The problem in the UK was what I call 'bang per buck'. Most magazines had envelopes fall out of them for mail order photo processing. This market was a race to

The problem in the UK was what I call 'bang per buck'. Most magazines had envelopes fall out of them for mail order photo processing. This market was a race to the bottom, with the service becoming a commodity. To keep you coming back there would be a 'free' unexposed reel of film for every reel you sent in. When the new disc films came along there were no upsides in area of film exposed, there was no upgrade path (you could not use the same film in an SLR as a point and shoot fixed focus) and only photographers that worked commercially were in the market for buying film. Most people went for the mail order option or Boots The Chemist, found on every High Street and able to do a quick turnaround at a fair price. The 1980's were also quite expensive when it came to consumer items. We no longer buy cameras 'made in America' and the thought of it is quite unimaginable today, you know straight off the bat that you are not going to be able to afford it. Furthermore, nothing in store was on a 'point of sale' system with retailers knowing exactly how much stock they have. There have been vast efficiency changes over the last forty years. All of this factors into price. On the flip side, the boomers were relatively rich and the difference between rich and poor was not what it is today, hence there was a large customer base in the middle class that could afford these things.