On Customer Service: Walmart Photo Center

Kind of an old thread but WOW! I don’t understand how someone can in the same post, call Wal-Mart associates rude, AND complain that they’re non-professional, minimum wage, power-hungry idiots. Kind of contradictive, much? I work at a Wal-Mart photo lab and get yelled at, cussed out, and complained to about this all the time. I don’t get to make the policy. I don’t get off on the power of telling 80 year old Martha, who bakes for the homeless, that she can’t have a copy of her dead son’s school photo.

As for the definition of “professional”, I think of this definition: “Engaging in a given activity as a source of livelihood or as a career”. We have some professional photographers who develop their photos through us. They are super nice!! When someone asks me to sell them a “professional” (looking or marked) photo, I always think of it as stealing from a photographer just like them if I do.

I have never made minimum wage and am offended that someone would assume I do. As for being an idiot, I am only working at Wal-Mart as a temporary job while I finish college. I am studying computer programming and upper math. Also, I have to agree with DKir about not being taught, just being expected to know answers. They throw a few basic, trivial training screens at you and then throw you out there. And I agree that MOST of the associates do actually know what they’re talking about.

I’d be REALLY REALLY interested to know what “profession” some of the above people complaining have.

A lot of people act as if I’m forcing them to use our services. I think Valerie is taking the right actions. She was unsatisfied with Wal-Mart so she is choosing a different store. That’s her right as a customer. If only more people would realize that then they might not be as angry.

I shot a wedding two weekends ago and gave the bride CDs of the originals along with a letter stating she could copy them and a filled-out Walmart brochure, stating she could copy them. After seeing the brochure, it’s actually kind of funny, I guess, because it would be SO easy for someone to easily fake that, forge a signature, fake the info, and have “permission” from Walmart to copy.

It’s all really a no-win situation for anyone.

Kristen, I don’t know where you get off saying that WalMart is not for quality files or pictures. I am not a professional photographer, but I have taken pictures at weddings that the people told me were better than those taken by their high-priced “Professional”. I have lots of pictures of politicians, including one that an 11″X14″ of hung behind the U.S.Congressman’s desk all the time he was in Congress. I also have hundreds of pictures of musicians, including most of the Bob Wills Texas Playboys, which are as good as any professional pictures taken by anyone. I have over a dozen high-quality cameras and ALL OF MY WORK IS DONE AT WALMART. Occasionally they do a not-so-good job, but they will do it over at no cost. I have two rolls to put in now, and that is where they will be done. I have never had a problem with them.

A couple of weeks ago I went to Walmart to make a copy of a picture of my daughter with Santa Claus. They told me that they will not copy ANY photos that have Santa Claus in them. This picture was taken in 1984 when my daughter was three years old. It was a POLAROID and had the date stamped on it! I argued and argued and finally the manager let me make the copy. My argument was to her that if there is no copyright on the photo then there is no legal right for them to refuse to let me copy it. She finally relented. This is just ridiculous. My daughter took some photos in that my son-in-law took of my grandson at the beach this year. The film was developed at Walmart!!! They told her she could not have the copies because they looked professional!!! Then the little photo guy looked at her and smiled and told her in a sarcastic voice that he was shredding them as they spoke. This is what we are talking about at Walmart – not copyrighted pictures.

This is ridiculous that you are all talking about this issue for some time now. Wal-Mart’s policy is what it is. Now calm down, and go somewhere else. Not everyone needs their photos in One Hour… you just are getting greedy!

Why do Professional Studios give out customers CD’s with their prints on them? When they do this, customers will obviously just go to one of those photo labs and try to print them. And of course the Photo Lab is correct by not printing the pictures that “appear to look professional”.

The only reason I think these Studios give out CD’s is so that if the customer wants to come back and order some more pictures it would be easier to print them from the CD, then it would to dig for them somewhere on a hard drive or some other type of backup device. Rather than the business going to the hassle of saving everyone’s work, makes sense for them to give the customer a CD and say come back with this for prints..

I agree with the Photo labs for not printing pictures that appear professional. Not all photographers go to the trouble to save some copyright notice printed on the back so duplicates cant’ be made. They feel since businesses like Walmart, Walgreens will follow the law; they don’t need to go through the trouble of stamping it with some disclosure on the back.

