7 upvotes, 2 direct replies (showing 2)
View submission: Are opticians just glorified salesman's now?
Had eye test at local company. They wanted 850 for two sets of glasses. Took prescription to Asda. 120 quid and the girl didn’t give a shit if I bought them or not. I’m all for supporting local firms but their prices were just crazy.
Comment by Astro-Butt at 26/01/2025 at 16:41 UTC
5 upvotes, 0 direct replies
What's funny is that the products cost less than £5 in 95% of cases. I worked in a lab fitting glasses and cutting lenses and the most expensive pair of glasses I saw in my 3 years there was about £40 and it has to be ordered from Japan
Comment by MindTheBees at 26/01/2025 at 17:54 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Local independents are never going to be cheap enough to beat the likes of cheap online retailers or even places like Asda, and they don't have the economies of scale/brand recognition like Specsavers and Vision Express.
The main option therefore becomes to offer high end service (and prices). Most people who go to them will do so due to having insurance that covers it, or are just well off.