Their Ellen Tracy is great for petite women as well. I've also done well with Izod/flex and Junction City for insurance patients in the past.Originally Posted by DragonLensmanWV
Their Ellen Tracy is great for petite women as well. I've also done well with Izod/flex and Junction City for insurance patients in the past.
I've gone this route but with mixed results. On the one hand the cost of goods absolutely plummeted after I gave up the big boys and started to go with global optique, roseco, i-deal, ono, europa, del mar etc. However, many clients didn't like the change and eventually I noticed that profits decreased. There may be unrelated reasons for this so I don't want to blame it entirely on the strategy, but I'm going back to carrying some of the big boys. I've noticed that many of the younger and more fashionable patients are less inclined to trust the optical shop if they can't see any recognizable names or current hot merchandise.
No offense, but I would welcome "mixed" results if I had tried the route you tried.
I gave up the big boys and started to go with global optique, roseco, i-deal, ono, europa, del mar etc.
You went from the Big Boys, to the Low Boys! My mantra has always been "Don't buy from the Big Boys!" I have never said don't sell their frames! Some of the frame lines you mentioned are bottom scraper type lines, which, in order to deliver rock bottom prices, produce low quality products. Their are exceptions on your list,but even then, not across their entire catalogs.
My cost of goods has also plummeted, but I stock Dakota Smith, Tura, DKNY, BCBG, Debauche, Lucky,Vera Wang, Nina Ricci, Columbia, Morel, SoHo, Kala, and many other quality products. Stocking an optical with low quality frames is the kiss of death.
In another thread, Chris talked about how the advancement of manufacturing has allowed for mass production of frames. He's correct, but what he did not mention is that these processes have also produced a glut of frames on the market. They can't sit on them forever, and with the "latest" (ho-hum) styles debuting almost monthly, they've got to move them out. They are high quality, well made, recognized names, and most are still current.
Go low on price, not on quality.
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
In that case I totally misunderstood your strategy. Part of the reason for my shift was due to numerous posts that you made in the past which convinced me to abandon the big boys. I didn't realize that you were still selling the brand names but not buying them at top dollar. I never knew that you could get Tura, Morel etc at big discounts. For example, I carry Tura but pay top dollar for them. I was able to purchase BCBG at last year's expo for 50% discount. If you have any concrete sources on the others please pass them my way. We ran into some problems when we used vendors who sold us disco name brands at discount prices. We wound up with many frames eg: Oakley that we couldn't sell but couldn't replace either. Fortunately, we had bought them at low prices and were able to absorb the loss without major difficulty.
Being an optician, I am not chained to a chair and stand, meaning, I can't make my money in the exam room, so I go on the road to find the best sources. This has almost become a full-time job for me, but it has paid off.
Recently, via FezzJohns, I have been passing on frame deals (not sources) to others here at Optiboard. This is not the forum for discussing pricing, nor resources, but send me a PM, and I'd be happy to help you out.
From what I gather from discussions with other, there is a perception that a lower price is a good price. It might be better, and it is a step in the right direction, but if you are going to be flying solo, w/out the safety net of warranties, and donuts from the reps, you have to get the lowest prices possible.Fortunately, we had bought them at low prices and were able to absorb the loss without major difficulty.
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
Carry silhouette if you can handle the workload. They are phenomenal.
We stopped carrying them for that reason. We couldn't keep up with the workload of repairs! The biggest hassle was switching out the temples on the hinge-less models. What a pain!
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
Based on what factors????
Whatever you are smoking, alexa.........................I want some!!!
We do extremely well with Viva's Candies and a lot of the Marchon brands. They offer a lot of frame variety with all different shapes, styles, colors and sizes and appeal to a lot of different demographics. All of our Marchon reps are super friendly and helpful also.
Dakota Smith zyls are gone. (Thanks!)
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
More or less in order:
Clearvision BCBG, IZOD, Ellen Tracy, Cole Haan
Charmant Elle, Line Art, their drill mount line is top quality!
Safilo Armani Exchange and the occasional Gucci
A&A Optical XXL (handy to have around), Roxy, Quicksilver
Morel Koali, Oga, Lighttec
Are you open yet? I'd love to know what you chose to carry and how it's selling. My own brand new shop is opening Monday, so we're in the same boat.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks