JC Penney Portrait Studio in North Attleboro, Massachusetts - a Review

There are a good amount of portrait studios located in North Attleboro, MA, that parents of young babies and toddlers can choose from to capture their special moments. That being said, parents will often talk to each other about their experiences and often times, that's how the portrait studio they use gets chosen. So here is my review of the portrait studio in JC Penney in North Attleboro, which is based on my personal experience and the experiences of two other young mothers. This is also based on visits that took place in the last two years. Also, please not that JC Penney is a national chain, and this review is based only on this sole location, not on the brand name as a whole.

Location
The studio that I'm reviewing in this article is located in the Emerald Square Mall, 1019 S Washington St, North Attleboro, MA 02760. Their phone number is 508-643-0625. I have to say that if you're from the area (southern Massachusetts and north Rhode Island), the JC Penney Portrait Studio is in a really convenient spot. JC Penney is located in the central area of the mall, and you can get to it from either outside entrances or entrances within the mall.

Staff
It appears that the JC Penney Portrait Studio has the typical staffing numbers of a normal portrait studio. Someone mans the front desk where customers check in or pick up photos, and there always seems to be a couple of photographers on duty. The staff seems pretty nice, polite, and OK with children.

Facilities
One nice thing about the JC Penney Portrait Studio in North Attleboro is that it's rather large in comparison to other portrait studios in the area. Where as a lot of studios have only one photographing room, the JC Penney Portrait Studio has at least two. The waiting area is comfortable and large, and also kid-friendly.

Prices and making appointments
Prices run very typical of portrait studios in the area, which means it's pretty affordable no matter what your budget. This is a nice bonus when you consider that their photos are of high quality. You can see any available offers and/or coupons on their website, http://www.jcpportraits.com/default.aspx. You can also book appointments online, which is a real convenience. For appointments, you can also call the store or stop by in person.

Time waiting
Now here's where some personal experience comes in. I have visited this portrait studio once with my family, but it was enough. We were there on time, but had to wait over an hour to get the portraits of my daughter done. You might be thinking that an hour isn't very long...but consider waiting an hour with a 9 month old, and you might change your mind. The thing is, by the time we got called to take photographs, my baby had just about had it and was pretty cranky, which made for a much tougher photo session. I thought it may have just been our bad luck, but apparently, all the customers before and after us that we met in the waiting room had to wait just about the same time. When the receptionist was asked why the three photographers on duty were running so far behind, she replied with a simple, 'Oh, that happens at a lot of portrait studios'. Which, judging by my experiences with other studios, is simply not true.

I figured maybe this was just one bad experience with timing (after all, it was Easter weekend that I brought my daughter, so maybe it was extra busy?). But apparently, according to a few other mothers I spoke to who have recently visited this studio, the one hour waiting time is a very common occurrence. This is a major turn off with any customer, let alone those with small babies who have very limited time before they're 'melting down'.

The photographers
During our waiting time, which was long enough to get to meet various folks in the waiting area, we were able to meet a couple of the photographers between their appointments. They were very brief meetings, but all the photographers seemed pretty friendly and kind. The photographer that we ended up with was a pretty sweet woman who ended up being a great photographer. The fact is, by the time the long waiting period was up and we were in our photo session, my daughter was agitated and fussy. However, the photographer had some good patience and was able to get some really great shots that we still treasure greatly to this day. On top of everything, because she knew how long we had waited and could see our fussy our little girl was, she was kind enough to throw in a couple of free photos and apologized to us several times.

All in all, my experience at the JC Penney Portrait Studio in North Attleboro wasn't the most horrible thing I've ever been through, but it wasn't exactly the most pleasant, either. I more than likely wouldn't recommend this studio to any moms I know, and the moms who have told me about their experiences (which were nearly identical) have definitely not recommended it. The waiting time alone was a huge turnoff, but the kindness and the skill of the photographer definitely helped turn things around a bit. I was very happy with the pictures and still display them proudly to this day.

But the question remains, would I go there again? And my answer is simply no. Not unless I heard through some trusted moms that things have really turned around there.