$99.00 Progressives and Frame?

[TEC]

Ok so in 2 days I have had 3 patients take the Rx to Sears (60miles away)to get the $99.00 sale on progressives and a frame. What the heck are these people getting for $99.00 Bucks? Not a varilux for sure...what type of warranty? I suppose I could try to get some cheap frames and cheap progressives and try to match them but do I realy want to sell lower end products? If anyone knows there quality of the product they receive on this sale please inform me so I can pass that onto my patients....Thanks

[Matthew]

You can thank Luxottica our optical buddy for such creative merchandising. :drop:

[Chris Ryser]

I suppose I could try to get some cheap frames and cheap progressives and try to match them but do I realy want to sell lower end products?

Cheap.............or cost less is not alway's the same thing.

Most of your expensive progressives are made in the far east these days, just look up were your large corporations list their manufacturing facilities.

It is also no big problem to copy the features of another lens, make a little change so that no patents are infringed if there are any.

Over the last few days I have seen a couple of chinese companies advertising lenses on the optiboard market place. After contacting them they explained that they do not require anymore large quantity orders as they did for many years.

They also offer Rx service with the low price, right out of China to customers in North America. One by one pair, no problem.

I guess the times are changing at a faster pace.

[Framebender]

uses the Adaptar.

[Bill West]

Ok so in 2 days I have had 3 patients take the Rx to Sears (60miles away)to get the $99.00 sale on progressives and a frame. What the heck are these people getting for $99.00 Bucks? Not a varilux for sure...what type of warranty? I suppose I could try to get some cheap frames and cheap progressives and try to match them but do I realy want to sell lower end products? If anyone knows there quality of the product they receive on this sale please inform me so I can pass that onto my patients....Thanks

Advertise cheap to get'em in and sell'em. I'll bet you they spent more than $99 when they got there. Wake up to the power of advertising in the good ole USA.
Not everyone wants a varilux, are you shocked? I fit them only when asked if I sell them, of course I do but not my lens of choice. Be flexible meet the needs of people cost wise as well as visual, then you will keep more of them. I just offer to match it then they settle down and buy something a little nicer and spend a couple hundred more. Do like the other guy, SELL them a warranty for $25/30, offer to upgrade the $99 lens, say for $40, then sell scratch guard for $25, only way they can purchase warranty. So let's see $99 plus $25 plus $40 plus $25 = $189, will sell'em all day for that if I had to. That's how they do it.

[For-Life]

Discontinued frames probably left over from the Cole sale and Super Noline's.

No SRC, no warranties, no parts in the future.

(assumption)

[TEC]

I am sorry if I gave the impression I use varilux. I also have not used a varilux in about 3 years. I have had very few people ask for it by name, so I use other brands. I just received an email from a guy that sells the package for $89.95 with 1 year warranty.

[quote=Bill West;160029]Not everyone wants a varilux, are you shocked?

[Happylady]

I talked to someone who used to work there and she told me they used the Natural and cheap frames(like a couple dollars wholesale). Of course the lens comes with scratch coat, but they charge for the waranty.

[drk]

It's a promo: even if they're blowing out their cheap inventory/ disco frames, it's a promo.

Do you need a promo? Ok, go for it, if you want. But you are hindered by the enormous cost of the promotional advertising and the material cost of the promo itself.

Leave the low-ball promo's to those who have the money to burn, in order to take a chance on some long term loyalty. You can't compete with that junk.

Be the opposite. Give them your card, and tell them that you will give them an unbiased opinion if they have any problems with the $99 special glasses. You know they will! :)

[Jubilee]

The Sunday Ad I have that advertises this promotion is for the AO Pro lens and any frame up to $139.

Of course I haven't taken a look at their frames recently to see what kind of frames are in that range.

Of course all material upgrades and lens design upgrades are extra...

[For-Life]

Yes, Sears is a major bait and switch store. Advertise $99 progressives, walk out with $500.

I noticed America's Best is a little bit of a joke too. Free Doctor's eye exam, but you have to buy a membership into the company.

[AWTECH]

A friend of mine in another state who has never worn contacts gets sucked in by these types of ads everytime he needs glasses. He gets the exaime and two frames for $199 or what ever the latest ad says. I was in visiting him the last time he bought glasses. Naturally he did not like any of the sale frames. His bill was over $800.00 and the lenses were PAL poly. One was an inexpensive clip on frame.

If only 25% of the people who come in for the add spend what he does the average per pair goes way up.

