Why do Independants still support Essilor?
I am still amazed when I speak with my colleagues as to how many still purchase from Essilor. Do they not realize that Essilor/Nikon is their major competitor????? Besides Coastal, there is Walmart and Costco.Why should I give money every month to a company that is trying to take away my patients For years I have only supported an independent lab. . I receive great prices, service quality and designs.
Do they not realize that Essilor/Nikon is their major competitor?????
Quote:
Originally Posted by
qualitylenses
I am still amazed when I speak with my colleagues as to how many still purchase from Essilor. Do they not realize that Essilor/Nikon is their major competitor????? Besides Coastal, there is Walmart and Costco.Why should I give money every month to a company that is trying to take away my patients
Essilor is today the most aggressive optical corporation. Already 50 years ago they would not take one step without calculating to the point if they could take the step and at what risk. They only employ top rated people in important positions.
Their advertising department is a scientific operation where every impact is studied and calculated before going public.
They have realized that if they can sell directly to the public they can multiply their profits, which is better than act just as a distributor and wholesaler to the optical retail trade. So far they have proven this point by now having over 14 on-line websites in the optical retail business.
The public is now asking to get Essilor products due to its public advertising and your colleagues find it easier to just supply it, than to convince customers of something similar made by somebody else.
What retailers do not realize is that on-line glasses are not a finished,
checked and adjusted product. More than often the optometrist or optician is asked to do that job for the the consumer at little or no charge.
Opticians and Optometrists will have to change their retailing habits from their gross profit included in their selling price to a competitive one and charge separately for the services they provide.
When shopping for glasses, don’t worry about the brand...............................
I found this following article on the web and would like to say that these types of independent publications are becoming more popular and should make opticians think about the future of their profession.
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How to Buy Quality Eye Glasses Online & Save Hundreds
Last updated by G.E. Miller on November 25, 2014
How to Buy Glasses Online
My employer has a rather generous vision plan that covers $155 towards new eyeglass frames and 100% of the lenses through insurance provider VSP. With the new insurance, I was thinking I might actually be able to get away with simply paying the co-pay of $25. I was so excited! I may actually get to try on some glasses, in person, and see what they’d look like on my face. Wow, what a privilege!
My excitement quickly faded before my appointment as I started trying on glasses and looking at the little price tags on each of them. $300, $350, $400… things were not looking good.
Sure, there were a few cheap, outdated frames that I could get for around $200, but the quality of these frames were not even close to being as good as the quality of the frameless memory titanium, anti-reflective coated glasses that I had purchased online about 3 years earlier for under $40. Equivalent glasses were actually 10 times more at the local optometrist!
What You’ll Need to Buy Glasses Online
If you’re running into the same issues (and you will when you visit your local optometrist), here’s how you can go about buying your glasses online:
1. You’ll Need your Eyeglass Prescription
http://20somethingfinance.com/wp-con...ses-online.jpgIf your old eyeglass prescription is still bring clear vision in your present lenses, then call up your optometrist to get your prescription. Note that you will not be able to use a contact lens prescription (the two are different). If your prescription is outdated, then you will have to go to an optometrist to get a new one. General eye exams are usually covered by your vision insurance, if you have one. Check with your vision insurance provider to be certain.
2. You’ll Need your Pupillary Distance
Pupillary Distance (PD) is the distance between your pupils, usually measured in millimeters. Pupillary distance generally falls between 54 and 68 mm. Optometrists will usually take this measurement during your exam, but if they don’t, then you can measure the distance yourself with a mirror and a ruler.
Most optometrists will not write this number on your prescription, because they know that it gives you the ability to shop online. Ask them to write this number in, if they haven’t.
The image below represents an example of a pupillary distance of 62mm.
http://20somethingfinance.com/wp-con...ce-300x121.png
3. Be Careful of Add-Ons
Eyeglass retailers online will often suck you in with extremely low advertised prices (i.e. ‘Complete set of glasses for only $9!’, however they have add-ons that really crank up the price – anti-reflective coating, anti-scratch, poly-carbonate lens, etc.
