Has Anyone Used the Wal-Mart Portrait Studio???

K.,

I have used Walmart and personally like Target so much better. It seems like you are haggled much less (they will still try to get you to buy extras but are not pushy at all) and you get a ton of poses to pick from. Look for the coupon they send in the mail. For the price, it can't be beat!

I have been fine w/ Walmart studios but beware- a freind used the one over on Garland Rd and the girl who ran the place (they are NOT owned by Wal-Mart)took her credit card info and used it to sign up for college! She wasn't too bright as the enrollment form had her name and address- and my friend's credit card info! B/C it was < than $500.00 the police won't persue it. The place said it was going to fire her....
I'd just bring cash!
They do have to do a presetation of the packages available- it takes baout 5 minutes. I just say "Thanks, I just want my special" and have never had a problem.

D.

Walmart is pretty good for the money. I usually go there to get my daughters done. I go the Saginaw location and have been very happy. You dont have to make an appointment but its really best so you dont have to wait very long and the kiddos get fussy. Its nice b/c its cheap enough that if you do like another pose outside of the package you can actually afford to get it.
Also I was going to let you know what Ive done lately...We have gone to Picture People in the NEMall. You can print a free coupon on line for a free 8x10 or 5x7 and no sitting fee. You can do this as often as you like! Then they have a club for $39.99 that gives you 3 free 8x10's and 3 $10off coupons....you can use on free 8x10 online coupon and a free 8x10 from your membership and a $10.00 off all on the same vist (so your get 3 diff poses and not have to pay much..the first time will be at least the membership price) The next 2times I went after I got 3 poses each time in 8x10's and only paid 8.95 plus tax..thats not bad~ Well good luck.

For the same money (OK, $1 more), you can get a MUCH better picture and more prints at Portrait Innovations. I've been there several times and have never been pressured into buying more. I just tell them when it's time to review the pics that I'm only getting the $9.95 deal. They will take 40-70 pictures and encourage you to bring more than one outfit.

Use Portrait Innovations instead. They are MUCH better than Wal-Mart.

http://www.portraitinnovations.com/special_offers.html

I've used them several times, and they were pretty good. Not a lot of hounding. I've had a lot of trouble with the Picture People...tons of trouble! I ended up going back to Wal-Mart to take my son's pictures.

I know what you mean by getting the value for pay for.
We have been to K-mart, wal-mart,target,and sears.
The walmart one was good, but down side is that you have to choose the 1st picture for the portrait package price.
If you want one of the other pictures its per picture.

Of course Kmart isn't here no more.

Sears was good but you do have to pay a fee for a 2 year membership. Other than that there packages are good and
you and pick which picture for your package.

Target there isn't a sitting fee or membership and
you can pick which picture you want.

I have a 3 yr old and 18 mo old and its nice to pick your picture, there are always ones that you won't like.

Hope this helps !

We've used them and they're ok. If you get the package it will be of your "first accepted pose." This means that they snap a picture, show you the digital image, and you decide if you like it enough to order the package of that pose. The problem with this is that the very next pose might be better, but you are locked into your first choice. And, once you pass up a pose, you can't go back!! This happened to us with our daughter's 9 month photos, so I ended up buying a couple of the other poses and spent about $40. Also, I would choose their plain backgrounds. The ones that look like a fake garden or whatever really do look fake in the pictures. Since then, I have used Walmart only when they do the $3.98 special and we are getting something like Halloween costume pics, or pics with a friend -- something that I'm not looking to enlarge and frame.

We liked JC Penney's better. You get to look at all of the pictures, then pick your package (for just $7.99) and you can mix and match poses.

However, our FAVORITE place is Kiddie Kandids in the Lewisville Babies R Us. They have the best lighting, you get your prints in about 10 minutes, and they will stand on their heads to make your kid laugh or smile for the photo. It's a little pricey, but if you just get wallets, and a few larger prints for yourself and the grandparents you can come away under $50.

I hate Wal Mart picture studio, they are good for cheap pictures but do not have high expectations. They will no pressure sell, but only because the employees do not care. I have had our pictures there a couple of time and once the quality sucked, then they messed up half of the order another time and so I called it quits with them. If you are trying to get pictures on a very small budget it is great but again do not have high expectations. Also sign up on www.picturepeople.com and they will email and mail you a coupon all of the time for a free 8x10 or 10x13 pic. They are a little bit more expensive but if you are just looking for a pic for yourself then they are great! I always buy one too just because I feel guilty, but you are not obligated and they are done in 1 hour.

