Sears Portrait Studio

They have been shut down-​thank GOD!

If i could give no stars I would. This is the worst Sears portrait studio I have ever been to. I scheduled my appointment online only to get a call back from the «photographer» saying that she needs to move my appointment back 2 hours because she was the only one there. (2 hours back is when my kids need to go to bed). I went at my normal time only to find her sitting at the front desk alone playing on her phone. Naturally upset that she just clearly didn’t want to do her job. Another customer was sitting trying to figure out how to work the picture system. with little to no help from the «employee». She didn’t listen to what we needed and with 2 small children this appointment was going down hill fast. I only got a few «good» photos when she sat me down to order, She left me to do all the ordering, again I have never have had to do this in other studios. I only ordered 1 picture being told that i would have to wait 8 weeks for it. I left with my kids to get them to bed. She didn’t give me my session number so I could look at my photos and place orders online (only taking 7 days to get). I called 6 days later for the number and got it in a rude manner. I just went to enter it and it says please allow 72 hours from your session day to allow enough time for upload. (she hasn’t processed my photos yet, no wonder its going to take 8 weeks to get that print I orders).
My advice take a short drive to another portrait studio!!! Steer clear of this one!

So they said 15 minutes for the pictures to be uploaded. Thirty minutes later, we were still waiting to just SEE our photos. Apparently their computers went down and we had to wait for a lady to finish picking out her photos on the one computer that was available. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Sears man, never fails to disappoint. It’s no wonder they have such a great Groupon/​LivingSocial deal. Apparently, that’s the only way to get people in here. Also, we were told they’d call us when the pictures were ready for pick-​up, and guess when they called? Two months later.
P. S. They’re closed between 2 and 3pm for lunch, so don’t try to pick up your pictures between those times. There will LITERALLY be no one there, just a sign.

My husband and I came here with our baby twice. The first time was okay (we had a Groupon for both occasions). The first time we had a pretty attentive photographer – I felt sorry for her, because she was manning the entire place alone. The second time we came (last Sunday), we got a completely new photographer and this was her first time taking pictures (the session with us). She was a sweet lady, but the pictures did not turn out (she didn’t know how to get our baby to smile like the first photographer and they couldn’t find anything to distract the baby to look at the camera). In addition to this, a fight broke out between a Sears worker and a girl and her fiancé right outside our photo room. We heard screams, a loud boom (I thought someone was shooting so I hid my son and ducked in the back of the room). My husband told me to stay in the room, the photographer called 911 and my husband tried to break up the two girls fighting – they were pummeling each other into the room with me and the baby. The boyfriend of this fighting girl was egging on the fight, and the two girls had each others hair and scratched up each others faces with their nails. I cried to the girls to please stop, that my baby was in the room, and they wouldn’t stop. So my husband and I darted out of the studio and headed home. I won’t be going there again. My husband tried to talk to the police (as a witness) but they didn’t want to talk to anyone. I can’t believe a fight would break out in a portrait studio. There was no mall security (the San Jose police were the first on the scene), and I think Sears should have their own security guard in these types of instances. I’m just thankful that the girl or her boyfriend didn’t pull out a gun and start shooting, because my son and I would have probably been killed, as well as my husband. I really do hope that Sears can hire a security guard or have a full-​time mall security guard in Sears, and I hope they put panic buttons in the photo studio. There were no emergency exits for my husband and I to leave the room with our baby. It was very scary. I hope no one has to experience anything like this – particularly at a joyous time of getting Christmas photos taken. It was anything but joyous and we will never come back to Sears or Oakridge Mall again.

If your looking for cheap pictures youve come to the right place but if your looking for good service stear clear (:

STEER CLEAR! I should have heeded the Unilocalers but nooooo I was a moron!
Went on Aug 31 to take my grandson for pictures and that went fine I got the 10X30 and an 8X10. The 8X10 came on time but it is October 4 and I still have no 10X30. I have called repeatedly and even went there and was told that they are behind. 5 weeks for a picture? If thye can give you the 8X10 the others should be there! I let them know that I would NEVER use them again and do you think they would offer anything? NOPE. I told her if I call in 2 days and that picture is not there I am going down there and going all types of crazy on them NO JOKE. The staff is a joke and I hope they read this so they see my name I dont give a rip.

