online glasses story on NPR.

[HarryChiling]

...that I would have written his "cheap-eyewear" piece...

for half of what NPR paid him to do it!
And I would've done a better job, too!

FWIW

Barry

:cheers:

[kws6000]

Who cares what he thinks?

There is going to be that segment of the populace that is only driven by price,but there are still lots of others that are willing to pay more for better service and quality in a bricks and mortar location.

If you look at general retail ,not everyone shops at discount outlets for the same items.Here in Canada,online booksellers charge 30-40% less than regular brick and mortar operations.I havent seen any regular bookstores close down from lack of business.

I would charge whatever your normal dispensing fee is for troubleshooting problems with online glasses and would also charge for frame adjustments in these cases.If the customer doesnt want to pay,let them go elsewhere.

[chip anderson]

No problem, only leftwingers, communists and democrats listen to NPR and who needs customers like that?
Let Al Gore and Bill Mahr shop on line.

Chip

Besides if they could ruin the contact lens business with mail order and on line why not the rest of the optical business. And I am sure you know that corporations and business in general are bad in NPR's eyes. In fact anything that exists and is for profit is bad in NPR's eyes. Example: NPR is not for profit and couldn't exist if it had to compete with those that are.

[finefocus]

So, Chip, it's all sarcasm? I'd be gratified to hear that. I myself am a democrat but not a Democrat. Did you forego capitalization by design, or some other cause?

[Paul E. Carbonate]

This is sorta kinda apropos...I had a dude come in a few weeks ago; he had purchased a designer frame online (I think O. Peoples, but can't remember, at any rate it looked stupid). I gave him the warnings about using his own frame and sold him lenses.
Lo and behold, upon delivery he notices the frame is literally an inch or more too wide and demands I fix it. My answer, of course, was that he needed to contact the internet retailer who sold him the frame and demand a frame that fits.
He left, looking like an idiot and whining. Something tells me he won't be buying glasses online again anytime soon.

[haliopt]

I would love to get a look at this dude.
Cuts his own hair...15 yr old sweater...black poly pants...cardboard shoes and $100.00 glasses (big and round..7 yrs out dated) Life of the party...no...just at parties for the free snacks.
Oh he is a sharp one...can't fool him...loves a bargoon.
What a bag of air. And how insulting to his audience that are supporting the local opticals and are too stupid to google cheap glasses and end up paying the same as a used car for their eyeglasses. I guess he drives a $600.00 car too. I can't believe he got me soooo angry. What a bag of air.

[Bill Mahnke]

Well like it or not sales of eyeglasses (like everything else) are increasing on the net. The public may find "internet eyeglasses" to be one of those "never again" purchases.

One of the cheapest sites I've found is http://zennioptical.com/cart/cart.php They say they're in California!! For a price lower than the NPR article you can get a frame, AR coated progressive 1.57 lenses (we had 1.57 index 10+ years ago, it was pulled because it didn't meet impact standards).

So the PD is pretty simple for people to get but I don't understand what they do about the fitting height??

[Barry Santini]

So the PD is pretty simple for people to get but I don't understand what they do about the fitting height??

Honestly...I think all of us could agree that, in the absence of:

1. Properly pre-fitting the frame
2. Identifying any observable or uncovered postural habits/tendencies
3. Understanding client preference, i.e., "eyewear *all the way up* or *all the way down* (the nose, that is...)
4. Forecasting how much the chosen frame may slip/stretch

A simple formula, based on the "B" dimesion of the frame, could easily (?) provide a useful pupil/bifocal height....yes?

IMHO...excellence requires both parties to participate. Everything else is close to commodity, which is what the internet excels at.

FWIW

Barry

[Ladyoptician]

A menu, I love it....note sarcasm. Is that not why we are trained professionals??? To advise a patient on what is best for their particular needs for their particular visual problems!!!?? Not to let them pick from a menu!! Next we'll have drive thru windows! This guy is not as savvy as he thinks he is.

[Aarlan]

PDs and Seg Heights MADE EASY!!!!

From a few websites, these are some nuggets of wisdom:



"Can I measure my own pupillary Distance (PD)?

Yes, it’s easy! Your PD is the distance between the centre of your pupils when you are looking straight ahead.

To measure your PD:

• Place a millimeter ruler on the bridge of your nose.
• Measure the distance between the centre of your pupils (the black dots in the middle of your eyes) by looking in a mirror.

You can also have a friend measure it for you or get the information from your optician.

As a guideline: Most adult PD’s are between 55-70"

http://www.cheapspecs.co.uk/resource/support/faq

AND ALSO,




A "...new method of measuring progressive seg heights has proven to be even more accurate than conventional measuring! "

http://www.framesdirect.com/lens_drh.asp

ENJOY!!!:)

[Aarlan]

Maybe I'll stop using a CRP, seg measures, sharpies, pd sticks, penlights and such, and just use these methods!!!!

AA

[Johns]

Who cares what he thinks?

I do!

The general concensus here seems to be that this reporter is just an average joe. And he is. I've heard him, he speaks in a dry, monotone, tone, that makes the listner feel like they're talking to some guy on the bus. That's probably why he's popular; because he's just like a lot of people we know.

What really seemed to hit a nerve with people though, is how this "average joe" believes we should be offering optical services...by utilizing a menu of all things! Well if that doesn't give you insight into what the perception of (some) of the general public is, regarding the optical industry is, then I don't know what does!

To add insult to injury, he didn't just say menu, he said "a menu on the wall..." I think I could handle being compared to a restaraunt if it was at least a decent place like Michaels in NYC, or some other fine dining establishment, but he compared us to a stinking fast food joint!!

You can't be a waiter, a waitress, nor a hostess in a fast food joint. You can only be an order taker. Period. They tell you what they want, you punch it in, and it slides down the shoot in a cardboard box.

This NPR piece just reinforced the notion that not everyone wants the best products and services available. It also made me realize again that we had better be going out of our way to show our customers which one we are, fine dining, or Winky Dinky Dogs.

Also, if he had done a piece on fast food, would all the classy establishments be rankled? I doubt it.

I think that the whole segment just showed that when it comes to what he'll put on his face, he's got no issues w/ buying something from a sweatshop in China, and hoping for the best. Thankfully, our customers have more class.

[varmint]

Arlan,
On frames direct, maybe I missed something but I couldn't find anything to tell me how his progressive measuring method actually worked.

I don't know how these sited could be enforced by the state license boards even if there is a complaint. I'm sure there are violations of the Az board rules broken at least sometimes. I guess the law only applies to us as licensed opticians & not other retailers.

from the Az State Board

R4-20-119. Substandard Care

[Aarlan]

I think they'll claim it is proprietary. I saw the link a while ago, but come to think of it, I don't think I ever saw the formula....probably something like, "5 mm above Geo center"....very complex...

AA

[DragonLensmanWV]

I think they'll claim it is proprietary. I saw the link a while ago, but come to think of it, I don't think I ever saw the formula....probably something like, "5 mm above Geo center"....very complex...

AA

Or 2/3 B measurement.