You have to buy a pair of glasses. You can buy a pair for $50 or a pair for $500.
What would you do?
How about this, the $500 pair of glasses are purchased from your local optometrist, the one who does your eye test every year. The other pair come from the internet after your local optometrist tests you and gives you your prescription.
Would that influence your decision? Should it?
I have a couple of friends who recently chose to purchase glasses from the internet rather than from the brick and mortar optometrist office where the eye test was performed.
That’s got to be scary for local optometrists.
There’s a lot rolled up in that $500 cost. In addition to paying themselves, they have to give a cut of the profits to the companies that make and ship the frames that hang on the walls and don’t forget the employees who work there, the ones who make your appointment and send you your reminders and your bills.
There’s also advertising, accountants, and the heating and cooling of the brick and the mortar – and what happens to those employees when nobody buys $500 glasses anymore?
Ask anybody who lost their job due to the technological advancements.
You still have to see the eye doctor to get the prescription – so the cost of the test still goes to the brick and mortar establishment. But it’s going to take a lot more than that to keep them in business.
“Those glasses won’t last a year,” you say. Well heck, at $50 a pair, you could buy two pair a year for 5 years before you’ve spent $500. And if you have children who wear glasses, you know how hard it is to keep a pair intact for a year.
My friend loves the $50 glasses, in fact the price was so wallet-friendly that my friend went back and purchased a few more pair, just to have extras on hand. Imagine having a half-dozen frames to pick from every morning.
The optometrist isn’t happy about this and it’s not hard to see why. I’m not sure who is making the $50 glasses, but I know that for a lot of families that cost means a lot to their budget.
The cost of designer frames is rarely covered by vision insurance, and few people these days even have vision insurance.
So what do you do? Do you do your part to keep the brick and mortar businesses in business by paying the $500 or save yourself some dough and pay $50?
I don’t know that the $50 frames are made in the U.S.A. – but I’m also 80% certain that the $500 frames aren’t made in America either.
We bemoan the loss of small business, but we shop at big box stores that are the reason for their disappearance. We argue about the loss of American jobs, but we also want the best bang for our buck.
I’m not sure how I feel about this, I’m determined to save money when possible, but I’m equally determined to support small businesses, I think it’s good for our society and our economy. So, what would you do?
Brenda’s column appears most Mondays at noon.
I also strive to support the local businesses. However, I am finding more than ever, even during the Christmas holiday buying season, that I cannot find what I want at the area stores. Case in point: I went yesterday to buy new curtains for a room I am remodeling. Back in the day I could go to the local Mill End store. It no longer exists. So I went to 2 big box stores and much to my disappointment the selection was horrible. So now what? Now I hit a few more stores today after work in the hopes I find something. But I suspect I will be buying something online. Just like I do at Christmas. Makes me sad to see the Mom and Pop places disappear.
Agreed – sometimes it isn’t an easy decision.
I sympathize – HUGELY!
Yes, you can buy them online, but in addition to the prescription you get from your doctor, their are measurements that are required to fabricate glasses properly. And most of those measurement require the frame to be on your face befor the glasses are made. You can’t do that when you order them online. And what happens when a nose pad falls off? Are you just going to toss the glasses and order another pair, because they “are just $50”? Or if a screw falls out? Or if they get bent? I imagine there will be a time where no one no longer cares about the quality of their vision as long as they can get cheap glasses, but I sure hope I’m not on the roads with those people!
I’m guessing at $50 a pair you toss and get another pair. Or, as on person suggested, but five pair at once. But I’m not sure that makes much more sense.
Shopping isn’t just about price – it’s about value. Your local business will adjust, clean and repair those glasses – probably for free. Will your online retailer? Your local business will stand behind the product and offer a warranty that they’ve made it according to your doctor’s prescription. Will the online retailer? They local business has experienced employees who can advise you on lens choice and frames that best suit your prescription. Can the online retailer? Would you prefer to trust the measurements necessary to correctly fabricate your eyewear to an experienced, perhaps licensed – professional? Or a youtube video that teaches you to do it yourself? And, your local business brings in tax revenue to your town, donates products to fundraisers in the area, helps beautify and maintain your downtown. Does your online retailer? So – where do you find the most value?