Those Santa pictures are indeed professional. There is a PAID-photographer there taking the pictures and when your done with your precious child’s pictures instead of paying the money for extra copies, you usually print like one and say, “I’ll just go to CVS and make extras”. Sorry you CANT!!!

Walmart, Walgreens and others in fact do regulate the machines that print the pictures and refused ANYTHING that is against their policy. It’s your problem as the customer to obey their rules, if you don’t like, TOUGH. It’s absolutely is in most cases is a judgment call when pictures appear professional and the worker tells you NO. Sorry

I’ve read posts on here where some Wal-Mart employees stated that their jobs are to “inforce”, (I’m pretty sure they meant “enforce”), the Law. Really? By what Local, Regional, State, or Federal authority are they operating under? Yes, they may be COMPLYING or ABIDING by a Law, but by no means are they ENFORCING any type of governed LAW. There are policies, regulations, and protocols that their agency may require them to comply with, as well as all applicable laws, but in no way are they ENFORCING THE LAW, regardless of how important that they may think and proclaim they are. The only exception to this would be if they were, in fact, a licensed Peace Officer acting within his/her authority and jurisdiction. The majority of the Wal-Mart employees that have posted here seem to have an “air” about them, hinting that they are Super Crime-Fighters, (Wonder Wallies), constantly battling with persons intent on committing evil crimes against humanity by doing the unspeakable act of having that old 1930 portrait of dear Ol’ Granny reproduced. I’ve had two experiences with these types of employees at the Marble Falls, Texas, Wal-Mart, regarding their “interpretations” of my photos, (that I took with my Nikon), being that they were “professional.” Gee, thanks for the compliment! Both instances resulted in them refusing to give me custody of MY photographs. I was not given the option of a “waiver” form in either case. When I went to pay for the enlargements of MY photos and the women behind the counter saw the photos, they instantly “puffed-up with importance,” and, yes, RUDELY demanded to know and see the CD from where I had downloaded my photographs. I did notice where one of the above posters, (Colleen – Nov. 3, 2007), had a very civil, courteous response to the subject. In no way am I categorizing her with the majority of these Wal-Mart Photo employees. With her intelligent and understanding attitude, she is probably a Regional Manager or higher by now. (The majority of the Wal-Mart employee posters were indeed rude, with one even using some pretty colorful words, which only highlights and substantiates proof of their common negative attitudes towards customers.) I realize that the Piracy Laws are in place for a very good reason and I wholeheartedly agree and abide by them. But for a Wal-Mart employee to ASSUME that I am a liar and a criminal and professing to be an “enforcer of the Law” is a load of bull. It’s not really so much of their abiding by the law, as it is their demeanor towards me. Everyone out there has been wrongfully accused of something before. When you’re wrong you know it and when you’re right you know it, too. And for them to have a “sense of glee and satisfaction” from destroying your rightful property is wrong. Wal-Mart needs to do some serious “house cleaning” with their employees and focus on Customer Service for a change.

Hello all.