When you bought you last car did you go to the dealership and say I would like that one! or did you negotiate or wait for a special financing?

[DocInChina]

Over the last few days I have seen a couple of chinese companies advertising lenses on the optiboard market place. After contacting them they explained that they do not require anymore large quantity orders as they did for many years.

Did they give you their company name?

[Johns]

Yes, Sears is a major bait and switch store. Advertise $99 progressives, walk out with $500.

Sears and these other stores are not as "bait and switch" as they'd like to be! Many peop;le see the ad, go in expecting a $99 sale, and stick to their guns until they get it.

I know many employees of these places and they all say how hard it is to make their "quota" or the commissions that have become a large part of their paychecks.

I've heard of customers dupmping dollars, quarters, and dimes on to the dispensing table that add up to just over $100, demanding their "2 for whatever..."

Trust me, Sears is doing us a great service by taking care of the barrel scrapers for us.

[Cindy Hamlin]

You can thank Luxottica our optical buddy for such creative merchandising. :drop:

Sears had a $99 progressive long before Lux came on the scene. It is nothing new.

[optigrrl]

That is NOT my competition. We're not even playing the same sport. How can you compare the rules then ask why they don't look the same?

Patient wants to buy from a discount chain, fine. OK. Heck, after they fill your rx come back for an adjustmet and rx verification.

It takes 5 minutes. I consider it my good deed for the day.

Happens maybe 3 or 4 times a year.

Not MY competition.

[Chris Ryser]

Did they give you their company name?

Doc, Actually not.............but it's on the optiboard e-mail, could probably be checked out.

We also produce RX lenses for our clients. Large order for stock lenses and small order for RX lenses are all welcomed. For the optometrist or the optical retailer, we currently receive lenses order via everyday email.

Our philosophy focuses on quality, customer service, delivery and price.

we produce RX lenses
We are a professional eyewear manufacturer. We have many RX lens talent, we can process various high-difficult lens quickly against order. Some our clients who is the retailer order RX lenses in China. So I want to develop oversea market for RX lens.

[Chris Ryser]

That is NOT my competition. We're not even playing the same sport. How can you compare the rules then ask why they don't look the same?

So now what would the sports comparison if you...............as well as the discounter ...................

would purchase Rx progressive lenses from above mentioned chinese company. Lenses would be Essilors brand name copied curves, of the latest products in regular CR39.

The discounter sells them for $ 99.00..................the patient sees well

You sell them for $ 500.00................the patient is satisfied. (you have added a scratch resistant treatment and UV protection, (with or without warranty)

You both have sold at your own price and both have purchased at the same originating price.

You both have paid the same price at source.

I would say that you would be way ahead in that sport.................because you would not dispense any lenses that would not be right.

:hammer:

[Aarlan]

The Sunday Ad I have that advertises this promotion is for the AO Pro lens and any frame up to $139.

Of course I haven't taken a look at their frames recently to see what kind of frames are in that range.

Of course all material upgrades and lens design upgrades are extra...

Actually, around here most places that offer a sale such as this one won't warrantee the product unless you purchase an additional "warrantee" for $25. So your starting price is $129 for many folks. I don't know if the lens materials and coatings are extra, or if they simply don't apply to the coupon and are then charged at their normal and customary prices (which are often similar to the retail prices of many private ECPs).

AA

[optical24/7]

We loose very few patients to discounters, and it has been years since I sold a lens lessor than a Varilux Comfort. How do we do it? With the power of suggestion.

As an example.....Mrs. Brown comes in and informs us that she would just like a copy of her perscription. Sears or whom ever has a sale on progressive lenses. We ask her for just a few moments of her time so that we can inform her of her many options so that she can make an informed decision on what products will best suite her needs.

I start off by telling her that there are many progressive designs in the market, some 25 or more years old. I then take a peice of paper and draw the typical mushroom shape of the typical progressive design. I point to the area outside the stem and explain that in older lens designs, this area tends to be blurry due to old technology.

I mention how this tends to make the room "move" as you turn your head. I mention that these older designs have narrower corridors and won't have as much area for computer use. I also mention how these older lenses were designed for larger frames that were popular years ago, that you may not have as much reading area in smaller, modern frames.

I finish by telling the patient that we can get these older, cheaper design lenses also, but do not recomend them because of low patient satisfaction. I then give them my card with a price quote for Varilux Comfort, ask them to compare apples to oranges and let them know that I'll be happy to verify their Rx was made to the Dr's specs if they do make a purchase elsewhere.


