Feb 1, 2010

I am going on record as saying I will never darken the doorway of a WalMart store again. Since I routinely bitch that our lust for cheap stuff is driving the country off a cliff, it is the least I can do as a patriotic American.

This vow is unrelated to the rest of this post. I jut hate the WalMartians on principle. A newly discovered principle, but a fine principle none the less.

I went to get my eyes examined today, not at WalMart, at a regular eyeglass place. The location for the exam was determined by my health insurance carrier. They have a list of doctors and I chose one near my house.

If you've ever bought eyeglasses you know that they are among the most highly marked up consumer products. I've read that they are marked up as much as 1000%.

My experience today was that everything that happened in the office/store was designed to get me to spend and then spend some more.

The bottom line was that I could get new progressive trifocals for a mere $325. And that is after the insurance payment of about another $150.

Maybe I'm a hick, but I'm not paying that kind of dough for glasses that I will likely break or lose. I took my new prescription and beat feet to Costco, where they hooked me up with the same glasses and lens for $180. And I think I can still submit the bill to insurance for a small reimbursement.


Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

12 comments:

a. said...

The frames are the biggest scam. I don't mind paying for scratch resistant or thin lenses (they'd be coke bottles if I didn't pay premium); it is the $100 for a pair of cheap ass ugly frames that bothers me. The nice frames are $300 and up, up, up... way up!

Barbara said...

Costco also treats their employees a lot better than Walmart does. Read "The World Is Flat" if you ever need to confirm your hatred of Walmart.

I'd say you got a real bargain on the glasses. Maybe mine were marked up by 1000%. I didn't get off nearly as cheaply as you did. Kudos to you for persevering!

Megan said...

I need new glasses. Maybe next paycheck. (Repeat ad infinitum.)

Megan said...

Hey. Where'd my comment go? You...you...enabler! ;)

Anonymous said...

i agree with Kurt.

Anonymous said...

i agree with Kurt

Steve Reed said...

An optician talked me into a pair of glasses about ten years ago. I think I paid something like $400 for Armani frames. Then I found that the glasses gave me a headache, so I stopped wearing them, to no ill effect. Subsequent testing showed my eyesight is 20/20. Now the frames languish in the back of my drawer, where I'm keeping them until I really need them someday. What a scam!

The Bug said...

I had lasik surgery about 6 years ago & it was one of the best things I ever did. HOWEVER, now I am approaching the age to need reading glasses. And my eyes are different - the left eye sees better close up than the right eye. So I can't get drug store reading glasses. Ooh - I know - I'll buy two different pair & switch out the lenses! That's gotta be cheaper than getting them from a professional...

Merle Sneed said...

Bug, are you mocking me?

The Bug said...

I would NEVER mock you Mr. Sneed! Honest!

Reya Mellicker said...

It's hard to figure out where the line is between cheap products that aren't worth the money and overpriced products that aren't worth the price.

When I buy new glasses, it's always a shock. My eyesight is so bad I go for every possible technological advantage, and man, does it cost me.

Just thinking about it makes me want to go lie down on the couch.

Jerry said...

That's a pretty good deal even before insurance kicks in. I love Costco and don't love Walmart but I used to live in an area that didn't have Costco and the only place where we could save money was going to Walmart. My wife and I like to eat organic and when they started selling organic produce and products we were thrilled. But, if there was another option it might lead us to make a different choice on where to shop.