I realize that the age of this post may mean that no one will read my comment, but I wanted to add my thoughts on the matter. I am a dept. manager for a Wal-Mart Photo Center and I am also an amateur photographer. I have been treated both rudely and politely by associates over their copyright policy. I fully understand their job because I am one of them. I however know the correct way that copyright situations are suppose to be handled. I was lucky enough to have a trainer who had found a way that worked well with dealing with works that appeared professional. The way that the photo techs should approach the issue would be by making a simple statement and asking a simple question. “These are really great looking photos, may I ask who took these?” Yes it sounds corny, but most of the time it works well. If the customer says that they took the photos then you are suppose to say something along the lines of, “They look really great. Could I possibly get you to fill out a copyright release form? It is basically saying that you are the person who took the photos and that you are allowing us to reproduce the images.” Some people also tell the customer that it is also taking all legal reliability off of the company. It depends on the associate. I have had people cuss at me, throw pictures at me, cry, threaten me, and of course some that handle it really well and say they did not know or that they will try and get ahold of the photographer. I completely understand the anger and frustration over associates who do not handle the situation correctly. And yes Valerie, the whole thing is full of holes. Unless the image is stamped with a well known company name, such as Olan Mills, a customer can lie and say that they took the image. I can not and I will not call them a liar, whether that is what I am thinking or not. I have had a customer say that she took the picture of her at the alter of her own wedding. While in my head I was thinking “sure you did”, I could not say that to her. I could only have her fill out a form saying that she is the one that took the image. I also agree that it may not be the best practice for the associate’s opinion to be the sole basis on what appears professional, but with very few companies putting stamps on their images anymore it leaves little else. For instance, I had pictures taken at Sears and they gave me an image cd. I also had the free pictures that came with it printed at their studio. They were printed on an inkjet with photo quality paper in it. They did not even use the paper that some use that say “copyright, do no copy” on the back. It was normal paper. While most of them were obviously studio shots, there was one that was extremely iffy as to its origins. There was no stamp and no other identifying mark, so all the associate could do was use their judgement. We always offer the customer the choice of us holding on to the copies that they made for 60 days to see if they can get a release. We also will give our fax number if they would like to see if their photographer can fax something over. I have had a studio chew me out over not being able to take their word over the phone that they give permission. I have also had some appologize and say that they forgot to give the customer the release. We also have studios like Sears that put the release as a text file on their cds. We simply put the cd in our computer and print the text file out. The lab should not have required proof that you are the photographer. What is proof? I could scan in any image and put it on my compact flash and take it in to print. I could also make a fake business card or letter head if I needed to. All the lab is allowed to do is ask who took the picture. If the customer says that they did, then they fill out a release and the lab will no longer be held liable. If they said that any one else took the image, then we would need something from the person saying that they give the customer permission to reproduce the image. I have had customers go out to their car and write something up with a phone number on it and bring it back in and say that they got the release. Yet again, I can not call them a liar so I must take it at face value. For those of you that were treated rudely, a simple call to 1-800- walmart would have had the situation looked at a lot more in depth. It is counted as a letter to the president in most companies and management has to talk to the associate, their direct manager, and any one else involved to get the other side of the story. Then either the manager calls the customer or home office calls the customer and will respond accordingly.

I apologize for the previous “paragraph” not having a lot of structure. I tend to jump around in my thoughts. Needless to say, for those of you that were treated rudely, that is not even close to how the situation should have been handled.

There really isn’t all that much that can be done in protecting the photographer’s rights to an image in this day and age. What little can be done is being done in photo labs, though not well in some. If you are treated rudely, ask to speak to a manager. If you still feel like your issue is not resolved and you feel as though it will not be resolved, then find a different processing lab. I work for the company and I will not go to certain stores due to their associate’s attitudes. It is really very random as to whether you will get a polite associate or a not so polite associate. The same thing goes for any profession. Does it make it right to be treated poorly? No it does not, but it can happen anywhere. Sometimes the associate is completely in the wrong and action should be taken to fix the issue. Sometimes the customer is angry about not being able to come in and do what they want and they view the associate as rude. Photo techs are following company policy by asking who took the photos, after that some apparently deviate. The best way to have a manager speak to you without the associate getting involved with the manager first, is to go to customer service and ask to speak to one. This way the tech will not give their view first. It will generally push the manager towards their response prematurely. Most employees will listen to (and believe) a fellow employee first before listening to the “complainer”.

“wether or not Walmart charges me for them is theit perogotive. But the pictures are mine.”
Really Dominic? That’s like saying, ” I pumped my own gas at the machine. Whether or not 7-11 charges me for it is their perogative. But the gas is still mine.”
Until you pay for the paper and ink, the picture is not yours. It is WalMart’s. Regardless if the image on it was taken by you. And, if you decide to take it because it is “yours”, that is still stealing.
If the tides were turned and you were the associate, would you honestly be willing to risk your job and getting a $10,000 fine all so the person screaming at you across the counter could have their .28 picture?

Very interesting thread. All we are doing is trying to keep our jobs. I appreciate some of the suggestions about what questions to ask pertaining to pictures. If the people in the photo appear “posed” and there is a backdrop, we can’t print it without permission. Either get permission or fill out a release if you took the pictures. How hard is that? And to the guy who just wants to walk away without paying, be my guest. You stealing isn’t any skin off my back. As for the stories of people throwing pictures, I can attest that it’s true. A “gentleman” threw pictures at my assistant manager a few months back; yes, it was over the copyright policy, and she called 911 and pressed assault charges. When we have to put up with that type of abuse from animals like that, it’s hard to keep smiling.

