Black’s Photography

I’ve been to this location a few times and I suspect that there must’ve been some staffing turnover from the last reviewer’s visit. I visited once just before Christmas to pick up some photos; the staff were busily helping customers but were very friendly to me when I arrived.
They were unable to find my print job, but they walked me through the process of submitting a new one via the app on my phone (I could have figured it out on my own, but they were helpful with walking me through the steps nonetheless), and then when my small print job was ready, I received it for free to apologize for the wait.
My second visit went off without a hitch; I was served quickly and had no complaints. My photos were a bit darker than I had edited them to be, but I’m unable to fault the store for that since every printer is calibrated differently.
All in all, they’re good enough for me to keep coming back to for convenience’s sake, which is good enough for me.

I hate giving out 1 star reviews. But, I went back twice (in part for convenience’s sake, in part to give another chance), and can now confirm:
the customer service here is bad enough to make me seek out another option.
The shop is conveniently located in Sunnybrook Plaza at Bayview/​Eglinton, displays novelty photo-​based items like pillowcases imprinted with the image of a much-​loved retriever, and has the heady smell of photofinishing chemicals that I have come to love (N.B.: I also like the smell of gasoline. Fun fact). Here’s where the delight ends.
This location is always really slow, even though the staff: customer ratio seems fair; twice I’ve returned at the pre-​appointed time only to have my orders unfinished. Two staff members in particular are super-​surly, and I was unable to crack a smile from either (I tried my best material!). Asking one of them a question felt like I was intruding on the texting they were doing (not so subtly) under the counter.
What turns me off the most about this Black’s, however, is the attitude I’ve observed towards older (and less tech-​savvy) customers. In one instance, a woman was having difficulty looking at /​printing photos on the screens set up for this purpose in the store. Having been called over for help, the employee was rolling her eyes disrespectfully at the woman behind her back. In a second instance, I was standing in line behind an older man picking up his order. The order was not done to the man’s specifications, and when he inquired about having some of the shots redone, the employee was unnecessarily harsh with him, implying that if something was off with the order it was due to his poor memory. It was unkind, and awkward to witness.
I’ve never found Black’s to be extraordinary in terms of either quality or price, but would formerly choose the store due to convenience. My recent visits have me prioritizing a further drive for a friendlier, more respectful, experience.
Unilocal note: a smile goes a long way to building repeat customers and good neighbourhoodie (not a word… not officially!) vibes.