CJAD Montreal talking about high priced eyeglasses.................................
All day yesterday the radio CJAD was commenting about purchasing eyeglasses online and the high markup of ODs and opticians.
A spokesman for the assocoation of optometrists gave some weak answer justifying their prices, but was not very convincing. it really has been put on the table and is now open on official talk radio.
What do you say ??????????????
There's nothing to convince!!! You can't justify greed Chris you know that. This has always been the case - glad the top has finally been peeled off. If OD's and retailers want to compete with the web, lower your prices along with your greed expectations! So big deal...the boat will be smaller, the car slower and the cottage a cabin...wah wah wah. Let me get out my violin.Originally Posted by Chris Ryser
Here's what's really been happening - the luxurious lifestyles gained by profit gauging has been at the expense of both the consumer and wholesale companies for years now and vertical integration has become necessary for long term survival.
We've all created this mess folks, so suck it up.
Hindsight:
That would mean cutting expenses to compete with online and to meet them on their own grounds. Which parasitic expense should we start cutting ?
(1) licensing boards ? They are weak spokespersons at best and do nothing to enforce the law for licensing otherwise non licensed onliners could not exist, therefore that expense should be eliminated first ?
(2) Rent ? Rents and salaries are the next two large fixed overhead costs . We could move out of the malls and then reduce wages as there would be no need for licensing so minimum wage people would suffice .
(3) Cost of goods , we could buy more overseas product and give them more jobs which would reduce our employment rates and reduce our prices further because no one would be making enough to buy locally anyhow.
(4) After reducing our licensing, knowledge, skills, firing staff, we would now be faced with economic chaos because we could not get enough volume to pay the residual bills .
Which snowball should we start rolling first ?
That's a question you should be asking yourself as a business owner. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Perhaps the right thing would first be to have a strong response to these TV and Radio shows and point out that we have licensing for a reason . The TV and radio shows need to realize they are snowballing an economic crisis while encouraging people to deal with unlicensed persons. Would these same shows encourage women to seek back alley abortions and contact lense to be dispensed from parking lots? This is no joke , it happens . Controversy has a price on the economy that is not good.
There is a high price to be paid for low cost.
How does it happen that news , TV and radio programs almost simultaneously come out supporting the worst offenders who have been jailed and the illegal dispensers and use those to make the legal dispensers look bad and suffer more ?
How does it happen that there is no response from the public defenders or the Ministry of Health across Canada ? Those Health Ministers also have a duty to the public to support their Provincial Acts of legislature that created the Colleges of Optometry and Colleges of Opticians . And what about the Attormney Generals Offices who prosecuted the same people and then released and suspended sentences ? Why are they not being interviewed and asked about the legalities?
Opticians and Optometrists abided by the laws of the country and the educational requirements according to legislature and Acts of Parliament controlled by politicians and the Ministry of Health and yet these same opticians and optometrists who footed the bill to protect the public in courts are now being prosecuted on the airwaves of TV and Radio .
What are these Ministers, Politicians and regulators doing to protect the public?
Because:
1) it would require politicians to actually do their job, and
2) it would require reporters to actually do their job
Nothing,............. because the lobbyists for the optical regulators have no funds to spread around. Maybe opticians should pay a special tax to fund these people.
These talk shows are going to increase in frequency, which organization has already realized that and has already prepared a strong fact filled media kit to present to these talk , radio and TV shows ?
If such a media kit is available can it be posted here for forum input on it's content and wording?
Last edited by idispense; 10-26-2012 at 04:08 PM.
I am sure that you can post anything in relationship to the good of the profession. It for sure would not be against the guide lines or it would be edited.
This is a non sense issue. There is a lot of competition in eyewear and more price transparency than ever. Where is the in depth investigation into lawyers fees for example? When they charge 500$ an hour what is their cost of goods? Is the ebitda of a typical optical really so incredible? When looked at carefully and with an accounting analysis, with no hype, another picture emerges.
In the end publicity of all kinds is good and in a strange way even 'negative' stories get people thinking about eyewear and I find it gets people talking and asking good questions. It will drive people in to see for themselves and allows us to offer clarification and answers, and service. I think we get a bump in sales when these stories surface.
+1 certainly provides sense of value and expertise for those willing to pay the higher practice prices.
Had a patient come in Saturday for an adjustment and to 'check' their Rx on a pair from the web because they can't see properly. I told him we have nothing to compare it to and would need a full eye exam - last exam was 4 yrs ago!
Turns out we had an opening, saw our doc, printed off his new Rx and sold him a new pair of Nulux ep 1.74 -6.50 with -3.50 CYL - said our prices was less than he paid than his web glasses that don't work!
this guy is buying -3.50 cyl glasses on his own, on the web? unbelievable. I had a younger man who had a smaller cyl, around -1, just recently came in with his dad, who needed an exam. I could SMELL the kid was wearing web glasses from a mile away. I poked, asked a couple of questions. I take the glasses to measure, and compare with his last exam record we had (3 years ago). Right eye is 90 degrees off. Left is ok. I mention this and ask the kid to cover his left eye to compare vision. He shrugged, couldnt care less. His father was concerned but only offered that NEXT time he should get the glasses from us. No urgency to change the lens. OY VEY, like they say.....
By the way, I do not listen to local radio AT ALL any more, particularly the boring repetitive local crap that CJAD is. I have had Sirius XM in the new car since March, it is the only thing I listen to. Highly recommend! Now, back to refraction.
really, I haven't heard an expose on the high price of Lawyer's fees or movie theatre popcorn. Ever stop and consider the markup on a small bag of popcorn and a watered down flat coke at the cineplex? I think it approaches infinite, need to use integral calculus (or was it derivative calculus) to calculate.
Yep, I couldn't believe it either. Looks like I've gained a new patient for life.
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