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Today's review: Meijer Gallery Wrapped Canvas Print
Price: $39.99
Size: 11" x 14"
I have always wanted to get some kind of photo creation. Like posters, mugs, canvases, mouse pads, etc. When I joined the campaign, I was really excited to see how they turn out. Unfortunately, it did not turn out how I thought. Here is my experience with Meijer's photo center, and one of Meijer's Gallery Wrapped Canvas Prints.
Before Christmas, my brother and I went to Meijer's to do some shopping, and to order my canvas print. I had no clue what to do, or where to start, so I waited in the line so I could speak with a staff member. After about 20 minutes of waiting in line, I finally made it to the counter. I showed the man my coupon and asked him how I use it. He told me to go to the kiosk and return when I placed my order.
The kiosk is pretty nifty. There are many slots to insert a USB device, memory cards, SD cards, and even a slot for CD's or DVD's. There is even a scanner hooked up, so you can scan whatever you want to print. Once I inserted my USB device, it automatically displayed all of the photos on the drive. I thought that was cool, because I had them stored in many different folders, and I didn't have to search to find them. The kiosk takes you step by step through the ordering process in an easy to understand way. People who have no clue how to work electronics would be able to understand. The ordering process goes by fast. At the end you review your order and it prints out a coupon. The kiosk I was at, was out of paper, so I had to ask one of the staff what to do. All he said was just come by tomorrow, tell them my name, and I could pick it up then.
The next day I called Meijer's and asked about my canvas. The lady that answered was really rude. She snapped at me, told me to check my email, and then hung up. I was puzzled, because the kiosk never asked for my email. All you enter is your name and phone number. I called back twice, but no one answered.
Several hours later I went back to Meijer's to do some last minute Christmas shopping. I decided to check the photo center to see if my canvas was ready. After waiting in line fore 10 minutes, I found out that my photo was never sent to the printer. The man told me to come back in 20-30 minutes and I could pick it up then.
After finishing my shopping, checking out, and putting my goods away in the car, I finally made it back to the photo center. It was super packed. The line was really long, and there were people trying to get the 2 staff members to assist them. I wandered around a bit, checking out the electronics, and the stuff by the kiosks. I noticed that my canvas was still printing. It was coming out of this huge printer behind the counter. I thought it was neat and decided to watch it print.
One of the staff saw me sitting there, and said it wouldn't be long before it's ready. I said that's fine, and decided to go check out the video games. A while later, I noticed that the crowd around the counter was gone. The 2 staff members were chatting with and just goofing off. I looked at the printer and noticed my print was still hanging off the printer. The one staff looked at me and said, "I still didn't get to it yet." He told me that it would take him just a few minutes to get it framed. I said okay, and sat down at one of the kiosks.
I ended up waiting and hour and a half. He called me up to the counter, I gave him my coupon, and was waiting for him to put it in a bag. He looked at me and said "You can take it now", then turned to help someone else. I was dumbfounded. He didn't even put it in a bag. I just took the print and returned to my car.
I was finally able to inspect the canvas when I got home. The moment I looked at it, I was disappointed. The picture is really blurry, pixelated, and the ink looks blotchy. There are white spots where the ink didn't get between the fabric, there are cracks all along the sides in the ink, and there are scratches on the front from when it was mounted.
I keep wondering if my canvas would have turned out better if it wasn't holiday time, and the staff weren't rushed to finish it. If you are thinking about getting a canvas print, make sure that the photo is clear and well lit. Otherwise it might come out like mine did. Also note that one inch around the entire photo will get cut off so it can wrap around the sides.
The price for a 11 x 14 inch canvas at Meijer's is $39.99. In my opinion that is way too much to spend on something of this quality. Canvas prints are definitely a great idea, but the next time I get one done, I will go someplace else. Someplace that actually cares about how your order turns out, and where the staff are trained, and don't have to deal with people needing assistance with other items.
This is the photo I used for my canvas print
This is what the print looks like.
I tilted it so you can see how blurry it is, and the way the ink is all blotchy.
Here you can see some of the scratches.
This is what the canvas looks like up close. You can see the shading.
This is what the corners look like. There are a lot of cracks in the ink.
I give the idea of this a 5 out of 5.
I give the actual result a 3 out of 5.
