Is that small fee some opticals charge worth it to insert yourself into the manufacturing chain and therefore take on some of the liability?
Is that small fee some opticals charge worth it to insert yourself into the manufacturing chain and therefore take on some of the liability?
Follow my line of reasoning:
Credit default swaps
Libor
Warby Parker
GTFOH!
Originally Posted by Barry Santini
Barry, are you speaking in tongue or is it happy hour already?
What if we look at harm in a different way? Are we going to cause major harm with a pair of eyeglasses? In most cases, no probably not. Could we cause headaches, "funky" sensations, dizzying effects? Yes. Could we not tell the patient about UV, glare and impact resistance and inadvertently cause harm? Yes.
I've been thinking about this subject a lot lately. I attended continuing ed this past Sunday and in the law class, the Board counsel made a light bulb go off in my head. She said (paraphrasing) 'as a licensed professional, you are charged with keeping the public free from harm.' So this got me looking at licensing and B&M shops in a whole new light. What if we start thinking of what we do, as a profession, in more of a "what-can-I-do-to-protect-the-public" way, instead of a "glasses-can't-cause-any-harm-so-what's-the-point" way?
___________________________________________
It's 5:00 somewhere!Barry, are you speaking in tongue or is it happy hour already?
You have the option of opting out of measuring the PD. I charge $60 for a PD measurement. Not bad. Most people say forget it. I say, "No problem, see ya."
But, I understand where you are coming from. Sometimes it is best left to say no.
There in lies another issue, are we, as the supplier of the PD, now responsible for the outcome of those glasses even if we had no control of the outcome?
Should we require that any PD be accompanied by Rx verification and fitting included in those fees to cover our butts?
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind!"
- Dr. Seuss
How is it any different than if someone else botches the RX?
Legally speaking, the question begins and ends with it being our obligation to release RXes. Any argument which can be applied to PD can be applied to the RX as a whole, and it is our obligation to release those RXes. The whole PD issue is simply a last-gasp attempt to hold on to business. I've encountered plenty of skeevy optical operations in my time, and they didn't need a website or home try-on programs to hide behind. There's not necessarily anything better about a guy in a labcoat with a storefront.
What do they have in common?Barry, are you speaking in tongue or is it happy hour already?
Manipulation of the truth!
B
Not for me it doesn't. I have no doc on site, and therefore I would be creating liability by taking a measurement. No thanks, I'll leave that to the prescribers who are already in it with the rx. I would feel differently if I were writing the rx.
The six most successfull on-liners................................
.......................because the internet is and has been open and free and you can advertise just about anything you want, expensive or not as long as you follow some basic rules.
Restrictions have to enforced but are not in this case, as corporations rule the world these days and they seem to be on the other side.
There is no more stopping them. So as a retailer you must adopt to the situation or specialize for the rich and wealthy, there is also plenty of them.
Here is a list of the 6 most successful ones copies from my optical website isting at: ---------------------> http://optochemicals.com/web_listing.htm
.
0.00657% +16%
0.0069% +6%
0.0063% -6%
0.0056% -20.66%
0.0048% +8%
0.00426% +63%
I am in the same position as Java99.
We control the quality and Rx of every pair of glasses we dispense.
Does this put us a greater liability for giving PD's since neither the Rx or the finished product comes back to us for verification?
Realistically, Chris is right, there is no stopping online sales.
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind!"
- Dr. Seuss
I don't think online sales will go away at all. I think it's just going to keep growing with more and more players in the market who have no optical background and are just looking to make a quick buck, like the Warby knock off Rivet and Sway. The state boards sure won't stop it.
+1
Unless we license opticians in every state and demand that every pair of RX glasses MUST be dispensed by a licensed ( or at least ABOC) optician, all we have to compete with is the ability to try on frames ,our individuals personalities and expertly adjusted eyewear. NOW HERE COMES THE HARD PART: How can we narrow the price gap between on-line and B&M? Ultimately, the consumer determines what are skills and knowledge are worth . Arrogance would say " Don't want to pay my fee..go somewhere else". Many are indeed going somewhere else. Perhaps the consumer is not our problem. They would probably prefer to do optical purchasese with an actual optician in person but the price difference is just too hard to over look. Maybe we should look into ways to lower our overhead and cost of doing business in order to lower our fees. Just sayin'.
On-line is here to stay and will continue to get more and more sophisticated and accurate in its delivery of RX eyewear.
And a +1 back.
I grew up in a small, rural town with two opticians. As a teenager one of my pasttimes was going to one of their offices, trying on frames, and, if I had extra cash, sometimes buying a pair. They weren't bells-and-whistles, but they were of a good quality and affordable for a young man working a part time job. None of them lasted as long as higher prices frames I've owned, to be sure (though the lenses sure did), but at that time in my life, with the financial resources I had, they were what I needed.
I'm not after just quality. I want to exceed expectations and satisfy
Taking PD measurements and adjusting frames purchased on the web are opportunities to one-on-one market our services and to educate people about the differences. As painful as it is to have to deal with this there has to be a way to use the opportunity in an "aikido" Bruce Lee type of way. Be like water my friends! For clarity I have not figured it out yet.