However, if the photo is very old, we usually print it regardless. I enjoy old pictures/portraits :)

Most of us are not idiots, many of us have college degrees. And Walmart does pay more than five dollars an hour, lol. Thank God this job is temporary. We get looked down on every day, although there are many great customers who realize we are peers that deserve respect. You wouldn’t believe the idiocy we encounter on a daily basis, though. Always good for a laugh. Thank God for the customers who brighten my day and make things better for the next ones. Ripples on a pond….:)

I worked at a photo lab for 4 years.Last September I retired.I liked my job because of the custumers.I made only 12.97 but that was fine.The thing I hated was telling people they couldnt print pictures that looked pro.I understood the fact that the copy righted ones could not be.Sometimes on the Kodak machine people would steal or copy a pictue that they copyed on thier home printers from a copyrighted picture and we knew it.They would say that it wasnt,it was thiers.Yes, one bad apple spoils it for everyone.I got spit on,sworn at and given the finger.I saw it all.I am a 62 year old lady.It seems the high class or they thought they were did it the most.Anyhow rules are rules and that is why we had to follow Wal-marts rules.I am glad I dont deal with that anymore.Now I just care for my sister who has terminal cancer.That is something that means something important,not fighting over a pictue .

I am with you Jane.I went to the store and asked about the old antique pictures and how the copyright could be found.They didnt have copyrights a hundred years ago.I guess its a catch -22 Wal-mart has gotten sued for printing pictuers that had a copyright on them.One guy came into our place and wanted to know why we printed out pictuers that a customer came in with.He was testing us by sending this guy in to try and print these pictures,he said he would sue.We dont know who excepted them but in Wal-mart fassion we were all questioned and put on warning.Believe me,many nights I went home thinking that I would be fired.I worked with a woman who was a photographer.She made most of the decission on pro pictures.Was she wrong sometime, ? YES.I went to a wedding watched the brides aunt take the pictures .She bought a very expensive camera and took lessons,not a pro.The bride came in this other employee said No,these are pros, I said no she argued with me.I told the bride to call Wal-mart president or write a letter.She did and she got to print pictuers for free as many as she wanted.I was happy to take this other woman off her high horse.
As you see some places turn a blind eye like CVS, but they could loose thier jobs and the store could.There is a copyright law to protect the photographer,thats so they can charge thier prices or buy an outright CD for from them for 100 to 200 outright.They make money and you have the proof.
God bless you.

T HEY DO HAVE THAT OPTION BUT NOT ALL OF THE MANAGERS WILL LET THEM USE THEM.When I worked there I did do that but they were so paranoid they said no more.Its a shame but we did try and protect the profesional photographers and thier lively hood so we lost .

I work for Wal-Mart 1 Hour Photo. We have very strict and by-the-book policies that we HAVE to follow, else we are threatened with a hefty federal copyright policy fine. Fair or not, according to the company guidelines, it does not matter how old the picture is, it doesn’t matter if there’s a copyright or photographer symbol of any sort on the front or back of the picture, and it doesn’t matter if your crying or not. If the photo appears to be ‘professional’, we CANNOT sell it without a signed piece of paper leaving your hands and entering ours. Wal-Mart is protecting itself and the photographer from infringement and piracy. Even if you have a copyright release form or letterhead, pay attention to what it says as well, because it may not give you the rights to reprint the pictures.

If it has a backdrop, has posed portrait-style photography, or looks even slightly Photo Shopped, WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME KIND OF WRITTEN PERMISSION.

Think of it this way. Do you think it’s okay to buy a DVD movie, make a copy of it, and sell that copy to your friend or whoever? If you think it’s okay, you’re wrong according to Federal Copyright Laws, and you can be persecuted for this piracy. Now, if you have permission from the owners of the DVD’s rights, as in permission to make copies any way you see fit, then wouldn’t you feel a lot safer? You may be thinking, “Well, I bought the DVD, it’s mine, and I can do whatever I want with it.” Sure you can throw it, break it, watch it, EVEN COPY IT, but once you make a profit from someone’s artistic work, YOU ARE BREAKING A FEDERAL LAW, punishable up to $250,000.

