You have no choice if you want to sell glasses. Your customers have to come from somewhere. Even if you are high-end, you're still competing with the chains.Originally Posted by Johns
You have no choice if you want to sell glasses. Your customers have to come from somewhere. Even if you are high-end, you're still competing with the chains.
You have not competition from private Optometry at all?
Rep
Yeah, because I am in Ontario too and I find that the private Optometrists are far more competition than the chains. Sears, Walmart, and Shoppers are pushovers.
Chains are not going to tailor their offerings to my particular area's population. If independents are to survive, we need to make ourselves unique in some way, and the way we do that needs to match the demographics of our area. If your contention is that the demographics of any area are always going to favor chains and franchises, I respectfully disagree. As an independent, I can tailor my offerings to the particular nature of my area. Acton, MA New Englanders aren't even the same as Cambridge, MA New Englanders, let alone the same as New Yorkers. If you want to continue your hamburger analogy, then look at me as offering the Acton Custom Burger, not to be in competition with McDonald's but to differentiate myself from them. There are still folks who will stop at the local, mom & pop diner rather than Arby's; I know; I'm one of them. :D
Andrew
"One must remember that at the end of the road, there is a path" --- Fortune Cookie
Sounds like me going to Home Depot, because the have the big choice, more important than price.
But I still like my local hardware store who carries smaller quantities, slightly more expensive..............but gives me advice how to do it whatever I want to do and that is worth a lot to me.
Chains have the money to advertise and brainwash people into buying from them but very often lack the individual attention many people appreciate.
In the old days we used to train everybody how to treat people with tha little attention they apprteciate from saying "good morning, make yourself comfortable, have a coffe, I will be with you in a minute..............to anompany them to the door, holding it open and say good bye and thank you".
You will not find that in a chain store.
You are all correct. I'm simply saying that if the chains have the majority of the customers then you must compete to get some customers. The same with optometry offices and other independents. Everyone is your competition, but the one with the biggest piece of pie is the biggest competitor.
And I agree with the "Acton Custom burger" strategy. Many people try instead to match the offering but at a lower price.
As far as competition goes, you are competing with anyone that sells anything because you are competing for a limited amount of dollars. My point is that anyone that would shop at a WM (or online) for glasses would probably shop at any discount optical without regard to quality. That's fine with me. Let the chains deal with the bottom feeders.
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