World's Fastest Growing Online Store to Buy Eyeglasses, Prescription Sunglasses & Sports Eyewear

Accessible types of eyeglass retailers

While non-prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses are available on a wholesale basis, prescription glasses are usually bought by individuals in a customized way. Thus it is quite understandable that there are lots of eyeglass retailers who are responsible for distributing and fitting prescription eyeglasses through different channels. Each type has both pros and cons.

Online eyeglass retailers:

1. Advantages:

It is reasonable to put this source at the first place, due to its increasing market acceptance in recent years. As a new comer, eyeglass retailers over the Internet show their advantages over traditional optical stores quickly.

• 1.1.1 Firstly, it is more convenient for eyeglass customers to get glasses online. Nearly all online stores allow buyers to order 24/7, which is impossible at any local shop.
• 1.1.2 Secondly, online retailers allow buyers to compare prices easily. There are even some professional price-comparison websites that offer dedicated services in different industries.
• 1.1.3 It is no longer necessary to visit a local optical store for several times. All steps of buying a pair of eyeglasses can be finished by clicking the mouse.
• 1.1.4 Online retailers still offer great discounts. A typical online pair may charge only 30% of a local price. The reason is that doing business online eliminates rent fees and a great portion of staff expense.

2. Concerns:

Some customers still have doubts about shopping for prescription eyeglasses from an online retailer. They only trust local retailers who make Rx glasses face to face. Well, this source is generally safe that each online retailer also maintains professional opticians who will treat prescriptions submitted by different customers.

3. Examples:

There have been a lot of reputable online eyeglass retailers, some of which have stayed in the online community for many years, like framesdirect.com, eyeglasses.com, glassesusa.com and Firmoo.com.

Optical chains and optical departments in mass merchandisers

Buying prescription eyeglasses from an optical chain or an optical department in a mass merchandiser is the second most popular approach.

1. The upside:

These two types of eyeglass retailers carry out in-person transactions, which bring more trust factor to traditional customers. Some vision impaired patients think that a pair of prescription eyeglasses fitted by an optician in person will minimize potential visual risks. Most optical chains have outlets in many cities and provide standardized services and products, which bring significant convenience to customers who travel a lot.

2. The downside:

These two types of eyewear retailers usually do business only during office hours. They close at every night.

3. Examples:

Optical chains include Lenscrafters, Pearle Vision and Sterling Optical. Mass merchandisers who run an optical department contain Sears, Target, Costco and Walmart.

Eye doctors' office

This is actually the initial type of eyeglass retailer. However, this source is losing popularity in recent years. Buying prescription eyeglasses from an eye doctor or eye care practitioner has hardly an advantage over other types of retailers. In contrast, many patients complain that eye doctors charge too much and have a quite limited inventory of eyeglass models. Thanks to the higher professional quality of product and service, some doctor's offices have loyal customers who do not care about the prices that much.