Community Chat

[hoosieroriginal]

I found several eyeglass frames I really liked at Sam's Club today - all under $100 and many under $70.  Just in case someone is looking for some nice frames.  I need new glasses and am picky about my frames.  I have been looking at some frames on Amazon, but of course when you look at them, they raise the prices.  So forget that.  And I found out the price for an eye exam is cheaper than at Lenscrafters.  I think I will be getting my checkup and glasses at Sam's!

[Mz iMac]

What I found interesting is that it's the rx lens that are expensive.

For me, I do not want the expense of purchasing rx glasses then another expense of purchasing rx sun glasses.  So I go w/the Transition lens. 

It's expensive to kill 2 birds w/one stone.

[eddyandme]

@hoosieroriginal

I need new glasses, too.  Do you have to belong to Sam's Club in order to purchase the glasses and do they give eye exams there, too?  I don't belong to those bulk clubs 'cause. though prices are cheaper, I'd be throwing out tons of food:  not worthwhile for one person, but would like to check out the optical dept.

[boyzs]

@hoosieroriginal thank you for posting the information. i think that was very nice & considerate of you. although it doesn't help me, albeit there's quite a few people who will benefit from your thoughtfulness. i hope you have a pleasant weekend. 

[DiAnne]

@eddyandme

I have belonged to Costco for years and you just have to be selective what you buy.  I seldom purchase food there anymore (except their fabulous rotisserie chickens) now that I live alone.  I do purchase dog food, laundry detergent, medications, supplements, toilet paper, paper towels, plants in the spring, potting soil, batteries, etc.  I have many friends who get their glasses there and when I need them I will definitely use them.  

[hoosieroriginal]

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@eddyandme wrote:

@hoosieroriginal

I need new glasses, too.  Do you have to belong to Sam's Club in order to purchase the glasses and do they give eye exams there, too?  I don't belong to those bulk clubs 'cause. though prices are cheaper, I'd be throwing out tons of food:  not worthwhile for one person, but would like to check out the optical dept.

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@eddyandme - you don't have to be a member for pharmacy, so I don't believe you have to be a member for glasses - but you can call and check.

[Moonchilde]

I don't know about Sam's, but I have had lenses & frames from Costco that I was satisfied with. Much depends on your prescription and technical needs.

Some things I've learned in the past few years:

If your prescription is in any way complicated or other than basic, Lenscrafters is a rip-off.

Eye Med vision insurance, offered by many employers, is owned by the same company that owns Lenscrafters - Luxottica. They own EyeMed, Lenscrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Sunglass Hut, Target Optical, BJs Optical, and JC Penny's Optical.

Everything about all of these companies is extremely marked up, and *with* the insurance, if you want anything more than the cheapest lenses in the cheapest frames, you're automatically in the hundreds.

Wikipedia - A 60 Minutes segment focused on whether the company's extensive holdings in the industry were used to keep prices high. Luxottica owns not only a large portfolio of brands such as Ray-Ban and Oakley, but also retailers like Sunglass Hut and Oliver Peoples, as well as the optical departments at Target and Sears. In addition, by owning the vision insurance company EyeMed, it controlled a portion of the buyers' side of the market as well.

Costco and Walmart are free agents.

It was a real eye-opener for me when my work insurance switched from EyeMed to VSP. For my prescription, I went from paying $850 (yes, *with* insurance) to $125 - the difference between EyeMed's and VSP's benefits. And I got bells & whistles included for the $125. VSP also sells private individual vision insurance.

Lenscrafters encourages their customers to believe that both Costco and Walmart produce inferior eye products because...they are Costco and Walmart. And of course, competition for the Lenscrafters conglomerate. Now that I know what I know, I doubt there is anything inferior about Costco or Walmart glasses, it's likely a smear campaign fed into by unsuspecting customers.

Just something to think about. 

[hoosieroriginal]

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@Mz iMac wrote:

What I found interesting is that it's the rx lens that are expensive.

For me, I do not want the expense of purchasing rx glasses then another expense of purchasing rx sun glasses.  So I go w/the Transition lens. 

It's expensive to kill 2 birds w/one stone.

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@Mz iMac - I reallly like the idea of Transition lenses - I may have to check on the price.  They are much better than they used to be. 

[AKgirl2]

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@hoosieroriginal wrote:

I found several eyeglass frames I really liked at Sam's Club today - all under $100 and many under $70.  Just in case someone is looking for some nice frames.  I need new glasses and am picky about my frames.  I have been looking at some frames on Amazon, but of course when you look at them, they raise the prices.  So forget that.  And I found out the price for an eye exam is cheaper than at Lenscrafters.  I think I will be getting my checkup and glasses at Sam's!

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The selection of frames at Costco and Sams Club are great...good variety and various prices.  I've had eye exams done at Costco which were good as well, along with great service from sales staff.

Glasses took about a week to pick up.  I wear no-line bifocals (progressive lenses) and between eye exam, frames and lenses the cost is around $400.  I don't buy new frames every year, and that helps to save between $100-150.  

[gardenman]

I used Zenni optical online for my last glasses and they're great. The price was amazingly low, the quality is great, and the selection is enormous. The only negative was the three weeks they took to get here. I highly recommend them.