I know you may get pissed. I don’t care honestly. I have made old women cry and been cussed out so badly I had to walk away. No, I am not stupid. I was Valedictorian of my High School Class. I am an Eagle Scout. I am working towards a Computer Networking Degree and CCNA Certification. I am not cocky, but I do know what the hell I’m talking about.

BTW, here’s some more info to bitch about. Photo’s containing nudity (which are determined by strict guidelines as well), child abuse, and child pornography are completely and utterly unsellable and unacceptable. If you have child pornography, your identity will become aware to the local police force. However, it is okay to print other obscene or illegal things, such as murder, autopsy, even drug use. I once printed a guy’s marijuana plants on some 4×6’s with a cop standing right next to me. I couldn’t do a damn thing!

This is so old. How cares anyone. If they tell you NO, just fuckin do it at home. Its 2010, if u don’t any a scanner. Get one.

@JOEN. Seriously? No one asked for you to read here or give your input. Don’t like it, go somewhere else. “How cares anyone”??? No need for your filthy mouth here, anyway, go somewhere else.

@Jane. Yes, that is crazy, when they are that old, unless they’re famous pics, you can really bet that the copyright has expired. Technically all photos are copyrighted (by the photographer) whether or not they’re registered, but that does expire.

Really, I haven’t used Walmart for printing anything in a LONG time. I use Walgreens now if I have to have it NOW otherwise I use my professional printers if I can wait a few days to get it. But yes, it is most irritating when they don’t give a consumer the chance to show and sign that they did take the photos themselves. I’m still burned up about a story I mentioned above where Walmart ripped up photos without giving the girl a chance to have her mother -the photographer – sign something or even state that she took them.

Actually, a former Walmart employee said they thought this was a rare occurance. I just experienced the same thing. My husband’s cousin took our wedding photos for free and surrendered the copyright to us along with the disc of digital images to do with as we wished. I too was hot by the end of the conversation. I needed a couple of the photos for a funeral in a couple of days. The Walmart employee , manager, gave me the two photos I wanted for free. By the way, they used the excuse that they were obviously posed-no kidding-and that’s why they couldn’t give my pictures to me. My husband is writing for a permission slip as it were right now. But they can sit and spin on the photographs they wasted printing as far as I’m concerned. I will never buy photos there ever again. As far as I know most photos at family events are “posed”.

I work in the Photo Center at a Wal-Mart. I also went to school and received a Bachelors degree in Photography. I know I am repeating many people by saying this, but it is a FEDERAL LAW. You will get the same if you go to Walgreens or Rite Aid.

We see so many pictures coming through the lab, we can tell if something is professional. We also have professional photographers who come and get their photos done through the lab. Most pictures that come through the lab that we find copyrighted, we’ve seen the type of work before and pretty much know who took the pictures. All we ask, is if the photos are copyrighted, for you to give us a release. If you did take the pictures, by all means we will give you the pictures, after we have you sign a release form stating that you are the author of the photographs. This way if a customer isn’t telling the truth and just signing this because they want their photos, and the photographer comes after us for it, we have proof that the customer stated these things. But like I said, we see so many photos coming through the lab, we know whether or not they are professional or not.

If you have an issue with the policy, contact the federal government.

I for one am sick of the crap that customers give us for doing our job. Some of us like our jobs and intend to keep it.

Others are aware of the things going on in the Economy and want the stability and need the income.

It isn’t just walmart, try walgreens, rite aid, kinney’s and other stores. If they give you the photos, then someone needs to contact the federal government because it is once again FEDERAL LAW!

Yes Valerie, you are correct. According to Federal Copyright Law, it states that [quoting form the Federal website] “… a WORK that is created…”

The whole copying thing is relevant when a person tries to copy or print (or even scan to a CD) something that THEY did not take themselves, without (quoting from the Federal website again) written permission from the photographer or studio/business.

The reason why Walmart (and other places that try to follow the copyright law, like Riteaid, etc.) looks for and only pursues action on only professionally taken photos, is that even though aunt Aggie ~could~ sue if her nephew copied the cute photo of himself in that cute cowboy outfit, odds are that she wouldn’t. They use their best judgement (and follow company policy on making thus judgement to protect themselves and the company… what’s so wrong with that!) to determine if a photo was taken professionally, and if it was TAKEN within the last 100 years (again, Federal website), customer is refused.

