I need to share this before I explode! I put my gallery pics in the computer at WalMart to get them printed just so I could show them to my grandma and other family members. I went to pick them up today and the woman told me I need a release. I said for what?! She said the pics looked professional and may be copyrighted. I said they were, by me! So now she tells me she doesn't know how I'm supposed to show I own them. I won't pay for the originals and the gallery ones. I only want the gallery ones. ugh And if that wasn't enough, she said she had deleted them all. I would think that if there was a problem with some pics, you would keep them on the computer to refer to them or to print them when the problem is resolved. Okay, I won't go on any more. I just thought it was kind of funny (now that it's over). I was just really looking forward to showing them off, even if it is a generic printing job. :) Thanks for listening. I feel better now. ;)

have had that happen myself... at Wal-Mart... they look at you like 'oh sure these are yours' rolling eyes... certainly a compliment but a pain just the same... ask for the manager next time, tell him to get on his PC & look you up, show him your cam, give him a few of your EXIF data while you're at it... complain of the previous shoddy treatment & maybe they'll print them up for free! :] good luck!

I agree with cyn, you shouldn't stand for that treatment. Even though it is a backwards compliment, you are the customer and as such, always right.

Funny thing! I had the same exact thing happen to me at Walmart except they told me I had to come back the next day to speak to the photo manager! Which I did and I also requested to see the store manager, in the meantime they started to print out my images, thinking that the previous order had been cancelled in the computer. I had initially ordered about 30 8 X 10's.... I would up with about 90 8 X 10's for free!!! The store manager appologized to me for my inconvenience and handed me the 90 8 x 10's (their screw up re entering the order twice!) and the 4 x 6's that they printed without my consent that they thought they were going to keep on file! Yep I signed a release, but they didn't keep any of my images! The squeaky wheel gets the grease! I have a feeling the business card I gave them swayed their opinion, plus the fact that the girls at the other Walmart knew me and knew my work! The moral of the story? Print where they know you and your work! Brenda :)

That would be flattering, but who does WalMart think they are...the photo police?

Wal-Mart have a reputation for being heavy handed, but to be fair, it should be up to them to prove that they are not yours, not you to prove that they are! Innocent until PROUVEN guilty! Wal-Mart has bought/merged with ASDA in the UK and now it is happening here too.

Wal-Mart going worldwide?? Wally must be turning in his grave... after he died, $ became the driving force... :p

That woould be the day for me..oh I would love someone to pull that off with me. Lemme at em.

Uhmmmm.... thats why you shouldn't waste your time & money at a Wal-Mart Photo. Take it to a Photography store that pays closer attention to the images & has trained personnel doing the job- not someone who they pulled in from the shoe dept to fill in. They should know an image taken off of digital media or film is original 99% of the time- the other 1% usually shows a pattern from a copied/scanned print (magazine for example) and is usually blatantly obvious.

I also find it kind of ironic that many people talk about their higher-end equipment but wont spend a couple extra bucks when it comes to processing.

Message edited on: 06/16/2005 00:24

Wal-Mart... 40 mi 1 way... pro photo store... 120 mi 1 way... but then there's always mail order... sigh they got the market cornered in rural areas

The thing with a lot of Photography stores is that they are smaller and do not have some of the latest equipment for processing.I heard once that changing chemicals and stuff is very important...The larger ones with the money have updated equipment and always have fresh toners and do not mind wasting a few prints to get the colour right. Provided the set up is done by someone a bit qualified. Not that I go to Walmart, because we have so many around that are better, but some locations as Cindy said, just do not have the outlets

I work for Wal Mart (yeah I know, I'm sorry also but need the money) LOL. I don't work in the photo dept. I get to play with the golf clubs and such. (Sporting Goods Dept manager). I haven't heard of anything like this happening in my store...YET. Mind if I print this off to discuss with the photo manager (who I happen to be on very good terms with) to try and prevent it from happening in my store?

actually they are suppose to check for copyright on pro images but then have the customer sign a release so Wal-Mart is not held responsible for promoting copyright theft instead of making you prove it :P

Just out of curiosity Damia....what size were the images you submitted to walmart. Maybe if they were from your gallery here , someone thought they were heisted from a website. I don't think anyone would question the average person going in with a Memory card or CD, or even uploading the original files online.

