Here's another one for BOB DOLE to get his teeth into.......

[johnny_t]

School photos.

Now obviously you'd like a reasonable sized photo of your youngster. Grandparents may want a little one, so that's one big photo and somewhere between two and four little ones depending on how the divorce rate these days has affected your family. For me, I'd like one for myself and three little ones for grandparents, and these are the choices.....


Pack F - 1 x (10" x 7") - £11.00
Pack E - 1 x (7" x 5"), 4 x (3.5" x 2.5") - £12.00
Pack D - 1 x (7" x 5"), 2 x (5" x 3.5") - £12.00
Pack C - 3 x (7" x 5"), 4 x (3.5" x 2.5") - £18.00
Pack B - 1 x (10" x 7"), 2 x (7" x 5"), 4 x (5" x 3.5") - £24.00
Pack A - 1 x (13" x 10"), 1 x (10" x 7"), 2 x (7" x 5"), 4 x (5" x 3.5") - £30.00

Now, we'd quite like a 13" x 10", but there's no way of getting one of those without paying out 30 quid for Pack A and having loads of little pictures to give away to people who aren't that interested. B*llocks to that.

So, I'd settle for a 10" x 7", but I'd be forced to shell out 24 quid for Pack B which, frankly, still gives me too many little pictures, but I guess it might suit some.

Packs D, C & B all only have a 7" x 5" as their biggest picture which doesn't seem very special to me as its only the size of a normal photo.

Which leaves me with Pack A for a 10" x 7" on its own. And scanning it in and then shoving it on a memory stick and going to one of those photo machines to print some out for the olds.

AND IT'S STILL F***ING EXPENSIVE !!!! Its not like we've taken up valuable studio time - The photographer gets to come out and do a whole school in a day.

I don't know much about photo processing, but I can't imagine that in this day and age these combinations have anything to do with economical batch sizes or anything, but are just another way of extracting money from us. And, if they were more flexible, I'd probably buy more from them than have to do all this scanning malarkey, so they are losing out too, through their own greed.

Come on BOB, ignore the cabbage pickers - Get to work on this one !!!

 

[breezer]

you may have over looked something.

are the pictures supplied by the school or direct from the photographer?

if by school, i wonder how much they paid for them

 

[keyplayer]

Get your wad out! Perhaps it's about time johnny junior locked you in the cupboard under the stairs for a while for a change. (yes, the one with no light in it)

 

[JohnD]

Somebody's got a money-making scheme for fleecing the parents and hoping they'll be too embarresed to sound mean.

Is the PTA any good?

 

[BOB.DOLE]

yep i have seen this scam and what about dinner money £8.00 a week , what the hell are they eating in there are they on sirloin steak.

and then they have these so called school trips at £40 a go in the infants
they take them to a duck pond feeding them bread all day the only winners in this game are the ducks.

 

[johnny_t]

you may have over looked something.

are the pictures supplied by the school or direct from the photographer?

if by school, i wonder how much they paid for them

Do you know what - I have overlooked something....

These are actually playgroup photos rather than school ones, and as my wife is on the committee, I have just found out that playgroup gets a 22.5% commission on all sales, and presumably the same applies for schools.

However, given that my wife preparing playgroup 'stuff' (posters, minutes etc.) costs me a fortune in inkjet cartridges then I still don't feel too guilty about copying the photos. Original point remains is that the selection of sizes offered is to maximise their profit rather than my convenience....

 

[johnny_t]

Get your wad out! Perhaps it's about time johnny junior locked you in the cupboard under the stairs for a while for a change. (yes, the one with no light in it)

I've told him not to do that anymore - It makes Daddy cry.

 

[keyplayer]

Look on the bright side - at least they take the snotty brats, sorry little darlings off your hands for the majority of the working week. You're getting a bargain. lol

 

[JohnD]

Bit unfair on the parents who are struggling to make ends meet.

Hands up who thinks they can never be laid off?

 

[keyplayer]

Uh, my hand's up.

 

[JohnD]

Retired?

Or self employed with a company that will never go under even if (god forbid) the main earner goes down with e.g. multiple sclerosis, or is hit with a liability claim that is somehow not covered by insurance?

 

[johnny_t]

Hands up who thinks they can never be laid off?

I used to think so, until experience taught me otherwise......

 

[tigger]

School trips for one daughter in the weeks before school ends: £35, £16 and £12. Exchange trip for the other daughter, £50 deposit and further £200 to pay later in the year.

I know the trips aren't always compulsory but who wants to make their child the odd one out because they can't afford to send them?

New uniforms for next year £150

School dinners £10 a week

Endless sponsor forms for various activities usually x 2

And so on and so on.........

 

[joe-90]

What about the childless singles and couples that pay thousands of pounds in tax each year that goes on your childs education? At least you have the choice whether to pay for extras.


joe

 

[johnny_t]

What about the childless singles and couples that pay thousands of pounds in tax each year that goes on your childs education? At least you have the choice whether to pay for extras.


joe

They'll get it back tenfold, once they start being supported by our children in the future, after having contributed a fraction of what it costs to raise the next generation whilst going out and spending all their money on themselves.

Who's providing the scientists, engineers, hairdressers and call-centre operators of the future ?? Me, that's who !! (and some others, obviously).