Olan Mills and other picture prices

We took dd to Olan Mills today to have 3 mo. pictures made. We had a coupon for some free pictures, so we may just get those; it will depend on how they all turn out. I asked for a price sheet, and the pictures seem expensive to me. The prices were:
20 sheets for $159.95
15 sheets for $139.95
10 sheets for $89.95
7 sheets for $69.95
special order sheets - $20 each.
The Olan Mills sitting fee is $9.95.

Is this par for the course with pictures, or is Sears cheaper? If Sears is cheaper, is the quality as good as Olan Mills? Does Sears charge a sitting fee? If so, we will probably go there next time. I'd like to get pictures taken fairly often, and I can see that Olan Mills would put a dent in our finances quickly!

Thanks for any experiences/info. you can share!

I got mine done at JCPenneys. It's $30 for a 2 year portrait club. They have a coupon for $4.99 a sheet, and you get a free 8x10. You also get added freebies with the portrait club at different times. I was happier with their set up than Sears, but it might vary by store. I got a ton of pictures I was happy with for $32! Here's a link where you can get on-line coupons. Many of my friends went to JCPenney's and they had good quality pictures.

http://www.jcpenneyportraits.com

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03

Thanks for the info. on Penney's. Unfortunately, the one near us does not have a picture studio. I don't think it would be worth the trouble of driving an hour with a baby for photos! Glad you had a good experience, though!

You can usually find coupons for Sears portraits at $4.99 per sheet. They also have a coupon for a package of pictures, all with the same pose for $4.99 or $7.99.

Olan Mills does seem a little pricey to me.

I have a membership to Sears that's mostly going unused after the bad experience I had last time. They are ALWAYS understaffed and undertrained and the turn around is HUGE. Lately their coupons haven't been as good either. I used to always hang the 10X13 on the wall, but their new coupons no longer give you a 10X13. If you want it, it costs an additional $13.

Oh, and if you want just a package at Sears, it's made from the 'first acceptable pose'. Basically that's one of the first pics you take and if you say, "that's good" that's the package you get. After they get that picture, they work WAAAAY harder to get a cute picture of your child so they can sell you more of the extra sheets at a higher price.

The last two times I've needed pictures, I've driven an hour to the nearest JCPenney's studio. I was VERY impressed. They actually were using all three camera rooms, there are separate photographers and cashiers/receptionist (not one person doing it all, like at Sears). Their coupons are also good and the 'free 8X10' promo has been going on for months.

At Penney's if you want to buy a package, they take 5 pictures and from all those you can pick which one you want your package from. You also are allowed to surf thru the pics on your own on the computer and choose without a sales person breathing down your neck trying to sell you additional pics at inflated prices.

Penneys does send out extra pics tho. When you go to pick up your pics they will have printed out extra sheets of a second pose that they will try to sell you at that time. They took it very well when I said no. :)

So, there's my opinion, from someone who has WAAAY too many pictures taken! ROTFL

Locking - old thread bumped accidentally.