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Thread: To accessorize or not to accessorize

  1. #1
    What's up? drk's Avatar
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    To accessorize or not to accessorize

    Here are some optical accessories:
    1. OTC readers
    2. Cases
    3. Lanyards and croakies and chains (oh my)
    4. Sunclips and fitovers.


    What's the point, anymore?

    I've divested, over the years, of OTC readers for several reasons, but certainly because they are hard to inventory.

    I've divested of cases, recently, because who needs a new case, anymore? They come with the glasses.

    Croakies, etc, are nice, but they rarely sell.

    Which leaves me with sunclips. I've been selling, occasionally, the Cocoons product which is pretty good. But the inventory is stale, and we will have to invest several hundo to update it.

    Is it worth it? Why not just sell photochromics and sun Rx and let them shop for the clips elsewhere? I'll stick to custom work.

    Thoughts?

    What do you do?

  2. #2
    Master OptiBoarder
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    You forgot eyeglass cleaner and contact lens solutions. We sell a lot of cleaner. Cases, well I sell an occasional hard case, I wouldn't go out of my way to stock them. Readers are hard to inventory. I either have too many men's wrong power or too many women's wrong power. I like the unisex designs. Once I found some I liked, they got discontinued. Chains...hardly sell them. Croakies... occasionally. I'll stock a few just in case.

  3. #3
    Master OptiBoarder rbaker's Avatar
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    Don't get too excited abut most of there products, Most folks clean their glasses with toilet paper (no matter what you tell them) while taking care of business. Carry just a couple of these items, if you must, for an occasional sale. Most of this stuff is impulse purchases in the checkout line at the local supermarket. You will make more money in your shop with a bubblegum machine.

  4. #4
    Master OptiBoarder
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    Quote Originally Posted by rbaker View Post
    You will make more money in your shop with a bubblegum machine.
    +1

  5. #5
    Master OptiBoarder AngeHamm's Avatar
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    All accessories are more trouble than they're worth in a small optical shop.
    I'm Andrew Hamm and I approve this message.

  6. #6
    looking up the answers smallworld's Avatar
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    It's probably just me, but if I walk into an optical with accessories laying all over , it looks cluttered and messy. Even worse when someone has Aunt Bessie's handmade eyeglass chains and embroidered eyeglass cases.
    What is reality but a concept unique to each of us? Can anything be classed as real when our perceptions differ greatly on so many things? Just because we see something a particular way does not make it so.

  7. #7
    Master OptiBoarder optical24/7's Avatar
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    I’m sure it’s location dependent, but you may be leaving money on the table. I run 3 locations, I’ll use the one I work out of for examples. I buy cases because we occasionally make special frame purchases that don’t include cases. We also have the occasional patient or walk in looking for one.

    We sell a lot of clips, Chem Clips, sun and power layers: Retail sales last year totaled over $78k (no typo).

    We’re in a busy medical building, at least twice a day someone will walk in looking for a reader because they forgot theirs.

    Chains aren’t big sellers, but we carry them and sell them occasionally. Same with cleaner and clothes.

    These items alone more than cover my astronomical rent and leads to referrals and new customers.

  8. #8
    OptiBoard Professional
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    how effective have you found putting store information on cases / cleaner? most places i've worked at hand them out as freebies with eyeglass purchases and offer refills to encourage people to come back into the store. It's more of a marketing strategy than an accessory sale.

  9. #9
    Master OptiBoarder
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    Quote Originally Posted by optical24/7 View Post
    I’m sure it’s location dependent, but you may be leaving money on the table. I run 3 locations, I’ll use the one I work out of for examples. I buy cases because we occasionally make special frame purchases that don’t include cases. We also have the occasional patient or walk in looking for one.

    We sell a lot of clips, Chem Clips, sun and power layers: Retail sales last year totaled over $78k (no typo).

    We’re in a busy medical building, at least twice a day someone will walk in looking for a reader because they forgot theirs.

    Chains aren’t big sellers, but we carry them and sell them occasionally. Same with cleaner and clothes.

    These items alone more than cover my astronomical rent and leads to referrals and new customers.
    I have cases here for the same reason. We might sell one occasionally but not enough for me to go crazy stocking them. I wish I could find decent readers. No one wants to spend close to $20 retail for readers and often say they are "going to the dollar store." Its been difficult to stock. Anyone have any suggestions for cheap decent looking readers? We are an ophthalmology practice that does a ton of cataract surgeries. Wish I could find something!

  10. #10
    Master OptiBoarder AngeHamm's Avatar
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    It's really location-dependent. We are in a medical park waaaaaaay in the back and up the hill. If you don't know we're here, you would never, ever find us. We have zero walk-in traffic, so non-RX suns and accessories just don't make sense for us. YMMV.
    I'm Andrew Hamm and I approve this message.

  11. #11
    Master OptiBoarder DanLiv's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by drk View Post
    I'll stick to custom work.
    Yup. Ten years ago we used to have all that stuff, but maintaining inventory was a pain and the profit is meager because you're always spending half the revenue just to restock. And I had no competitive advantage, my readers, cases, and clip ons weren't better than what you get at any other optical or pharmacy. So I stopped selling that stuff and concentrate on the custom work, where I know I'm better than the cheaper alternative. I still keep quite a bit of the stuff around, not on display, and I just give it away when customers ask. People are much less fussy about color, size, and style when it's free, and since I'm not selling I'm gifting I feel no obligation to order in different product or maintain a complete inventory. And hopefully the fact that I give my customers freebies that retail opticals charge for gets me some kudos.

  12. #12
    OptiBoard Apprentice
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    I need some budget cases for humanitarian missions. Anyone have a supplier?
    WooHoo
    ;)Ohio

  13. #13
    Master Jedi King of the Lab's Avatar
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    Meanwhile, in my store.................
    Erik Zuniga, ABOC.

  14. #14
    Master Jedi King of the Lab's Avatar
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    At one point, whoever bought things before, must have purchase about 1,000 glasses lanyards which now crumble upon the touch of human hands.

    Glasses cleaner is the ONLY alternative accessory I sell now.
    Erik Zuniga, ABOC.

  15. #15
    Master OptiBoarder AngeHamm's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WooHoo View Post
    I need some budget cases for humanitarian missions. Anyone have a supplier?
    Modern Optical.
    I'm Andrew Hamm and I approve this message.

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