7/19/2011 Value Goes Beyond Dollars
Posted by 20/20&U Blog Admin
Location: Blogs2020&U
 		    
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of the consumer press periodically bashing our industry for supposedly charging too much for eyewear. So it was with trepidation that I read an article called “Eyes on the Price,” in the July 4 issue of Time magazine. The writer—who actually spoke with 20/20 Editor-in-Chief James Spina while preparing the article—questions why the Lindberg titanium frame and Varilux progressives he recently bought at a “pricey shop in New York City” for about $1,000 cost three times as much as a flat-screen TV.

Although one can make crude comparisons between any two products, why anyone would compare a mass manufactured, consumer electronics product with a premium, custom-made product is beyond me. The writer does acknowledge some differences between the two, such as the fact that titanium is a “relatively expensive material that designers love.” He also notes that the service he received at the eyeglass shop was “superb.”

But he fails to consider the degree of personalization that was probably involved in fabricating and dispensing his lenses (which he erroneously refers to as “bifocals”). In all likelihood, his lenses, unlike his TV, were made to precisely fit his face and his frame. No doubt the superb service was provided by a skilled optician who guided his choice of eyewear and made sure it fit properly so as to maximize its performance.

The writer ends with a backhanded compliment, saying that “eyeglass sellers have done a better job of price maintenance than TV sellers have.” While that may be true, the more important point is that those pricey new eyeglasses are providing value that goes beyond a simple dollars to dollars comparison. They are improving the quality of his life. Without them, he might not even be able to see his flat screen TV.

—Andrew Karp
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Comments (4)   Add Comment
Re: Value Goes Beyond Dollars
By Barry Santini		 7/27/2011
s
We - the entire eyecare community - have done a terrible job of communicating the value of what we do. I dare say the most ECPs - in their heart of hearts - don't place real value on eyewear too.

Want evidence?

How many ECPs are willing to pay the FULL wholesale price for lenses or frames for their *personal* eyewear? 'Nuff said.

In an age when the tradional delivery of eyecare and eyewear is under attack from all sides, I think the only safe round to seek is to strictly measure everything we do in terms of how it enhances or suppports our *credibility*.

In the end, no matter what products or services we offer, this is our ultimate trump card in ensuring the continued patronage of customers, clients, and patients. This credibility is the uber metric of our real added-value

B
Re: Value Goes Beyond Dollars
By Richard Rabinowitz,O.D. richard.rabinowitz@veroz		 8/8/2011
s
I feel the same way towards Time Magazine . Years ago it was loaded with interesting news and commentary for 15 cents. Today it is a a thin worthless irrelevelant document horribly overpriced at around 5 dollllars. Spectacles will always be in demand , but Time magazine will disappear just like Life, Saturday Evening Post Colliers many newspapers etc.- the victims of newer technology.
Re: Value Goes Beyond Dollars
By Pam Nassauer, Cert. Optician		 8/8/2011
s
The key words "pricey shop in NYC" and "superb service" say a lot about his cost. Also, a Lindberg frame is not a run of the mill product. Unfortunately, most people haven't the slightest idea why this makes a difference in the cost of their eyewear. I run an upscale optical boutique in an upscale neighborhood. Most of my eyewear sales are upwards of $700., and some run over $1000. I give "superb service" to all my customers, whether they spend $100. or $1000. That's why they come back! How do you place a value on great service? If that person who wrote the story was happy with all he received, I'd bet a bunch that he will go back there next time and pay whatever they ask.
Re: Value Goes Beyond Dollars
By Heidi Johnson, OD, FCOVD		 8/8/2011
s
What price is too much to pay for improving the main input to your brain? 1.9 million nerve fibers from each eye connect with over 300 visual pathways for visual processing and integration of vision with movement, balance and proprioception. Vision is the operating system for the brain!

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