off topic but: Is there a similar service for lens?
Selling lenses completely breaks their business model and competitive advantage. If Apple is so good at selling computers, why don't they sell motherboards? Not to mention the addressable market...
Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)
61–70 of 76 posts
Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can go directly to an optometrist's own office, and they'll usually have a selection of frames they can sell you, or you can just get the prescription and take it to another store. Chain stores like Lenscrafters have office space for an optometrist in the back of each building which they lease to one or more doctors; they don't work directly for the store, but they work at the store and the store books appointmen…
Note that some optometrist shops really hate giving away the prescription, since they want you to buy the lenses and frames from them. I'm not sure about the legality of this, but I've had some tell me over the phone that they wouldn't release my prescription to me. (I didn't bother fighting them, I just moved on to the next one.)
I've found that, oddly enough, both the high-end and the low-end tend not to hassle you much, and instead it's sort of the middle-range optometry shops that are trying to make a bunch of money on in-house lens/frames sales.
Just about the cheapest place to get an eye exam is in the Wal-Mart vision department, and they're happy to hand over the prescription. Of course, they run the vision dept in part to try to sell you lenses/frames (or contacts), but it's a very corporate/streamlined place, and the actual employee working there doesn't mind if you want the prescription to take elsewhere.
On the other end of the scale, places that look more like a doctor's office than a frames showroom tend to be pretty professional about it. Since I have very strong myopia with some risk of retinal problems as a result, I've been going to a place that's a partnership between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist (M.D.) who do a more thorough eye-health exam, and there it's basically expected that I'll want to take the prescription with me.
Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)
#63Huh that's funny. I just ordered 5 pairs from them to try on, they came yesterday. ( http://imgur.com/a/ZRTKi if you're interested in offering an opinion) I'm really impressed with the build of them. They feel a lot better than my zenni optical pair (which were only 30 dollars, not 95). Hopefully the lens quality is better too (mostly anti-glare I'm concerned about), but I'll have to wait and see. Also, if you missed…
D without a doubt.
I like D as well, or maybe C.
Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)
#64I've been using Zenni Optical, which I guess is disrupting the broken system of Warby Parker by undercutting their prices by yet another factor of 5, just like Warby Parker did to brick and mortar stores.
How is the product quality? Those are pretty low prices. I'm not sure it's a great comparison as WP is delivering on several other levels beyond price. The Zenni buying experience is decidedly inferior.
Is $95 for non-prescription polarized sunglasses really a deal?
The cost to produce a pair of $25 and a pair of $100 sunglasses really can't be that different. Charging $100 signals the product should be good...but would anyone be able to guess that price when handed a pair with the name obscured?
Maybe it's different for their prescription versions.
Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is illegal in the US; the FTC entitles you to a copy of your prescription [1]. This doesn't include your pupillary distance, but shops will tell you whether or not they'll give PD as well. Some places I called offered to measure mine for free as a walk-in, it's pretty quick. [1] http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt143.shtm
PD seems like something that you could measure at home with a pretty high degree of confidence.
Many people do. I'd still rather trust an optician using a PD meter though.
Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)
#66Reads a bit too much like ad copy for my tastes. Or rather I read it with the intent to understand more about the content in the parentheses, not Warby Parker. :) That being said they are situated in a vertical that has efficiency players (Zenni Optical, Coastal Contacts) but haven't mastered the design/marketing/CS game yet. Going Zappos-style is their entrenchment mechanism, as well as the in-house designers.
I agree. One thing that isn't mentioned is that all of Warbly Parker's frames are plastic, as opposed to the titanium (and other) alloys that you find in the brick and mortar stores. Moreover I just don't see enough variety of styles at Warbly Parker. The article just feels like submarine PR that's disconnected from reality. There are better online glasses stores.
They don't sell a single pair of wire frames, just the thick plastic 'hipster' style that's currently in fashion. No wonder they're only $95...
Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)
#67Reads a bit too much like ad copy for my tastes. Or rather I read it with the intent to understand more about the content in the parentheses, not Warby Parker. :) That being said they are situated in a vertical that has efficiency players (Zenni Optical, Coastal Contacts) but haven't mastered the design/marketing/CS game yet. Going Zappos-style is their entrenchment mechanism, as well as the in-house designers.
That's a fair criticism. I came this article it from a strategy perspective, and would actually like to know more about their operations. I agree about Zenni Optical and Coastal Contacts --- they are basically pure price plays, while WP is aiming at a very specific customer segment and brand image/personality that's backed up by every interaction you have with them.
I'm fine with the strategy perspective, but curiously omitting the presence of their competitors in the same vertical (but different niches) makes the article a bit too gushing and the picture just a tad biased.
To be fair I think the brand play is a much better game to play than the price game -- if you know how to play it -- since it inherently leaves more money on the table.
Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
Absolutely. The notion that Amazon "subscribe and save" reference disrupted toilet paper in particular caught my attention. Subscribe and save is interesting, but paying 40% more for toilet paper doesn't sound very disruptive to me. It's cool for offices and people with more money than time, but not disruptive.
Yikes, yeah, maybe I was being too bold there for the sake of humor. But Subscribe & Save is actually very cost competitive, as long as you have Amazon Prime. I just took a few minutes to look up Charmin Ultra Strong Bath Tissue on Amazon vs. the Wegmans in Princeton, NJ and Amazon is $0.84/roll vs. Wegman's $0.83/roll. It's not really disruptive by itself, but more an example of a disruptive business model (Amazon)…
The same toilet paper was $15 at ShopRite and my wife had a 3 dollar coupon. Sales matter!
Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)
#69As some have mentioned, not a great option if you have insurance. Mine covers a new pair every two years (plus the appointment you need to get a current prescription). They may want to make an effort to cater to that segment more, if it's possible. But it is an innovative approach to a market ripe for the picking. On that note ... Insurance and medicine – Talk about a broken system full of money.
Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's a fair criticism. I came this article it from a strategy perspective, and would actually like to know more about their operations. I agree about Zenni Optical and Coastal Contacts --- they are basically pure price plays, while WP is aiming at a very specific customer segment and brand image/personality that's backed up by every interaction you have with them.
I'm fine with the strategy perspective, but curiously omitting the presence of their competitors in the same vertical (but different niches) makes the article a bit too gushing and the picture just a tad biased. To be fair I think the brand play is a much better game to play than the price game -- if you know how to play it -- since it inherently leaves more money on the table.
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