I have used walmart at least 5 times with my 6 year old daughter the last two times I went to Target what a difference the pictures were so much better and they let you pick your favorite pose form about 8 also they didnt try to sell me more than what i was already planning to but. if you go to target.com they will tell you which stores have a portriat department and there is also a coupon for the package.
Hope this helps

I agree with alot of the moms, I do not like Wal-Mart studios, the photographers are not prof. and I was the one who had to make my child smile for the picture, the photographer didn't seem to be into it. I have had that on several occasions at Wal-Mart.

I got my daughter's 1 month photos at the Walmart in Hurst and I was satisfied with how they turned out. The background selections are decent enough. The deal I went for at the time was $6.99 for a single sitting,or something like that. But the photographer took about 6 shoots, and showed me all the different poses on the screen and offered me different packages. She didn't pressure me too much, but of course you know when you see your little one in all those different poses it can be hard to choose(of course that's what they're hoping for). But I settled on the one pose I had intended on getting anyways. The photos came in about 2 1/2 weeks and were great. An 8x10, 2 5x7, and a bunch of wallets for all the family. I had taken a photo session with the Growing Family company that takes baby's first pics at the hospital that same weekend. I spent a little over $200 on their smallest package, and other than the convencienc of them coming to your home, there really is no difference. Walmarts quality was just as good as First Fotos'(Growing Family). I'm happy with their work, but Walmart's much more affordable.

K.,
It sounds like you have only recieved poor ratings for Wal-Mart, but they do fine if you know how to work the system. We took our son every month of his first year to get his picture taken and we couldn't afford to pay too much. I told the photographer going in that I was only going to get the package and we just kept trying until we got a good picture. It worked out well for us. I just wanted you to have all the info, not just the negatives!

Hi K.,

I used Wal-Mart for my twin girls' 7 month picture as a present for Father's Day. The photographer was unprofessional and wasn't ready with the camera when the girls were. They both cried through the whole shoot and they had eaten and napped before it. I feel misled as the reason I picked them was the price and the fact that they said I could get a proof of the pictures right there. The proof was not an actual picture as I was led to believe--it was a paper receipt. I will never go back to Wal Mart. The pictures took about 21 days to return ---which missed Father's Day for us and the quality was just not there. I suggest Kiddie Kandids at BabiesRUs.

I have used Wal Mart several times. I have always been very satisfied with their photos. When my son was small I would use Picture People and pay their high prices. However, everytime I would be disappointed. That is when I tried WalMart and I have found the prices are right and the pictures are great! I would diffently recommend them to all my friends :)

WalMart's studio was alright, but I've had much better luck with Target. The quality is much better, and they do amazingly with my 20 month old daughter.

I liked JC Penny better. You can go online and get a coupon for either $4.99 or $3.99 (whatever the sale is right now) a sheet. That way you can mix and match poses and print sizes instead of just having to take the first pose like at walmart. I also liked the quality better. I haven't really had walmart hound me tooooo bad, but the sneaky thing they do is when you go to pic up your pictures they have extras there that are "available bot this price but for YOU I will give you this price" and you have 3 days to get them. If you do go to walmart and get the package but want extra prints the best deal is the photo cards. They come with a 3x5 on one side and a spot for a note on the other and come with envelopes and its like $10 for 10 or 15 I think. You can just cut the letter side off if you dont want to use it. They are great to send to family. Have fun!

A.
http://www.myspace.com/anangelstouchphotography

I have used walmart and as anywhere it all depends on who you get, last pics we had 2mnths ago, just got the package, took about 15 minutes for the 6 or 7 poses they do, no pressure to buy, they show you the other poses but I wait until they come in and buy a copy of all the proofs which is of each pose for about $20-25dollars, so I have all of the poses, the main one and the others to display in the portrait sheet in a larger frame. Wrks out great. if you'd like to see a couple or few of pics from walmart you can go to my group page at http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/freeoralmostfree/join/ I have some pictures posted on the homepage that was most recent and then there are some on the photo link to the left in pics section I belive. Good luck. Each of mine were taken at the one in west mckinney.

I went to Wal-Mart once and had a terrible experience. For those discount packages, they make you take 6 pictures, but you can only use the first one for the discount package. If you want to buy any of the other pictures, you have to just use their other packages/prices. Also, some people make appointments, but it's not really clear who has priority, the person who has been there for an hour waiting or the person who made sure to make an appointment in advance.

I found that JC Penney (in Cedar Hill) is the best bet. If you sign up for their Portrait Program ($30) you pay no sitting fees for 2 years. You can always find tons of coupons for their sheets, usually $3.99 a sheet. You can even look on their website and print them off. And the photographers are much better. They use a very good digital camera, so they can take as many pictures as you want, and throw out the ones that are bad...that was VERY important for my 2-year-old, who is very squirmy and unpredictable. You have to take 10 shots to get one good one sometimes.