SERIOUSLY…1 star because 0 is not an option. i dont know why i kept coming to this f****** place, oh yea because of their coupons and because THE PICTURE PEOPLE closed =(
anyways the only reason im going back now is to place my order since its the only time my fam. made time and took time off from work to take a «sisters & nephews» portrait and I NEED THOSE pictures, but i will no longer be coming here to there UNPROFESSIONAL, RUDE, GHETTO studio. if this means i have to buy my own Cannon so be it. So sick and tired of being treated like shit when i come with my kids and family and still get rushed. Not to mention having to hear the employees talk about, «omg can they hurry i need to do inventory» or «omg why did the online system let you schedule at this time». please save your money and go to a REAL professional place.

Photo printer was down and they wanted $ 250 for a photo CD. For pictures taken by unskilled high-​school students, this is absurd.

I decided to try out this studio after I found out the Picture People have closed.
The prices are about the same, the staff is very friendly and I got a lot of great pictures of my children.
They also have a lot of Halloween and Christmas backgrounds.
I can’t wait to go back for Christmas Portraits.

Sears Portrait — Oakridge is conveniently close to home. I took my both my daughters here as infants. Their price was reasonable and the pictures were decent.
I recently took them back for one of my daughter’s 1 year shoot — they overcharged me!!! When were portrait prints here $ 19.99/sheet? I remember it being $ 9.99/sheet for as long as I can remember, it’s additional if you want enhancements (given). For that same price, I’d rather go somewhere else where the photographers are more experienced, and not someone from high school. They don’t know how to make my daughters smile or get comfortable. Some thing have definitely changed here.
BTW, why is it only $ 9.99/sheet if I were to order it online? Makes no sense. This place is a ripe-​off. I won’t be coming back.

Our family takes notoriously bad pictures. Every year for the Holidays I have to make a collage of pictures to include everyone on our card because we don’t have a single decent picture of the family together.
We were given a Sears Portrait studio package as a gift and finally used our sitting a few weeks ago. Unlike the Picture People, the studio waiting area was not chaos. We even had a space to primp before going in for our session. We also had a private space to get our picture taken in, so my 3 ½ year old was not distracted by all of the people watching our photo shoot like at the aforementioned location.
After running us through her set series of poses, our photographer asked us if there were any shots we’d like to take and allowed us some free range in our poses.
At the end, I still expected the worse because I generally hate any picture of myself. Amazingly, we liked more pictures that we were prepared to buy and had to narrow it down to the 5 we liked best.
I am very happy with this portrait studio in comparison to others I’ve tried. After 3 ½ years, we finally have a picture of our whole family in one nice shot.

THEY SEND ME FREE 10 X 13 coupons about once a month. That’s the ONLY reason I still go. Its worth the free picture because I live close but if I had to pay I would def go somewhere else. The staff is friendly but they don’t know how to take pictures that well. Every pose is the same when they make the collages for you to look at they are look over low quality like I could have done it at home.
But i still go because its worth the free 10×13.

You know, when my daughter was an infant it wasn’t bad. But now, my LORD! The WAIT!!! 1. even with an appointment you end up waiting for-​ever. 2. the «photographers» are ofter just out of (or still finishing) high school so don’t know much about photography, «capturing the moment» anything. 3. They stick to strategic poses, not natural movements, once children hit a certain age.
Examples: My daughter, as an infant, LOVED to lay on her belly and a do this «flying» thing where she’d pick up her legs and arms. It was SO adorable (to us). While at the studio, my daughter started doing this and the «photographer» said «Oh baby! Put your arms back down!» (joking cuz they were trying to get the head on arm pose) but I shouted «NO! take that pictures! We love that!» I have other instances just like this that, if the photographers were more skilled, would know are «money shots» for parents and to just shoot away. I mean, it is a digital camera for crying out loud!
The photos are ok quality but the prices are really high if you get the digital negatives. After my daughter turned 1, we stopped doing the photos there… I don’t recommend.

What a joke! This place is horrible. I wish I had read the reviews before taking my family here, in the rain, during the holidays. Awful! Just not the Sears Picture Studio I remember as a kid… never again!

Very bad customer service. They set up appointments for 2 – 3 groups of people in the same slot to try to pack more people in. It is just bad management of Sears Corp or that particular branch. After the photo was taken, we were just told, come back in 20 minutes. 20 minutes later, we we shoved to one empty workstation and left there on our own devices. Never again, avoid like plague.

