joec@u1100a.UUCP (Joe Carfagno) (02/05/85)
[Yum, yum, eat 'em up]
Having a spouse in the eyeglass business, I thought I'd ask her
and her boss "why eyeglasses are so expensive". Here's what I found:
While the unit cost for a pair of frames are low, there is a
fair amount of overhead (rent/lights, the kilobucks for the lens
grinder and other opthalmic equipment). This equipment is generally
required by law. The business is not "regulated" as one "net-goer"
mentioned, but the optician must be licensed by the state (at least
in NJ), so this makes the optician "skilled labor". Add in the cost
of advertising, etc., and you have a high per-unit additional cost
which must be added to the price of the frames (and some profit is
only fair). Don't forget business insurance, as well as salaries
and benefits for employees.
The markup in this business is no higher than others, so why single it
out. Next time you go to JCPenney, etc., and see a $150 suit marked down
to $49 (just one example), think again about markup. Or maybe the next
time you see a doctor for 5 minutes and get charged $40. The question
is valid, but I don't think a complaint is legitimate. Believe me, they aren't
making alot of money in that business, and the traffic through the store
my wife works at is pretty high.
Joe Carfagno {allegra, ihnp4, pyuxww}!u1100a!joec
p.s. remember, opinions like mine above are like belly-buttons
(substitute your bodily orifice of choice), everybody's got 'em.dnc@clyde.UUCP (Don Corey) (02/09/85)
> While the unit cost for a pair of frames are low, there is a > fair amount of overhead (rent/lights, the kilobucks for the lens > grinder and other opthalmic equipment). > ... the optician must be licensed by the state (at least > in NJ), so this makes the optician "skilled labor". You missed the start of this discussion. The complaint was not over the price of lenses, which require the equipment and skilled labor you describe, but over the price of frames which do not. We also recognize that the retailer has to have a mark up ( I have found that 100% mark up is not uncommon), but this does not alter fact that eyeglass frames seemed to be priced out of proportion to their complexity. The poster of the original article stated that one could by an electric drill for less than the price of many frames. -- Don Corey AT&T Bell Laboratories WH 2A-140 (201) 386-2349 ihnp4!clyde!dnc
chris@byucsa.UUCP (Chris J. Grevstad) (02/13/85)
> > While the unit cost for a pair of frames are low, there is a Wrongo, if you are referring to the consumer cost. A GOOD pair of frames can run upwards of $150. (Not talking about 'designer' frames). > ... but this does not alter fact that eyeglass frames seemed to be > priced out of proportion to their complexity. The poster of the original > article stated that one could by an electric drill for less than the price > of many frames. True, true. One could also purchase some dandy radios and cassette players for the cost of a pair of frames. In fact, there is a huge number of items of more complexity with less cost. Try buying a mechanical watch or clock. -- Chris Grevstad {ihnp4,noao,mcnc,utah-cs}!arizona!byucsa!chris If things don't change they will probably remain the same.