Hope that is helpful.

I've never used Walmart, but we have used Portrait Innovations in Colleyville. They take a ton of pictures and they are digital, so you can see them all right away and pick your pose(s). The pictures are ready for pick up in about an hour. They have a special you can use once every couple of months where you get 1- 10 x 13, 2- 8 x 10s, 4- 5 x 7s, 4- 3 x 5s, and 32 wallets, plus you get 6 free photo cards for $10. This includes one pose, but you can purchase other packages if you choose. They of course offer you other packages, but don't hound you to buy them. The first time we went in, I just said right up front that we wanted the $10 special, and that was it. They didn't try to sell us anything else.

Good luck!
S.

I used Walmart portrait for pics for my daughter. I was pretty happy with the quality, just not the service there. They don't really hound you that much about buying the packages, and to be honest they are really not that expensive. There are no hidden fee's. Like i said the only thing that bothered me was the lack of customer service with the photographer who kept interupting my session by talking on the phone. She finally handed me the clicker to take the pictures and i ended up taking the majority of them. I went to the one off of Sycamore School Rd and McCart in Fort Worth. Good Luck and hope you have a better experience than i did.

Hey, I have used Wal Mart and they were good. Just keep in mind that the very first picture they take is the one you can get with the pkg deal. So know what you want the picture to look like and tell them to do that. Otherwise, they will do something cheesy and then take cuter pictures and try and charge you over the pkg deal. They try and hound you but if you do this, it will avoid that and you get the best picture with your deal. The pictures are good for the price. I really like JCPENNY also. Really cute backgrounds and good pricing.

HELLO K., I HAVE USED WAL-MART ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FOR THE PICS OF MY 2 DAUGHTERS. THEY ARE CHEAP, BUT ALRIGHT. I PREFER TO GO TO TARGET NOW. THEY DO ALOT BETTER PICTURES.

Hi K.
I decided to have some last minute photos taken at Walmart and they turned out really nice. (not the greatest photos Ive ever had done but they were still nice.) It takes a few weeks to get them back and they WILL offer you other packages but the "special" package is more than enough photos. (only one pose for the special...they will use the first photo they take so if you dont like it ask them to take it again) My friend also used Portrait Innovations and the photos were AWESOME.
Have fun!
T.

I haven't tried walmart (I have issues with the whole company) but I've used portrait innovations on park & the tollway in Plano. No sitting fee, $10 for one pose and a ton of pictures plus you get the pictures the same day. Last time they had a special at no extra cost of a calendar with the picture on it. First time I went they had 10 photo cards as the extra. Of course they want you to purchase the other poses but they aren't too bad on the pressure. I hate pressure and I went back so it wasn't too bad. I'd try them if it's not out of your way.

Hello! Yes,I do like their pictures. When I had my first child-only did Sears b/c well its Sears...but as I had couple more kids,they have hidden fees and sitting fees! Oh! I got Walmart flier and decided to try it-DO IT! You cant tell the difference b/w Sears & Walmart! Of course thats where I live-they are good. Sometimes theirs a teen working-watch them that they do take good pic-but for the price-no sitting fees-any number kids-alot pics-you cant bet that! In these hard times-just me I know-you have to have your memeries but they dont have to come from Sears/JCPenny! NO ONE will know I promise! Make sure you ask all the questions you have before hand. You do have to take the first pic as your whole pkg...but you can try as many times as you like to find good one. Thats the only small draw back. JCPenny/Sears,etc...
seriously they charge for things that you get at Walmart free! $30 sitting fee for 2yrs-thats great if you only have one kid & only go once or twice! Plus there you have to pay per sheet! Coming from a stay-at-home mom with 4kids,and husband that has great paying job-I STILL DO WALMART! Smart
Place for Smart Moms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have had my 3 daughters pictures made at Target and have been very happy with the price and quality!!

I don't know if all Walmart studios are the same but I hated mine. We were trying to get my son to smile and he kind of half smiled and she took the picture. I asked her to try again and the next picture was worse and the previous picture was gone. Each new picture replaces the previous. I really liked Babies-R-Us pics. They take several poses and you get to see them all at the end. They even fixed a picture on their computer that showed too much in about one second. (naked baby) I didn't pay a sitting fee and they charged me 15.00 a sheet. I paid a fortune at studio a friend recomended and like the Babies-R-Us pics better.

My daughters are 9 years and 12 weeks and I just recently had pictures done of them at Walmart and they were excellent. I went to the one off of Hulen in Fort Worth. They did a great job and was very patient with my 9 week old at the time. I would highly recommend getting them done there for the price.