Well said.
Agreed. But we are definitely changing our View of service. I prefer personal service
But I worry about the decline.
I was going to purchase glasses at my optometrist’s office, but the cost was too high. I have little vision insurance ($25 for frames, $10 per lens), I pay for my office visit up front. I purchase my glasses on line, it’s cheaper, the quality may not be as good, but again, I can buy a new pair for 1/8 the cost of the glasses at the optometrist. I purchase small business as often as I can–but to save a few hundred dollars? On line is the only way.
I believe you are part of a growing trend.
In my situation I would pay for the 500 dollar glasses. That price is a little bit high by the way. Last pair I bought though a local optometrist was 350. I don’t get the cheapest ones. Frames exam and progressive lenses with a scratch guard. When it comes to my eyes which are really important to me by the way, I am going with someone I can see and talk to personally. I know some people say they can’t afford it, but once every couple of years isn’t that much. Seems everybody can afford a cell phone though.
And all of that is just added an added bonus to supporting small businesses, and keeping my dollars in my community.
Shoot, my reply above was supposed to tag on to my post, as I hit enter too soon. Sorry. Doesn’t make sense here. 🙁
Jim – yes everybody can afford a cellphone. But most of those same people no longer pay for land lines or “long distance.” And I agree that $500 is steep, but $350 is plenty steep for many people especially compared to $50. I think those of us preferring an office with personal care, may soon find ourselves without a choice.
I tried a pair of the online glasses. They were crap. Went back to my Drs office and bought a pair for under $300. (Not sure where this arbitrary $500 number came from). You do get what you pay for sometimes. Plus I have a place to service them for me. That’s worth something as well.
That’s my biggest worry about online – ending up with crap glasses. $50 may be cheap, but it’s not worth crap.
I support local businesses whenever possible. I have a small busin essence as well as sell on Amazon. I appreciate myoyal customers.
Nancy Pearsall, Breathwarmers
Agreed Nancy – I’m a brick and mortar small business supporter too – but I know a lot of people who base their purchases on the lowest possible price first – and that is a huge impact that should not be ignored.
I buy local. That said, I’m single, no kids, and have vision insurance. And yes, my glasses are fairly expensive–although I’m with Jim, they certainly weren’t $500. But I’m adamant about a) buying local and b) buying made in USA whenever I can. I’ll pay the extra cost.
The glasses are fit to my face to assure my comfort, with free adjustments whenever I need one. Great customer service throughout. Total back up if anything is wrong. It’s worth it.
Now that my kids are grown and on their own, I have a little more income that I can use on glasses. But when I was buying glasses for my kids it was certainly a gigantic strain on the wallet. And the $500 may be top of the line – but it isn’t impossible. I agree that personal service is invaluable.
Not sure how mail ordering works when one wears progressive lenses. How does it work for fitting frames to one’s head size. Do I send a measurement of my head? Like the idea of spending less and having more…
My understanding is that you go to the optometrist and have to tell her/him your plans to buy from online. They then have to provide you with your prescription and the appropriate measurements. If you try to it, let me know how it goes. I wonder if they are super cheap glasses that will break in a week.
They have to provide you with your current prescription but that’s as far as it goes. Would you go to your local seamstress or tailor to be measured for clothing that you have informed them you plan to buy on line? Of course not, that would be utterly rude, yet people seem to think it’s fine to do this to your local eyecare center. How odd. People spend more on their lunch then they do on something they use to see the world through everyday. How odd.
That’s a very good point. It does feel rude to use the brick and mortar for the work and none of the reward. I guess the question about spending more on lunch depends on how long your glasses last. With adults – it’s probably a lot longer than with kids.
