Hi everybody,

I'm a Scottish writer working with both British and Spanish Opticians. (Optician Marketing.) I've published a marketing guide (free) specifically for British opticians. I want to make it avaiable in the States & Canada too.

Can you trans-Atlantic folks help me with some of the terminology?

If anybody can help, I'll be glad to send you a copy of a $69.95 manual of specific marketing strategies for Opticians. (It'll be in UK English till I can fix it, though!)

What do you call a small, independent Optician? Say, with 1 (or more) Optician shops in a mall, or a small town, for example? In the UK, that's a 'High Street Optician' but I don't think you'd say that in the States? Or would you?

I notice that there's a tendency (in the US at least) to use the word 'Optometrist' rather than 'Optician'. While I know the difference, do US Optical Shop owners prefer one over the other? Or is there a legal reason for this?

UK Opticians are having a hard time with competition fron Chinese websites and big, multiple stores. (Specsavers, Boots/D&A, Vision Express etc.)

Are US/Canadian Opticians concerned? If so, which multiple, franchise-type operations are proving challenging?

Thanks in advance.

Norman. (Spain)

PS Remember to send me an email address for the manual.