The best thing to do is to figure out exactly what you want, and then find out what 3 or 4 different online retailers would sell for that exact same model, so that you are comparing apples to apples. For instance, if you know you want a memory titanium frame with a slight tint and anti-reflective coating then shop around for that exact same pair elsewhere. Some include the add-ons and others don’t, so go with the final price, not the advertised price that gets you in.
4. Shopping for Glasses Online? You Need to Really Look Around for the Best Deal!
When shopping for glasses, don’t worry about the brand. A pair that I purchased under a generic brand was much better than any of the designer comparables that I saw at the optometrist. There are a few retailers that seem to have extremely competitive prices, that I’d recommend comparing to the others:
Buying Glasses Discussion:
- Have you bought glasses online? Share your story and tips.
- If you’re afraid to buy glasses online, why?
- Where did you find the best pair of cheap glasses?
see all of it: ------> http://20somethingfinance.com/how-to...save-hundreds/
Are we the thieves and the onliners the reality. ...................................
Quote:
Originally Posted by
coupe
Are we the thieves and the onliners the reality.
....................I believe there is a little more to it than just a sentence.
The North American Continent has become the testing ground for the big optical corporations. It is obvious that they are going full out in every possible direction to achieve full domination of the optical retail market besides already having near control of the manufacturing side.
In Europe they have already achieved to control the laboratory side where the smaller labs disappear and are being replaced by the big monster outfits.
To me it looks like they want to strangle the MA&PA or B&M operation in the not to distant future.
Optician have helped them along by pushing all the lens treatments they can not do in their on on site lab, and have to sell them at higher prices and which are made in a central location.
When onliners can sell at a certain price we can all be sure that there is also so profit in their selling prices but the quantity makes the buck, so if the consumer is short on cash he will go there where it costs less.
The regular non specialized optician looks more and more like a loosing breed, unless they adapt.
These days the on-line optical's are making profits .................................
There used to be a time when a frame importer and wholesaler was making a gross profit of around 42% and ended up making making a net of between 4-9%.
That was back in the 1960's and 1970's. Then the frame market started to get flooded by newcomers and new producers.
In the 1980's frame wholesalers started to give retailers consignment inventory of pay only what you, sold and return what you could not sell to gain customers.
The golden times for optical retailers had just started. They increased their stock at no cost. Warranties and exchange privileges were offered for years.
However they did not complain that the wholesalers where forced to increase their gross profit to finance these these new habits. So in the 1980's and further, the cost of frames to the retail market went sky high
while the cost of producing went down with the production that got shifted from Europe to the Far East.
These days when it is easy to check manufacturers selling prices on centralized web sites like AliBaba, one can clearly see that today's frames are sold ex factory at similar rates to the price range they were in the 1960's.
One large difference is that many or most new models come in limited sizes and not in a full range of sizes as they used to.
These days the on-line optical's are making profits in the same range as they optical retail used to make because they have cut out the middle man,
the frame wholesale company that is financing the retailers with high prices or they get steep discounts for quantity purchases.
As far as I know the Costsco's and WalMarts have their own monster labs............
Quote:
Originally Posted by
qualitylenses
Not just online, but Essilor keeps Wal Mart and Costco in business. They continually offer them incentives, lower pricing and advertising money.
As far as I know the Costsco's and WalMarts have their own monster labs
operating across this continent to supply their outlets, and I believe that they do not need any support to stay in business.
The Canadian optical trade magazines will not take a stand ..........................
Quote:
Originally Posted by
qualitylenses
All this work is heavily subsidized by the ECP's so that Essilor can control larger market share. Again, the independent is helping their competition flourish.
................and the faster and sooner this competition will make the efforts to deregulate the regional professional bodies. So far they have succeeded in Quebec which will see a lot more public advertising in French, the native home language of E and the majority of optical professionals.
The Canadian optical trade magazines will not take a stand in this issue as they do not want to loose the income from advertising. The hand is around their throat.
I have just been accepted as a member at Board-URL: http://forum.optiker.de which is a closed forum and only open to professionals. So I will be getting a closer view of the happenings in Germany and other areas in the German language.