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B&H Photo

Coordinates: 40°45′11″N 73°59′47″W / 40.753124°N 73.996281°W / 40.753124; -73.996281
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"B&H" redirects here. For other uses, see B&H (disambiguation).

40°45′11″N 73°59′47″W / 40.753124°N 73.996281°W / 40.753124; -73.996281

B&H Photo & Electronics Corp.
Company typeRetail
IndustryRetail
Founded1973 New York, New York
HeadquartersManhattan, New York City
Number of locations
1
ProductsCameras, video, film, audio, computers, electronics
Websitebhphotovideo.com

B&H Photo Video, founded in 1973 and located at 420 Ninth Avenue on the corner of West 34th Street in Manhattan, New York City, is the largest non-chain photo and video equipment store in the United States.[1]

Ownership and clientele

B&H Photo Video on 34th Street.

B&H Photo Video targets professional photographers and videographers. Although it is visited by more than 5,000 customers every day from Sunday to Friday, most of the company's business comes from the Internet and corporate sales. It also runs a warehouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.[1] The store carries a wide range of electronics products, with emphasis on professional and specialty photographic equipment.[citation needed]

The business owner, Herman Schreiber, and many of the store's employees are observant Satmar Hasidic Jews. The store is closed on Shabbat, most Jewish holidays (except for Hanukkah, when business dealings are permitted), and Christmas. Although the web site remains open, e-commerce orders are not taken or shipped between Friday evening and Saturday evening, or on Jewish holidays.[2][3]

The physical store employs hundreds of Orthodox Jews. An Orthodox Jewish bus company provides daily service to and from Kiryas Joel, a Satmar village in Orange County, New York, as well as Brooklyn and Queens.[4]

History

B&H opened in 1973 as a storefront film shop at 17 Warren Street in Tribeca, and obtained its name from the initials of owners Blimie Schreiber and her husband, Herman. Later in the 1970s, B&H moved to a large loft at 119 West 17th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in the Photo District and began to expand its stock to a wider range of film and photography products. In 1997, the store moved to its present location. It now has more than 2,000 employees.[5]

B&H is located in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, at 420 Ninth Avenue at the intersection with West 34th Street. In 2007, B&H opened a second floor above its original sales floor making a total of 70,000 sq ft (6,500 m2) of sales space. The first floor sells professional lighting, binoculars, scopes, video, audio, darkroom, film and both home and portable entertainment; the second floor focuses on film and digital photography, computers, printers, scanners and related accessories.[1]

In 2007, B&H began making sales through Google Checkout.

The store is noted for having an extensive conveyor belt system that runs along the ceiling.[6]

The store is often sponsoring reviews and events for many tech-savvy websites and tech enthusiast websites including AndroidGuys and Imaging Resource.[7][8]

In 2015, their Google Play app was named the "Best Mobile Shopping App" at the Mobile Shop Conference.[9]

In 2015, B&H hired SiteSpect, a personalization platform, to help them with online shoppers.[10] B&H themselves strive to engage with every (potential) customer and this is why listening to the voice of the customers on the social media networks is important for the company.[11] B&H often host famous photographers on their podcasts, discussing their books and photos.[12] They have a human operator (or employee) maintaining an active presence on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and company blogs.[citation needed]

In 2016, Vaio announced that they have signed a contract with B&H photo video, to offer their products once again in New York.[13][14]

B & H photo video announced that they joined forces with CE Week and that they will be present on the tech show in June 2016.[15][16][17]

Controversies

In October 2007, it was announced that B&H Photo agreed to pay US$4.3 million to settle allegations that it discriminated against Hispanic workers.[18]

In November 2009, a lawsuit against B&H Photo alleged that the store refused to hire women, in violation of New York City and New York State Human Rights Laws.[19] The lawsuit, brought by four women, sought class action status on behalf of all women discriminated against by B&H over the course of many years.[20] Given B&H's prior alleged discriminatory practices,[18] the lawsuit sought US$19 million in compensatory and punitive damages in order to deter future discriminatory practices.[21]

In 2011, a lawsuit alleged discrimination against Hispanic workers.[22][23]

In February 2016 the United States Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against B&H alleging that the company had only hired Hispanic men into entry-level jobs in a Brooklyn warehouse and then subjecting them to harassment and unsanitary conditions.[24]

Reviews

In May 2007, Zagat wrote that B&H offers "more cameras than the paparazzi at the Oscars", with "cordial" staffers who "know their stuff".[25][26]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Goldman, Adam (2005-12-12). "New York camera shop combines 18th-century Jewish traditions and the hottest digital technology". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2006-05-16.
  2. ^ "B&H Photo Video". Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-11. Please note that B&H does not process Web orders from Friday evening to Saturday evening. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "B&H order processing schedule". Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  4. ^ Santos, Fernanda (2006-08-27). "Reverberations of a Baby Boom". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Karni, Annie (2007-02-05). "B & H Photo Emerges as a N.Y. Institution". The New York Sun.
  6. ^ "Inside B&H conveyor system…". Swiss Miss. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Sony Xperia Z5 review: A sleek and snappy flagship". AndroidGuys. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  8. ^ "MindShift's Multi-Mount Holster lets you match your camera carry style to your active lifestyle". Imaging Resource. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  9. ^ "B&H Photo Video Wins Best App of the Year at Mobile Shopping Conference". Yahoo. 19 Oct 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  10. ^ Guy, Sandra (24 August 2015). "B&H Photo gets a clearer picture of online shoppers' intentions". InternetRetailer. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  11. ^ B&H Photo Video. "@BHPhotoVideo". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  12. ^ B&H Photography Podcast (14 April 2016). "The B&H Photography Podcast Presents: On AIR, an Interview With Vincent LaForet". Yahoo. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  13. ^ "Vaio Expands Distribution With Ingram Micro On Board". Twice. 13 Apr 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  14. ^ "CORRECTING and REPLACING VAIO® Expands Distribution Channels to B&H Photo Video, DataVision and Ingram Micro". BusinessWire. 13 Apr 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  15. ^ "B&H Photo-Video Joins CE Week to Educate Consumers About New CE Devices". Reuters. 24 Apr 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  16. ^ "B&H Photo Joins Forces with CE Week; Welcomes Attendees to June Tech Show". PR Newswire. 31 Mar 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  17. ^ "What's New in 2016". CE Week. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  18. ^ a b "EEOC and B & H Reach $4.3 Million Settlement in National Origin Discrimination Case". Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. October 16, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  19. ^ "Gadget Retailer Faces Discrimination Suit". NY1. November 19, 2009. Archived from the original on November 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-19. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "B&H Photo Sued For Talmudic Discrimination Against Women". Village Voice. November 19, 2009. Archived from the original on November 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-19. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Eligon, John (November 18, 2009). "It Was Some Day in Court For Ampersand". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2011. Retrieved 2009-11-18. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Del Signore, John (December 14, 2011). "B&H Photo Sued Again For Discriminating Against Employees". Gothamist. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  23. ^ Ross, Barbara (December 14, 2011). "B and H Photo discriminated against us, say 2 Hispanic employees in lawsuit". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2014-06-17.
  24. ^ McGeehan, Patrick (February 26, 2016). "B&H Electronics Store Sued for Discrimination of Hispanic Workers". The New York Times.
  25. ^ Simon, Stephanie (2007-05-16). "Shopping: Cameras". NY1. Archived from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2010-04-11. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "B&H". Zagat. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
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