Common though would be snatching that spectacular photo off of a website, and putting it onto a thumbdrive, and taking it in to a place [like Walmart] to get printed. Yes,you probably would get away with it, because it doesn’t ~look~ professional, but still, as by the copyright law, someone ELSE did create it, and thus is protected, and would be breaking the law if copied or printed. Anywhere.

Don’t think the Walmart employee is mean, not wanting to let a person copy a 50 year old [professional] photo someone brings in who needs it for a funeral tomorrow… I’ve lost both of my parents already! I have a heart! But I also have to follow the law and my job’s policy.

I thank God for the [rare] nice customers who understand the policy and even though are disappointed, are not mean to us in return.

Yes, I am a Walmart Photo Employee. Been one for 9+ years. Been in the photo retail business for 19+ years.

I do truly apologize for situations like this (for what ~my~ apology is worth…)… it IS difficult for both parties involved.

I have also seen this situation happen many times in our Walmart photo center, especially in the advent of easier, cheaper, better cameras coming out the last year or so. It is now possible for quite a few people to shoot ~professional looking~ photos by simply ‘pushing a button’ (no insult intended to the son taking the photos).

In our photo center, I am the oldest person there (50), with the most years of photographic background skills/training/knowledge behind me (19+ years in the photo business, about 25 years pursuing photography as a serious hobby, About a year in there as a professional wedding photographer) – thus, if we have a photo brought to me by one of my co-workers, in question ‘is this professionally taken… we can’t tell!’ – it has gotten harder & harder for me to even tell in many cases if it was professionally taken! I am now [and recommending to my fellow Photo associates] to take the policy ~if you can’t tell, as the person reproducing it If they say ‘no, it was not professionally taken’, then let them do it. If they say yes… then, they can’t do it.~

Thus, (and unfortunately this upsets many customers), we then have to return to Walmart’s policy [which is explained in literature available at any Walmart photo center, as well on Walmart’s website (photo section)] that even it a photo ~appears~ to be professionally taken, we will not reproduce/print/copy it.

As much as this may anger customers and many people on this post, it is in effect to cover/protect Walmart legally, as well as us the Photo associate themselves.

IF (and yes, it is probably a 1 in 100,000 chance) we were to print a professional photo, and IF then the pro photographer were to find out it was done without his release, Walmart would be sued (and now days everybody is suing Walmart… successfully) as well as the associate would lose their job, and would also be legally responsible.

I am not going to put myself in that position.

I have looked several times, and I am not wearing a button on my lapel that states ‘I am mean, I am cruel and uncaring’. Walmart associates have a life beyond their job, and [most of them at least] do have a heart. I truly care about each customer, and do my best to serve their needs to the best of all my abilities.

Oh and to Walmart employees. It’s not that we feel you are treating us like criminals. You are stealing our joy plain and simple. Most of us don’t know the law, and there is a more positive and professional way to explain in than hastle and make us feel guilty for you whining about losing your jobs. I don’t want to hear it. Sorry if that makes you feel unappreciated, but I’m not shopping to make your life happy. I’m shopping to make mine happy, so stop stealing my joy. I want to be that happy mother that comes in the place to pick up my legal photos without hearing a bunch of drama. It’s that simple from the customer. If you don’t like the customers the way we are, find a better job because trust me, you deserve to be treated better as an employee being underpaid to put up with a load of drama.

And just a added note. I did have my legal paperwork. I provided it to the employee at Wal-Mart. I got my photos. Why am I contacting cooperate office? Because I don’t like the way I was informed that’s why. I don’t want to do business with anyone who says they will be fired at my expense. It’s not the employees as it is the policy. It is how the policy is presented to the customer and the employee, creating a negative set up. bye bye Wal-Mart Photo shop. I’ll do something better than print it off at home. I’ll go to your major competitors and get their business. I heard I’ll be treated better. But I do hope for your change and improvement, because when it improves, I’ll go back to get photos. thanks :)

I workin the photo lab and it is Walmart’s policy we cannot release pictures that are copyrighted without a release. We are only following the rules