Eyeglasses in an Hour: Is the Mark Up Worth it? by:Aaron McCann

Shopping for glasses these days is enough to leave anyone in a daze

. You have to navigate what seems like an endless labyrinth of choices. There are often thousands of different frames and a confusing list of different lens types and coatings. When you multiply this by all the places you can get your eyeglasses, it gets complicated quickly. Many of these places even offer one hour eyeglasses for the time crunched buyer. But, is that really a luxury that you need to pay for? In our opinion it isn't, and we've found that many shoppers spend more than they should for this minor perk. In most cases, you will overpay for this service, and cost is the biggest complaint that most of our readers have voiced.

In fact, Consumer Reports recently surveyed over 90,000 eyeglasses shoppers, and although 75 percent of shoppers were satisfied with there purchase, only 50% were happy with the price they paid. This is a disturbing trend that has grown in the past few years. With the recent increase in large stores offering one hour eyeglasses, this satisfaction seems to be going down. All while price goes up of course.

In our research though, we've found that it doesn't have to be that way. It is possible to get a great deal on your eyeglasses if your willing to stay out of the mall chain one hour eyeglasses places. This will also cut down on some of the sales pressure you're likely to encounter as you can go shopping armed with what you want (and more importantly, what you need) already decided. Before heading out to your eye doctor's office, it would be a good idea to at least be familiar with some of the different lenses, coatings, and edge treatments so you aren't overwhelmed with the many choices.

This information will also give you a starting point for asking your what you should look for to ensure that you aren't sold unnecessary upgrades that you don't need. For example, many shops will recommend that all glasses wearers opt for additional UV protective coatings or high index polycarbonate lenses, which in many cases aren't necessary. These options do provide a nice markup for the store though.

Many of the shady chains will also prey on under informed consumers pushing them toward much more expensive options such as progressive or "no line" bifocals even if there are other, high quality alternatives that may be less expensive. The best way to combat this is to speak with your eye doctor before shopping to find out what you actually need. This small step can save you quite a bit of money and frustration. If your doctors office includes an eyeglass store, feel free to look, but don't feel as though you have to purchase there. According to Federal law, you are allowed to have your glasses prescription filled anywhere.

On our eyeglasses shopping excursions, we've found that the cost of prescription varies dramatically. For example, shopping at a local LensCrafters store had us paying about double for options available elsewhere. For example, a plain Jane polycarbonate (CR-39) lens cost roughly $120 before any discounts. This is several times more costly than the same frame at a local Costco store or online from a dealer such as Zenni Optical. We found similar pricing differences more most options and coatings too. For example, if we wanted to add on an anti-reflective coating LensCrafters required us to upgrade to their FeatherWates polycarbonate lens for a whopping $240! For comparison, a similar lens at online retailer Zenni Optical is a $41.95 upgrade and $80 at our local Costco. This is over a 300% price difference that the average shopper is paying just to get their one hour eyeglasses. This seems a bit steep for such a small convenience.

This pricing difference is only multiplied if you are interested in fashion eyeglass frames. This can push your costs up by hundreds of dollars. Many of these frames are all made by the same manufacturers though, and the designers just license the frame and put their names on. This means that duplicate frames are available at several other shops for significantly less money. Many of the top manufacturers (like Charmont and Luxottica) have several options that are just like their designer counterparts for much less money. This is also a situation where online retailers can save you loads money. These retailers carry all the same manufacturers lines, but at significantly discounted prices. Many retailers routinely have specials offering inexpensive metal eyeglasses frames for $20 or less. In fact, online retailer Zenni Optical routinely offers packages (lenses & frames) for $8! This is an absolute steal for what you get, and a great way to test the waters or get an extra set of glasses to keep as a spare pair. It takes a few days to get your order, but who wouldn't wait a couple days to save $250? We sure would. These are some of the savings available to you if you don't need one hour eyeglasses.

About the author

Aaron McCann is a freelance journalist and independent product reviewer that takes pride in helping others. For more information about getting cheap prescription glasses visit his blog at http://discounteyeglasses.blogspot.com.

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