“I can find it cheaper on-line”

Anyone who works in a retail environment has likely heard the phrase “I can find it cheaper on-line”.  As a retailer of fashion sunglasses and fashion eyeglasses, as well as premium contact lenses, we invariably hear this from time to time.  Last week, the manager of our Greenwood Dr. Tavel Family Eye Care said that she had a patient tell her she found one of our frames for a little bit less on-line.  There are a few ways to handle this in my opinion.  The first is to give the patient a discount and essentially price match what she found on-line.

The second approach, and the one I favor, is to explain to the patient the value she receives from us and from buying glasses directly from us.  When you walk into one of our vision centers, you are typically not just coming to buy a frame.  You are typically coming in for a service and for a product.  The service comes in the form of an eye examination from a certified eye doctor to ensure that your eyes are healthy and that you have a current prescription.  After getting your prescription, you are going to get a second service and that is from our opticians in the form of helping you with your Rx and determining what lenses you need with your specific prescription.  Once we determine the lenses, we can then choose a frame that fits your lifestyle AND fits your lenses.  For example, some high Rx’s will not work well with a drill mount frame.  Our staff is going to walk you through all the key points to help you buy eye glasses.

Ultimately, you are not going to get the same service on-line.  Sure, you can pick out a frame that looks good and might be less expensive on-line.  However, you are not getting the service and quality that you will find from Dr. Tavel and his associates.