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Jim Magay |
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So the phone rang the other morning, it was a…not to say “great customer,” but an insurance covered family guy. Two kids, him, and a wife all in eyewear, been with us for ten years and been a pleasant relationship and always gets the “free” insurance stuff. Just so happens they are in between coverage and he wants his prescription.
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After printing out the information, I asked if I could help with anything, and he bluntly replied a chain-store (rhymes with Earles) was offering two pair of glasses for $99. I said, “We can do one pair for $99, why don’t you come in and try them on.” (They aren’t totally bottom of the barrel glasses – I don’t want crap in the store.) But he responded that he wanted the two pair deal for “beater” glasses.
So feeling dejected after faxing him his Rx, I started surfing the web to check out what your money does buy today. Now, someone smarter than me coined the phrase, “A fool is someone who knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.” So I’m looking at $6.95 complete pairs from Zenni Optical, which seem to be the cheapest followed by a lot of $7.95 and $8.95 per pair competitors. Then they ramp up to $29 and $39.
First thought is – why would any of us want to compete with those prices – and by extension, those margins? If you were Zenni I suspect the $6.95 pair is a loss leader to hook the suck…er, I mean customer.
I can hear the mental conversation, “Well, I guess I should opt for the better frame, and well, yes the deluxe lenses would be thinner and safer, and yuh, it would be nice to have Transitions!” So the person ends up with a $200 pair of $6.95 glasses – and, bad a bump, bad a Bing, they are walking into your office for an adjustment, (or to have their lenses checked to see if they were made correctly).
Speaking of free services for the brazen online purchasers of eyewear who come into your store, I was talking with John Jeffrey - an ace Essilor instrument salesman in these parts, and he told me about one of his pals who is happy to give pd’s, seg heights, etc.
Of course he charges a $50 fee and says it is a co-pay for an additional office visit for Blue Cross (or whatever insurance they have) and tells the client that they must have the finished glasses delivered to him for verification (since he furnished the measurements) and a frame adjustment. Hmmm, I wonder how many pair gets sent back for optical deficiencies?
So how low do you go? Are you a new breed of limbo dancing ECP’s who takes pride in how low (cheaply) you can turn over a pair of glasses and still stay in business – or are you trying to do a better job educating your customer so they are happy to pay what your expertise and materials are really worth?
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