I have tried the following with some minor success: " Fitting and installing Rx lenses requires more than just a PD. There are fitting heights, adjustments and other factors. We do install lenses on frames purchased elsewhere, always at the customers risk, and if you buy a frame online we will accept it. We do NOT give other dispensers, on-line or off-line, all this data, it is their individual responsibilities to fulfill these obligations." something like that.
I don't think the cheap online guys are even competition with quality opticals. If someone wants $95 glasses, were they ever in the market for a $400 pair? I doubt it. If you buy a Ford Fiesta, were you really ever in the market for that Escalade with the 22" rims and 2000 watt sound system? I doubt it. Bently and Rolls aren't worried about Ford and Chevy, probably not even about Mercedes and BMW. Ford and Chevy buyers are not Bentley and Rolls customers, $95 (or less) glasses buyers are not boutique frame and free form lens customers. Even if online opticals did not exist, they wouldn't be visiting you, they still have Walmart, America's Best, Vision Works, Costco, Pearle, LC, Sears, JCPenney, etc., all of whom make cheaper eyewear than we do.
What scares me more than the cheap guys are the premium online guys, who sell the very same high-end free form progressives, top of the line AR, and designer frames we do, at half the price. I can easily demonstrate the benefits of my $400 SV pair over WP's $95 pair. But if the online guys get the Rx and measurements right (which the better ones do. It's not hard), how are you going to demonstrate the benefits of your $1000 free form progressive / premium AR / boutique frame eyewear against the very same frame/lens/AR online for $500? Sure, quality design, fitting, warranty, personal service, etc. Is that worth $500? To some. But if everyone knew you could get this high end stuff online as well, we would have a lot more challenge. The shopper with $500 to spend oneyewear won't be lured by 2 pairs for $99 brick-and-mortars or $8.95 onlineguys. But when they find it, they certainly will be enticed by the opportunity to get the economically out of reach $1000 eyewear for the $500 they have. I want that $500 shopper, and can do great things for them, but I am fighting directly with the apples-to-apples online guys. It's almost an advantage to us that the cheap online guys flood the "buy glasses online" search results, because that keeps the online shoppers away from our real competition. I was never expecting to see the $95 shopper anyway.
I have actually directed and recommended some of my customers buy online orcheck out Walmart for backup and extra pairs. If they want an extra pair forless than $100, that's great, but I don't want to make it for them. At that price there is nothing I can do for them that the cheap guys can't, and if they don't like the results I don't want to have anything to do with it either. Maybe I’ve lost a couple customers, but I know I’ve seen many since and they’ve told me how much better my eyewear is, and having the cheap pair to compare to helped them understand the difference as well. Even makes them more confident to spend on their primary eyewear with me. They should get as many cheap extra pairs from others as they like. That’s not my bag.
No need to stop WP. They offer something some people want and do a really slick job of it too. If you want their customers, you have to compete with them. If you can’t, welcome to free market. Compete where you are competitive and leave the rest of the market to those who serve that segment better.
NEWS FLASH!!!
1. Online is not going away!
2. Online is a sub-market. (currently a sub-sub market).
3. There are many different markets.
4. Online is simply another of your competitors.
5. You have far more to worry about from your B&M competitor down the street!
6. Compete on price at your own risk. ( It's a crowded market.)
7. Bring things to the table that your competitors don't (product/knowledge/CS)
I agree that PDs should be in inches and the reference point should be from the ear and not the nose! It is more accurate and avoids these silly threads that only irritate onliners...please take into consideration their feelings!!
CNG
You people got to look at the on-line market as if your own lab would start to sell direct on the internet at wholesale prices and tells the consumer to go to the optician to have the finals done.
Then just do it and charge a fee you thinks is right for your ability and expirience. You will have to do it or only the luxury retailer will survive in a few years from now.
Why do you thinks that a corporation like Essilor is banking on the 2nd largest on-line optical worldwide. They are playing both sides of the street snd will be the winner at the end.
The only on-liner that showed up on Optiboard and had some interesting points has been forced off by general complaints, that was "Firmoo"and later on "Patrick888 ", the same person.
I have a philosophical problem with online glasses/contact lens sellers and do-it-yourself consumers:
- either glasses are regulated medical devices or they're not
- either a prescription is needed for glasses and contacts or they're not
- either I need an O.D. degree to prescribe vision correction or anyone can do it themselves
- either we have vision standards for students, motor vehicle operators, aviatiors etc. or we don't care about vision
- either we can hold eye care professionals liable for product safety and standards of care, or there are none
- either we have state board laws regulating dispensing, or we don't give a hoot.
Make up your mind, regulators and legislators. Just let me know.
If you do find that vision is important, then we'd better be talking about clarifying the regulations and enforcing them. The internet is wonderful, but I don't see where it says that it has to be unregulated.
The problem is lack of leadership from the professions, really. It's our problem.
I am kind of torn whether Americans want quality. From the glasses I have seen sold online, they are NOT quality eye wear. All of those glasses are equal to five dollars and below wholesale. When you hold the frames, it shows.
Judging from fast food, TV programs, furniture, car build quality, etc. Americans want cheap. They say they want quality BUT they sure do not want to pay the price for quality! We have moved to a disposable society and glasses are no different. It is very unfortunate.
The page is no longer available. Could you please tell me what the second column determines? Is it ranking the popularity of the website? Thanks.
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