It's funny how human nature works. When a patient that has been informed of the particular problems a certain design may have, they notice every one of them. But most of the time they go in asking for Varilux...and...our price is LOWER than Walmart or most any chain for that matter. Varilux is not the lens of choice at these places, so they price it extremely high. We look great in comparison. This by far has been our best weapon for fighting the price wars.

[Bill West]

That is NOT my competition. We're not even playing the same sport. How can you compare the rules then ask why they don't look the same?

Patient wants to buy from a discount chain, fine. OK. Heck, after they fill your rx come back for an adjustmet and rx verification.

It takes 5 minutes. I consider it my good deed for the day.

Happens maybe 3 or 4 times a year.

Not MY competition.

they can get them adjusted and checked out there. Good grief, why would you want to make them work better for some other shop. This is just plain dumb. Hey if they can't get it right , "get your money back", then i'll fix it.

[Fezz]

We loose very few patients to discounters, and it has been years since I sold a lens lessor than a Varilux Comfort. How do we do it? With the power of suggestion.

As an example.....Mrs. Brown comes in and informs us that she would just like a copy of her perscription. Sears or whom ever has a sale on progressive lenses. We ask her for just a few moments of her time so that we can inform her of her many options so that she can make an informed decision on what products will best suite her needs.

I start off by telling her that there are many progressive designs in the market, some 25 or more years old. I then take a peice of paper and draw the typical mushroom shape of the typical progressive design. I point to the area outside the stem and explain that in older lens designs, this area tends to be blurry due to old technology.

I mention how this tends to make the room "move" as you turn your head. I mention that these older designs have narrower corridors and won't have as much area for computer use. I also mention how these older lenses were designed for larger frames that were popular years ago, that you may not have as much reading area in smaller, modern frames.

I finish by telling the patient that we can get these older, cheaper design lenses also, but do not recomend them because of low patient satisfaction. I then give them my card with a price quote for Varilux Comfort, ask them to compare apples to oranges and let them know that I'll be happy to verify their Rx was made to the Dr's specs if they do make a purchase elsewhere.


It's funny how human nature works. When a patient that has been informed of the particular problems a certain design may have, they notice every one of them. But most of the time they go in asking for Varilux...and...our price is LOWER than Walmart or most any chain for that matter. Varilux is not the lens of choice at these places, so they price it extremely high. We look great in comparison. This by far has been our best weapon for fighting the price wars.

I believe the Varilux Comfort may be a bit of an older, cheaper design also. It is not 25 years old , but...maybe 15 years, give or take. Do you inform them of that? Maybe the other places are using the Essilor Ovation(I have seen these from BJ's, LC, etc). That is a newer design than the Comfort, right? Are they comparing apples to oranges?




Fezz
:cheers:

[OptiJim]

In these instances or references they are all apples or all oranges when comparing the design's pf PAL's. Only comparing apples to oranges if you are comparing PAL's to say executive bifocal or trifocal design.

I think this thread could go on and on when suggesting PAL's to patient. Every optical shop(s) business philosophy will be different and that could be influenced by the economics of that region.

Chain stores have much more buying power and probably alot more overhead than the normal ma and pa optical shop. They also cut deals with manufacturers and that can influence their product mixture and their business structure may or may not be geared towards what is actually best for the patient. What is best for the patient is almost an infinite number of opinions considering all the circumstances that can surround one patients need.

Any independent optical shop may or may not be in a position to compete with the $99 complete pair of PAL's. There are just too many variables.

[Bill West]

In 1993 I opened a shop in a city where I was an unknown. Hard to believe but it's true, ha ha. To kick it off I ran an ad, buy any two frames and two pair of progressives for $189. Within 30 days I was selling $18/20k in this deal alone. Along with the other sales generated by this great deal we sold many other pairs. SSNL I still love it to this day even though I rarely ever fit one.

[Fezz]

Encore Jim got me thinking. We have been so caught up on lenses, what about the frames for a $99 prog and frame deal? I bet he could shed a bunch of light on how we can compete with proper frame purchasing. Do you want to sell SAFMARLUx frames for $(you know) or Encore Jim, and the other smaller quality frame producers for$(you know). Cheap...exuse me..VALUE ...can be had and sold without the Big Boy lens and frame companies. I think the question lies more in the DO you want to?



Fezz
:cheers: