that our local Proex (photo developing) franchise was bought out by Kodak. Kodak was apparently trying to control film sales and photo paper/chemicals for prints buy scooping up all the retail storefronts. Then Proex was purchased by Wolf Camera stores and there was a consolidation of various sites. Now I understand that Ritz Camera swallowed up Wolf that gobbled up Proex. As the bigger fish swallow up smaller fish we are left with fewer choices. There is still Target and Walmart and Sam's club, or even Walgreens. But I get the distinct sense that the photo "boutiques" (if you will) such as Wolf and Ritz must be struggling. Internet savvy people are buying more stuff on-line and people are using their ink jets in the place of photos more and more. I wonder how long these specialty stores will survive. I also believe that places like BestBuy and CompUSA and Circuit City are going to be selling the computer hardware and digital imaging devices that replace standard 35mm film gear. Has anyone noticed similar developments in their local areas? I think people are getting more and more comfortable with digital imaging for most things. Just today I got an e-mail from one of my secretaries with digital photos of a local "Polar Bear" club's New Year's Day frolic in one of our frozen lakes. When I asked her about the photos she said she took them with her "spy cam". Then she showed it to me. It was actually a Handspring Visor with an Eye Module that she bought on the Internet. She said that her son, an engineer for IDEO in Silicon Valley, helped design the Springboard module for another company. She is probably in her late 50's now and is totally okay with hot sync'ing her device, editing and e-mailing digital images. I thought that was exceptional!!! Aus