Chris, in short- it doesn’t work! I am an optician for a privately held optometry practice. You can’t guess or “estimate” measurements for progressive lenses. I am SO TIRED of people walking in off the street asking me if I can adjust the glasses they bought off line that are too big for their head, or too long for their ears(Warby Parker) …My very favorite is the ” I can’t really see with these glasses I bought from Zenni Optical online, something is “just off” …so I check them out and the pupillary distance is off by 4 mm in one eye and 2 mm off in the other eye, which has induced unprescribed prism. I respect every one has a budget, and I don’t know a single optical clinic that doesn’t offer some kind of budget friendly choices ( we sell single vision pairs at 99$ all day long) , PLEASE ASK YOUR PROVIDER BEFORE YOU ORDER ONLINE 🙂 it goes without saying that the products these online retailers using are inferior, but the part that really concerns me is the inability of the patients to make sure their glasses are correctly made, so they just adapt to the unprescribed prism or wear a incorrect rx all year…The measurements required to make quality eyewear aren’t part of a normal eye exam, and without the frame on the face WE can’t provide appropriate measurements, nor are we required to do so. Sigh…Thanks to all of you who support small business and recognize that my skills as a dispensing optician were hard learned and are valued. I worked very hard to obtain my certifications and state license and make sure that every single precious patient has the correct frame, lens material & design. I dearly love my patients and want their vision to be 150% all the time!
That makes complete sense to me! I remember taking my kids back a couple of times to get their fit right. Sore noses, headaches, pressure points behind the ears – those don’t get fixed by the Internet. I am curious if you are seeing a percentage of your clients turning to the Internet?
I support local businesses whenever possible. I have a small business as well as sell on Amazon. I appreciate my loyal customers.
Nancy Pearsall, Breathwarmers
Sounds like you have the best of both worlds with a small business and Amazon sales.
My loyalty went out the door when my long time guy sold his practice and moved away. The new guy couldn’t care less about me or my family, like the previous guy did. I missed that. I was just a $ sign to him and his front office. I got my prescription from the office, went on line and they tell you how to measure your pupil distance (most doctors won’t tell you that info) and I test ordered a pair. I was really surprised at the quality, the ease and speed of ordering, and of course the cost. If it’d been a small difference I wouldn’t have ordered more or even one pair, but the cost difference was HUGE. I like having a spare pair (or 4) and since I didn’t see ANYTHING I liked on the wall at the optometrist’s office, it was a no brainer. The online selection was stunning! There is no personal service anymore, and that’s why I strayed.
Nothing beats personal service.
I’m a cheapskate however…I go to a local ophthalmologist every two to three years. I tried a big box eye doc. It was bad. Nausea, headaches couldn’t drive at night. Went back and they tried again, same results. Did give me full refund and I made appt with my usual guy. It was about $300 but perfect fit, no side effects and clear vision immediately. Last check he told me there wasn’t much change ,it was up to me if I wanted to get new glasses. I’ve told him he can’t retire until he trains a younger version of himself. My husband has had vision issues since he was a child. I’ve watched his struggles. I’m staying with the home town local guy. My eyes are too precious and I’m willing to stay and buy local. He’s also been a resource regards early detection of other health issues.
That makes sense, sounds like you got a good one! And your point about early detection of other health issues is spot on!
I agree. A tough one.
Tried the big box store and the glasses were wonderful. 2nd time they had to re-do them 6 times because the lens kept cracking so for the 7th visit I got an entirely new pair….frames and lens.
Will never go back because those 7 remakes covered months of repeated return visits. I now buy local from the doctor who not only prescribes glasses but also checks for other vision problems.
You are not the only person with that complaint, and it makes sense that folks may try, have the same experience and never go back to online purchasing. I like the point about the doctor checking for other vision problems too!
People who choose to get glasses o the internet should be prepared to service them themselve and not expect their friendly doctor to take care of the glasses just because he or she did the exam.
Also, with the profit on the eyewear, the local doctor takes ads out in the high school yearbook, sponsors a little league team, belongs to Rotary or Kiwanis, pays local property taxes and donates to a hundred other local charities and school fundraisers. Think before you spend.
Very good point – small businesses do a lot for communities and the more we spend away from our local businesses, the less our communities benefit.
Whenever possible, we shop locally or within the borders of the state of Michigan, so the tax dollars and revenue can stay within our state. If we have to purchase out of state, we dutifully list our purchases so we can submit the sales taxes when we pay our other taxes.
Being a business owner does have its advantages including understanding the cost of doing business. We never question the price of something or haggle on price. Business owners set those prices for a reason, and it isn’t to gouge you, it’s to make their living.
