Archive for September 17, 2012
How to Save Money When Buying Eyeglasses
This post was sponsored by glasses.com. The words are my own.
Have you ever walked into the Optometrist or Ophthalmologist for a routine appointment and walked out of the office with a prescription for new glasses? The doctor points you to the receptionist and recommends you shop for eyeglasses in the store associated with their office. That seems to make sense. The doctor knows your prescription so you wander over to the racks and begin picking up glasses and trying them on. After testing out almost every pair available you narrow down your choices and select the best one. You choose a pair you absolutely love only to find out they cost over $300!
Have you ever wondered why eyeglasses cost so much money? It seems most optical stores have a huge markup on frames often in the range of 50 percent to 100 percent. They raise their prices to mitigate their overhead costs. When you add up costs like advertising, employee salaries and store front rent it’s no wonder the consumer ends up paying a big price for new lenses and frames.
If you are in the market for glasses odds are you can’t see to read, drive or complete daily tasks without them. Feeling like you have no other option you pull out your wallet and fork over hundreds of dollars. Well what if there was a better way?
These days the internet provides a cheaper alternative to the expensive prices found at brick-and-mortar stores. Internet sites provide many of the same frames and designs without the overhead costs that force you to pay more.
Take glasses.com as an example. The site offers a price match guarantee and free shipping on all orders. It also has a great sales page that offers incredible deals on eyeglasses, including a current sale for 50% off all eyeglass lenses.
Worried that you won’t know exactly how you’ll look in the new frames? Glasses.com provides a virtual try-on service that allows you to upload a picture of yourself. Once uploaded you select various frames and can see the glasses overlaid right over your photo.
Still not sure? Glasses.com provides an in-home try-on program that permits you to select five frames, try them for seven days and return them free of charge. That’s even better than shopping at a brick-and-mortar store. You don’t even have to leave the house to decide whether or not you like them.
This would’ve been a great service for my 89 year old grandmother who recently needed new lenses and frames. My parents ended up dragging her all around town in search of a pair she liked. With the glasses.com free in-home try-on program they could have avoided all of that time, energy and hassle.
I found a few pairs in the women’s collection of glasses.com that would’ve been perfect for her. Click here to see that collection. Too bad my parents didn’t know about online sites like this one. My mom told me my grandmother’s lenses and frames cost nearly $500. I found similar pairs for less than $150!