Here are some interesting stats from a March 2002 Playboy magazine (don't ask). Number of times Wal-Mart was sued last year = 4851 Number of lawsuits pending against Wal-Mart = 9400 I can only image that number has increased over the past years with continued expansion and less than customer friendly policies. My father in law actually represented a former employee of Wal-Mart over wrongful termination and the case was settled in her favor. Let's just say she didn't have to pay for nursing school. :) I'd be interested to hear what your photo manager has to say about it Chris, let us know.

The images I submitted were resized to a regular old 4x6. There is even white space on the sides because the pictures didn't resize to exactly 4x6. All I wanted was something to show off. As for going to a regular photo place, it does cost more and I really can't afford it. I don't have a great camera or set-up either. (I am doing a big web job soon so I may just start saving up for some stuff...yippee!). So I really was the average person going in with a cd. lol I would love to take them somewhere and get some proffessional 5x7s done, but it all comes down to money. sigh Maybe I will try Longs. Too bad I couldn't sue and get put through photography school! Well, to update, I went back and the lady who did this wasn't there (she is even a manager!). I finally asked if there was a release form I could sign. Their response, "Oh yeah. Sure." I was thinking, "dude, why didn't someone tell me that to begin with?" No one mentioned a release form. They had them behind the counter. So I put them in again and told they guy not to delete them this time. He said he wouldn't and that was that. I will pick them up later with the stinkin' release form and see what happens. Thanks for all your feedback. I was hoping I wasn't overreacting. :) I'll update again when I pick them up. If I do it today, that evil woman will be working. I can let her have it if she's rude again! Take that!

Well I discussed this with the photo manager and she basically stated Wal Marts Copyright Policy. It is as follows. Wal-Mart will not assist in the copying of a photograph that is signed, stamped, or otherwise identified by any photographer or studio as copyrighted material, or any photograph that appears to have been taken by a professional photographer or studio, even if it is not marked with any sort of copyright, unless we are presented with a signed Copyright Release. Negatives or digital images of a copyrighted image will be returned to you unprinted and you will be provided with instructions on how to present Wal Mart with a signed Copyright Release. In addition, Wal Mart will not assist in the copying of any state or federal document, including but not limited to, drivers licenses, passports, and social security cards. I asked about how I go about proving that I am the copyright holder of my images and she basically said that it was difficult to prove to Wal Marts satisfaction. I asked if I provided a business card with my name on it and had the photos signed with my name if it would be good enough. She stated that it should. So I guess I COULD print up my own business cards and go that route. But basically the burden of proof would be ours alone to prove that we own the rights to them, not Wal Marts responsibility to prove that we own them. They are operating under the assumption that WE are not the proper users of the photos, unless they look like they were taken by an amateur. She also went on to say that she knows most of the better photographers as they have gone in with their work and have built a rapport with her and have absolutely no problem having to provide a release. She would recommend getting to know your local photo lab manager and getting on their good side as she put it and that should help to ease that problem. So there you have it. Get on a first name basis with the manager. Couldnt hurt. Guess that also means youre a lot better than the average weekend warrior. I would take it as a compliment. Although it is a hassle.

I guess it is not a bad thing since I wouldn't want people printing out my photos, but they need to get a better system in place so this isn't such an issue for the rightful owners of the images.

Thanks for posting their policy. Unfortunately, I don't think that woman manager will ever let me on her good side. There is another manager that people say is real nice, so I'll try him. :) And I agree, it is good they are watching out, but at the same time there needs to be something better than "I don't know any way you can prove it". The signed release wasn't good enough either. I'll talk to the other manager and see what he says about it next time.

Good for you. Don't let'em get'cha down! ;]