On Monday I went to photo continental to purchase some developer and came across some very old looking Kodak DK-50 developer. Not knowing anything about it I asked the staff who told me to wait (around 15 minutes) till somebody was free. I was then told that nobody in the store knows anything about the developer and they went online to find some information. They eventually came back with some time sheets from digital truth and said that they had contacted the manager who does not know how old the developer is or where it came from. By then I had started talking to an older guy also browsing the section who told me that he used to use DK-50 for extreme pushing back 50 years ago and that the powder in the packets would be long expired. The paper packets themselves were turning a dark brown on the edges, though the staff told me that it is sealed and would be fresh I ended up going home with some D-76 and Microdol-X and a bit annoyed that not a single sales person in the store knew squat about what they were selling. I know photographic sales would be 99.99% digital these days but its not like I'm asking about a niche product in a broad environment - Its the biggest photographic store in the southern hemisphere! (As proudly displayed outside) I kind of have an expectation that the staff would be able to help me regarding any aspect of photography.
On an unrelated note, where can I get Diafine in Australia?