I have used Wal-Mart Portrait Studio and was very happy with the pictures I got. They also have a Portrait Smile club where you pay $20 or $25 and you get whatever the package that on sale is plus 10% off and a free 8 x 10 everytime you do pictures and it's good for a year. It worked out great for me!

HI, I have often had pictures of my kids done at Wal-Mart, and if the person taking the photos knows what they are doing, they are usually good. Also, know that those special packages they offer at great prices only includes one pose, and always the first one taken, not the one of your choice. I'm the type that I can't not have at least one of every pose, so I usually spend about $150 there. My personal preference is to go to Target portrait studio because you can buy one of each pose, and spend less than $40. They are as good as Wal-Mart, too. Hope this helps.

K., it's Gina again. Yes, Walmart has nice photos and they're affordable. They don't hound you afterwards but they will try to upsale. Just stick to your guns and tell then you only want the photos that come with the package which usually will only contain one pose. I took my daughter to have photos taken in her glasses and they turned out great! I have yet to find even a professional photographer who will allow her to keep her glasses on for a photo. Until I find one that will, we'll stick with Walmart.

I haven't used the Wal Mart portrait studio, but I will recommend the Kiddie Kandids in Lewisville Babies R Us. It is a drive, but that's the only place that takes good pictures of my son. They have a baby steps program where you get a ton of freebies, and they are the cheapest place we've gone to. You can also have them email your portraits so you can send them to friends and/or family, and they can order any extras that they might want. I know it's not what you were looking for, but if you're up for the drive, I haven't found anyone who beats them (and believe me we've been almost everywhere).

I know you have gotten a lot of responses.My resonse is this.WalMart is fine,but Taget is the best.Yes,it's more expensive,but they take the cutest pics and my daughter actually got her picture in the Target book of photos.So,do what you want.There will be many more phot ops!Don't stress out so much!You will be just fine!

I have used Walmart and have been pretty happy. They will try to get you to buy additional photos right after the session but not too pushy I usually end up buying some addtional photos because the poses are different and they take some cute shots of course so you want to buy more. The prices are reasonable for the extras espically if you giving them to relatives friends etc.

I like it.
I use the one in garland off I30 even though it is not the closest one because of this photographer named Killian who is great with my son! I just tell him we want the package and there is no Hounding.. He's great if you're anywhere near there.. And with how inexpensive they are, you can get them done twice as many times a year!. I've used target, sears, and walmart. i didn't care for target because the photographer was inexperienced. Sears was busy and unorganized. we showed up on time but waited almost 45 minutes with a toddler..NOT GOOD. Walmart is easy and convienient. Good luck.

B.

I have used Wal-Mart tons of times. My daughter is now 4 1/2 years old and we have used them lots of times all throughout her years. I have also used the Picture People, which are great but kind of pricey. I have never had a problem with hounding either. Also, it sometimes depends on the photographer. We went one time and did not purchase anything because my daughter was uptight with the photographer and the pictures did not come out well. But again that could happen anywhere, and there is no obligation to buy if your truly not satisfied.

I have used the Walmart studio once. Yes, the pictures were very inexpensive. However, the quality of the picture was just terrible. We use either Target or JCPenney now. We recently got our boys' 3 yr & 18 month pictures taken at JCPenney. I had a coupon for $3.99 portrait sheets. The quality there is very good. I also like Target.

I have had my daughter's pictures done at Target, Sears and Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart was by far the worst. The package was much more expensive than I expected to pay (you don't get much in those cheap packages and they usually all have to be of one pose) and the pictures did not come out very good. In fact, the bar that holds up the background is showing in one of the poses and it was not like that in the proofs that we looked at on the computer. I was EXTREMELY dissatisfied with what we got from them.

Target, on the other hand, is awesome. We got the BEST pictures there and they always have coupons for inexpensive packages. ($4.99 portrait sheets and a free 8X10 with no sitting fee) You can download the coupons on their website if you don't get them in the mail or the paper. Also, they have a portrait club that is good for 2 years (I think it's like $20), but it also has additional savings like an additional $1 off of portrait sheets. I am going tomorrow to get my daughter's Halloween pics done and I will get a free 8X10 and will only pay $3.99 per page for pictures. It's such a great deal and when I got them done when she was 4 months old, they came out so great that they gave me a gift certificate for future portraits if I let them use her photos in their book. We also got some family pictures done at Sears and they did a great job as well. I think they are a little more expensive than Target, but I know that they have coupon specials too, so it's worth looking into.

Bottom line, I would never go back to Wal-Mart, but Target does an awesome job for a great value with their coupons. Good luck!