Stay Connected:

Where To Shop For That Digital Camera

By Herb Weisbaum

Twitter

Facebook

Summary

You might think going online is always the cheapest, but you'd be surprised where we found some of the best prices.

More News Archive News

Story Published: Jul 3, 2006 at 5:01 AM PST

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 7:30 AM PST

SEATTLE - Where would you shop for a digital camera? If you want the absolute rock bottom price, you'd probably go online. If you want to hold the cameras, see how they work, and talk to a salesperson who can show you all the features, you need to go to a brick-and-mortar store.

For its latest issue, Puget Sound Consumers' Checkbook magazine shopped for a dozen different digital models. I found the results to be surprising.

"We found that the best prices among local retailers were at independent retailers, not at the big national chains," says Checkbook's president Robert Krughoff. "So you can save money, and those independent retailers rated much higher in terms of quality of advice."

Checkbook also found that the prices from big name chains was often cheaper online than in the store -- even after paying the shipping -- but not always.

"Don't assume that the online price is always the cheapest," Krughoff advises, "and don't assume for sure that the online price is the same price you'd pay if you walked into the store."

Checkbook gives top ratings for quality to these camera stores, listed in alphabetical order: