Day: May 5, 2011

How much do you think they cost including frames, super-lightweight lenses with scratch roofing and anti-glare?

Over $200 or under $200

OK, OK I can’t take it any more!!!!  I have to spill the beans.  If any of you heard the last podcast you were privy to my absolute meltdown rant about the reaming the Mrs took even after using a $50 for $200 Groupon worth of eyeglasses at a regional eyeglass place which shall go un-named (not in Gloucester).  It was the only time I’d gotten burnt using a Groupon but my ass still hurts from getting bent over at that place.  First of all the worst frames not including the lenses that they offered in the whole place started at $169. the frames the Mrs picked out were $228  Then if you wanted the standard lenses which are heavy and are thick as old school coca-cola bottles they are an additional $220 and if you want the the lightweight and scratch-proofing that is an additional $124.  After hearing all this in the store I was visibly and audibly upset, knowing we were being taken advantage of and I let the guy know it.  We opted to forgo the scratch proofing and lighter lenses and we paid $428 minus the Groupon which cost us $50 for $200 worth of glasses which netted $278 out the door for her middle of the road frames without any special lenses.

Listen to my rant about this experience on the GloucesterCast podcast by forwarding to 9 minutes in after clicking here-

https://goodmorninggloucester.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/041911gloucestercast.mp3

So as we left the un-named regional Eyeglass chain after shelling out the dough we got into the car where The Mrs knows I’m steaming mad.  I’m mad at myself for not investigating a little more but never in my wildest dreams did I think there could be that much juice in eyeglasses but apparently I was grossly mistaken.

I was railing on and on about how screwed we just got and how mad I was.  After hearing enough she starts to tell me that I’m just out of touch with prices nowadays and that it had been forever since I bought eyeglasses and that they must have gone up in price.

That’s when we made the bet.  I bet her that I could get glasses at Costco or BJ’s WITH the lighter lenses AND the scratch proofing for $200 or less.  She took the bet saying that there was no way.

Well wouldn’t you know I didn’t get one, but two pairs of goddamn glasses and two boxes (a dozen) contact lenses for $200.98.  One pair has the scratch proofing and the super-light anti-glare lenses for $108.98 and the other at $59.99 I got without the extras as a spare.

So there you go.  I paid for two pairs of prescription eyeglasses and a dozen contact lenses 30% less than she did for one pair without any upgrades. And for those of you wondering, she had a regular single prescription just like mine, no bifocal or progressive lenses.

Do your eyeglass shopping at BJ’s or Costco and save yourself some dough.