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” – Benjamin Franklin
Well apparently Benjamin Franklin knew what he was talking about – long before the Internet popped up. And you’re right, businesses are in it to make a living and they usually go further and support their local community in many ways. So to get a cheaper price are we shorting ourselves in the long haul? Probably. But we’ve seen all sorts of evidence that this is happening, can we turn around seems the question.
Last time I bought local specs (from a Meijer Optical), the doc was great. The admin, not so much; she transcribed my Rx incorrectly. If memory serves, these were $500 glasses (progressive lenses, scratch guard).
Glasses arrived, and I struggled with them for several days. Returned to the shop, and she checked them against the Rx. “It matches, would you like another eye exam?” That was scheduled for several days hence.
Doc checks the glasses again, they match the written Rx. He goes through another eye exam. Then he compares to what he’d written down…whoops. There’s a big difference between 1.50 and 0.50.
Doc explains that there’s no way to avoid this. Um…computers? Admin talks all around the issue, never once utters the phrase, “I’m sorry this happened,” or “I apologize for this.”
Admin says we need you to leave the glasses to re-make them. Go home, locate an older pair, return, drop off the incorrect pair. Struggle with the older Rx for many days. [helpful hint: avoid major holidays when getting new specs]
They finally arrive, and the Rx is finally correct. Again, no apology. No offer of a credit or refund, nothing that a courteous service provider would do.
I informed Meijer Corporate about all this; no apology, nothing. They did replace the admin, and a couple months later closed the optical branch in that store.
More recently I got an eye exam, and requested my pupil distance too. The frames available would not work for me. (I wear titanium drill-outs for the “disappearing” look, with a progressive lens, and as large as possible due to reasons of bicycling.) Mail order cost: about $100. As a decades-long user of spectacles, I have small screwdrivers for tightening those tiny screws.
Holy smokes – that’s a mess of a situation. And proof that it’s all about service (plus additional proof that $500 glasses are possible). Glad you got it worked out – and I never leave home without my tiny screwdrivers.
I’ve worn glasses since 1970, mainly contact lens since 1985 and prescription has barely changed in last 30 years. I’ve pretty much always had insurance, hate the exam so don’t always go every year. i’ve fallen aleep and woke up with my glasses under my bum enough times that I have far more experience at fitting or repairing them than I need.
It used to be the optometrists would not sell you replacements if your prescription was more than a year old. Since I wear contacts I don’t really care, I still buy them at the optometrist for more than I’d pay online, probably shouldn’t. As for glasses since I rarely wear mine I have at least a half dozen pairs that fit and are almost the same prescription. Perfectly good frames that were fitted but they no longer make lenses for if that’s all I needed. That’s a racket right there, changing the frames and lens shapes so you can’t switch parts from one year to another.
Lenses are custom made for any frame that arrives at the lab. How do you think people get lenses made for their vintage frames? The shape of the frame is traced with a stylus and the info sent to the edger which cuts to size. As long as the frame is in good enough shape to make it through the process it can be used, you only assume it can’t.
I don’t doubt someone will make a lense to fit old frames but it’s not an option with my insurance. I visit the optometrist they tell me to and get what they cover. Fashion can’t be why they keep changing the frames, I’ve worn the same style since about 1980. Some versions were more comfortable and durable which is probably why they were canceled after one year.
I am willing to guess that there are probably some standard frames that don’t change a lot from year-to-year. But fashion does dictate changes to Frame styles. I imagine it will be difficult to reuse lenses very often
Local firms advertise two pair for $69. But I bought my last pair of reading glasses at the Dollar store for $1. I have also bought bifocal readers online for about $15. No problems.
If you only need readers, it’s easy. But for many, the prescription can be complicated. I buy regular readers at whatever store I find them in.
I’ve heard things about the internet offering better ‘value for money.’ I had my annual eye exam done with a local doctor at a small clinic. I got my prescription, and having heard good things about savings ‘online,’ I went and looked for a good value. I shopped around for a few days. Once I figured out all of the extras (and divided the buy one, get one free), and the hassle I’d have to go through if there was a problem… . Well, I came back to my local and paid the extra six dollars to get a pair of glasses, knowing, if there is a problem, it’d be fixed promptly, and I could walk there, as I might not have my glasses to drive.
I think a lot of people agree with the idea that it’s just plain easier to deal locally.