Things used to be better here but they changed managers and photographers. The photographers are bad and do not know how to make babies or kids smile. They are not aware of shadows and the kids faces turn out dark. They don’t allow you to use 2 coupons together which doesn’t make sense, since their website comes with 4 – 5 coupons sometimes. Why show the coupons if we cannot use them. I do not recommend this Sears Portrait. PS. it is always hot and that does not make the kids happy at all when taking pictures. Their props are dirty and broken. They really need to invest in better props, backgrounds and most of all photographers that are used to taking pictures of kids.

Terrible customer service! rude rude rude!, i will never go here again

I will start with the positive — our photographer worked pretty well with our 6 year old son. Other than that… this experience was horrible.
Their customer service skills are virtually non-​existent. They are overbooked apparently because «the 1 – 800 number overbooks them». Instead of upping their staff on a busy Saturday, they simply tell people «we’re doing the best we can» with 1 photographer on a Saturday morning before Mother’s Day. They took us in 30 minutes late — I have a 6 month old — he has a schedule. I make my appointment at a certain time and while I plan for some flexibility in that time, 30 minutes late? That’s the difference between awake and sleeping, hungry or not.
The photographer did not listen to what we requested — we wanted pictures of me and the boys mostly for Mother’s Day, instead she took a ton of pictures of the «family». After 20 minutes of taking pictures my 6 month old was done, but almost none of the pictures we wanted were even taken. 20 minutes of pictures — you’d think we’d have a lot to choose from. No, 10 pictures. 10 pictures turned out. Then, they show you all the pictures with enhancements, but if you want to buy them, the enhancements are extra, otherwise you get them without. I’m sure this type of sales tactic is common with other studios as well, but it’s not exactly something I wanted to hear after only getting to see 10 of our pictures after 20 minutes. The background was dull — it was a white sheet that looked gray and dirty.
I’m not sure how the previous reviewer got a price of $ 8 per sheet. I had a coupon for $ 3.99 per sheet AFTER you buy 6 sheets at regular price (which was $ 16.99 plus tax). How, with 10 pictures that turned out — most of which we didn’t like or didn’t chose can you come up with 6 sheets to buy at regular price and then begin getting a discount for more sheets? Sorry I don’t know that many people to give pictures to. This place was very expensive for what we got. If you want your pictures that day — it’s an extra $ 3 per sheet. You always get your pictures the same day at The Picture People — no extra charge.
When we went back to pick up our pictures — 3 weeks later and there were 2 photographers working this time (also a Saturday). At one point they both came out of the room they were taking pictures in, looked right at us, and turned right back around. Not once did anyone say «I’ll be with you in a minute» or anything. When they finally did help us, they were rude, acted rushed and did not apologize for making us wait (15 minutes). I will not be going back to Sears at Oakridge. I’ll try JCPenneys or go back to the Picture People where I always have a good experience and wonderful pictures.

I have a mixed review for this place, so it lands on 2 ½ stars, but I’ll grant it 3. I took my daughter here on a Sunday to get her 2^nd grade picture taken. Made an appointment for 1pm. They said they couldn’t make it later, even though I wanted 2:00.
We got there right at 1:00 and were forced to sit and wait until 1:40. Annoying. The photographer was very good with my daughter and took some nice shots. But when we were done, we were told to come back in 35 minutes to view our photos because the viewing tables were all full. Again, annoying. I did not set aside half a day for this event.
So we grabbed food in the mall and came back about 40 or so minutes later and luckily got a viewing table. Then we had the experience with the fast-​talking sales girl who then left us to sit on our own and play with the computer. When she finally came back (20 – 30 minutes later), she talked so fast I kept having to ask her to repeat herself. I felt rushed and therefore, didn’t appreciate her «help.»
The prices were decent. About $ 8 per sheet if no fancy stuff done to the pictures. If cropping or effects added, then I think it was $ 14. They had nice collages, but they were expensive and huge.
So overall, I liked the photos I got and the prices were decent, but I hated the waits even with reservations and I very much disliked the sales experience. I was left alone to fumble for forever and then when I got the attention/​help I wanted, she rushed through it and made me feel like I needed to rush and get out of her way.