To be fair, Nike is manufactured by Marchon Eyewear which is owned by VSP. VSP also owns at least four optical labs in the US.
I’m not sure any of us can escape the increasing monopolization of this industry.
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Go to Costco - you don’t even need to be a member to see the in-house optometrist and get glasses. “Designer” frames (Gloria Vanderbilt} for <$50.
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the new owners of my company put us on Kaiser insurance. I went to get a prescription. 30 a dose after copay. Price at old pharmacy $78.00 for ten doses…retail.
That’s one medication, for one person. Now imagine that every customer of Kaiser is being screwed by 385% at every transaction, at every level, at each touch point in their medical care.
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I once filled in for a designer for a few weeks as a freelance stint at Luxxotica/Sunglass Hut, doing some ads and their catalog. At the time, all of their ads and the catalog were trumpeting “the new trendy look: big round frames”. I asked the boss about it, “So, how do these trends come about, is it a fashion show, a music video…?” and she gave me that “oh you innocent waif” look. “No, silly. We just decide what the new trend is, and make all our new frames in that style, and because we’re the biggest store, it becomes trendy. And then we change it, and sell different frames.”
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(Thanks, Cory, for introducing me to “monopsony”…)
I started searching for more affordable options a few years ago, when a pair of eyeglasses for me cost almost $800. The past few years, I’ve used Zenni Optical online and typically pay about $110. I’m satisfied with their service and choices. And, no, I’m not getting any kickback for talking about them. I just found it easy to take a headshot, upload it, and then digitally “try on” frames.
And pay substantially less than the price-gouging that the article highlights…
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A company has no name
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Is it wrong that I got all tingly when she says, “I’m the Adam now!”?
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And Kaiser claims to be a non-profit IIRC. 'Murica! We’re #1 (at screwing our citizens).
I am lucky to have an old school optometrist (literally “old school”, he mainly caters to retirees) nearby who bought up boxes of old, discontinued frames decades ago. So I can get “vintage” frames that look every bit as cool as the faux vintage frames at Warby Parker (although even his shop has basically run out of them at this point.)
Anyway, I’m glad the Luxotica story is getting some publicity, but it’s old news, 60 Minutes reported on it years ago.
I got the same thing!
I’m not actually American (but I play one on the Internet) so I asked one of my acquaintance about this and I was told that you can get perfectly serviceable glasses, properly fitted and everything, at a Walmart for less than $100, optometrist, lenses, frames, and all.
I guess that’s an option if you don’t feel like being gouged by these asshats (but instead prefer a reasonable price from those asshats).
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Yeah this is pretty old news, however i do appreciate continued reporting on it because its still an issue and this company needs to be broken up.
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Shuron isn’t owned by Luxottica and still makes frames in the USA. Kala too. They both make frames in the classic P3 shape that should suit any face.
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I use Zenni, too and I really like them. The big problem I find with most of the online vendors is the pupil distance measurement. It’s hard to get it exactly right on your own and it’s not really correctable after you have the glasses.
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You can ask your optometrist to add the PD to your prescription. And once you buy one pair of glasses, Zenni will send you a free PD ruler … sort of bass-ackwards, but…
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True, but my ophthalmologist is always super cagey about giving me that. My eyes are bad enough that I have to go to an ophthalmologist rather than an optometrist, but I’ve had a similar experience with them as well. If you’re not buying glasses through their set up they don’t like to give you your PD 
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