Thursday's at the Mall... 10/13 edition

Love Thursday's at the Mall...

Today, I took Little G to JCPenny's to get her Halloween pictures and her 2nd birthday pictures done.  I can't believe she will be 2 soon.  Time sure does fly...

Anyways, I love getting my pictures done here (for the most part).  You can schedule an appointment online with all of the information and what your ideas are for your pictures.  I've always had a good experience (except when G isn't on her best behavior) and for the most part the employees always have great ideas, props and seem to know what they are doing.  It takes less than two weeks for them to come in and they are great quality photos.  Don't worry about a baby that won't smile on Que - that is G.  Somehow they seem to always get at least one great photo.

The best part is the price - FREE SITTING FEE, FREE 8 X 10 AND $3.99 SHEETS! (with a coupon of course).  I use to take G every month or so when she was a baby, now not so frequently, but it is so much fun to look back and see how much she has changed.  So where do you get these coupons?  Look in the coupon inserts, look in magazines, check your mail and look on the JCPenny Portrait website.  Spend about $30 and get a lifetime of memories.

Here are some of the pitfalls and advice from me on how to avoid them:

1. Schedule your appointment first thing in the morning or right after the employee lunch break.  G is horrible at waiting and it seems as though they are always running behind.  I can see why, sometimes it takes forever to get a child to cooperate.
2. As far as I know, these aren't highly qualified, novice photographers with the most modern, current, up to date equipment - however, they do a nice job with what they have.  If you are expecting perfection and expertise, maybe a private photographer would do better.
3. Stick to your guns (budget) about what you came to order.  They will try and sell you when you are viewing your pictures by creating beautiful collages, black and white pictures, invitations, cards, etc.  They have to create something from each category before they can let you pick your pictures, so let them create them and then just pass on them.  They tend to run anywhere from $10 to $20 per picture extra.
4. If you are even considering Holiday pictures, do it early and do it first thing in the morning.  It becomes a zoo in the portrait studio even at open.  

Check out my other posts about Thursday's at the Mall for more fun, inexpensive things to do.