Eyeglasses

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Eyeglasses

petengail · Guru

Cant blame you at all. Its called choice. Odd isnt it how the richest in the land are the loudest to complain. Harvey Norman, Clive Parker et al... hardly normal is it?

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

petengail, I agree, in our local shopping centre there are 4 specticle shops and they have all been in business for at least 8 years and are all still making a profit, at those prices they also should be millionaries

jimbo · Guru

I often wonder if the retailers did'nt have to pay such High rents for their shops to fill the Fat cats pockets who own them..Usually overseas owners.....Though I expect goods would still be over priced

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

true, the rents are expensive but not that much, a differance of $294, I'll continue to shop online, as I said before 4 shops in local centre and they must all make a profit to stay in buisness.

welcome wrote:

I often wonder if the retailers did'nt have to pay such High rents for their shops to fill the Fat cats pockets who own them..Usually overseas owners.....Though I expect goods would still be over priced

Gerty Dancer · Guru

You can shop around and find a huge difference in price for frames within the one shopping centre. Makes you wonder.

Happywanderer · The Master

Have you tried the zennioptical site. You can get glasses for between 20 and 50 dollars. I got 4 pr last year. Its an overseas company, heaps of people use it.

jimricho · Guru

welcome wrote:

I often wonder if the retailers did'nt have to pay such High rents for their shops to fill the Fat cats pockets who own them..Usually overseas owners.....Though I expect goods would still be over priced

Most major shopping centres in Australia are Australian owned and listed on the ASX. In fact Westfield is one of the worlds largest owners of shopping centres and is based and predominately owned in Australia.

The dividend/distribution yields to investors (they're the owners) hardly puts them in the "fat cat" class.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

HW, that's where I got my last pair.

Happywanderer · The Master

I thought that might be the case.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

yes I also got a case smile

tonyd · Guru

I see Gerry Harvey has pulled out of that misguided campaign, saying he was hurt by the abuse he collected online and in texts etc. What a shame, (not)!
When I first read about the bigwigs campaigning I thought it was a joke, because it was the sillyest idea I have ever seen.
All it has achieved is to alert many more Aussies to the bargains available on the net.
Power to the people!
Cheers, Tony

DellieMay · Senior Member

I'm led to believe Jerry Harvey's wife wasn't too happy with him either.
Cheers Dellie

Hylda&Jon · Guru

_wombat_ wrote:

My reason for posting this is because of that idiot Harvey Norman saying on tv yesterday that he thought online overseas shopping shuold have the GST attached, the above is why people shop online.

In my opinion he is only trying to scare people into shopping local, I do shop local for most things but when there is such a big price difference I will continue to get my glasses online.

I wouldn't think Harvey Norman was an idiot by any stretch of the imagination. I met him a few times many years ago & found him a very amiable & intellegant self made man. To build his business up from the little store he & Ian Norman started with to what he has today must take a modicum of intelligence, plus to have each store incorporating seperate franchises for each individual department within the stores was a very inovative idea.

Also, if I was in his position I'd be tempted to encourage people in any way possible to shop Australian so everyone would buy from my stores? Isn't that normal smart business practice?

Cheers
Jon

didiaust · Veteran Member

I purchase all my glasses when I visit Bali. My Titanium Frames with multi lens cost me around $180

Have buying my glasses there for over 12 years. I also have all dental work don there too 50% to 75% less.

Di

ozi2 · Guru

Hi everyone, what great comments we see posted on this forum, its all good informative information with members benefiting from the idea's and substantial savings to be found. I think it's great what Hardly Normal has done, now more people than ever will shop online. I always ask sales people what the discount is for cash when shopping in their stores rather than credit card, after all, its cheaper for the owner to take cash than process a c/card transaction.
In Kuala Lumpur last year I had my prescription made up ( they even conducted an eye test to make sure it was unchanged), great pair of titanium spec's for $53.00 AUD smile

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

IF HN was an intellegant man don't you think by now he would have opened an overseas online buisness and joined the others who are selling GST free.

Having said that you are entitled to your opinion as I am entitled to mine, wouldn't it be a strange world if everybody thought the same.

Hylda&Jon wrote:

_wombat_ wrote:

My reason for posting this is because of that idiot Harvey Norman saying on tv yesterday that he thought online overseas shopping shuold have the GST attached, the above is why people shop online.

In my opinion he is only trying to scare people into shopping local, I do shop local for most things but when there is such a big price difference I will continue to get my glasses online.

I wouldn't think Harvey Norman was an idiot by any stretch of the imagination. I met him a few times many years ago & found him a very amiable & intellegant self made man. To build his business up from the little store he & Ian Norman started with to what he has today must take a modicum of intelligence, plus to have each store incorporating seperate franchises for each individual department within the stores was a very inovative idea.

Also, if I was in his position I'd be tempted to encourage people in any way possible to shop Australian so everyone would buy from my stores? Isn't that normal smart business practice?

Cheers
Jon

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

I agree some great information here from all posters, I also ask for a cash discount, will NEVER pay shelf price, no discount I walk out of the shop, once you start to walk the salesperson usually comes after you and offers a discount, try it, it really does work, but make sure you have another shop to go to if you really want the product.
Good to hear you got a really good price in KL.

ozi2 wrote:

Hi everyone, what great comments we see posted on this forum, its all good informative information with members benefiting from the idea's and substantial savings to be found. I think it's great what Hardly Normal has done, now more people than ever will shop online. I always ask sales people what the discount is for cash when shopping in their stores rather than credit card, after all, its cheaper for the owner to take cash than process a c/card transaction.
In Kuala Lumpur last year I had my prescription made up ( they even conducted an eye test to make sure it was unchanged), great pair of titanium spec's for $53.00 AUD

jimricho · Guru

Hylda&Jon wrote:
I wouldn't think Harvey Norman was an idiot by any stretch of the imagination. I met him a few times many years ago & found him a very amiable & intellegant self made man. To build his business up from the little store he & Ian Norman started with to what he has today must take a modicum of intelligence, plus to have each store incorporating seperate franchises for each individual department within the stores was a very inovative idea.

Also, if I was in his position I'd be tempted to encourage people in any way possible to shop Australian so everyone would buy from my stores? Isn't that normal smart business practice?

Cheers
Jon

Sadly the politics of envy and resentment is alive and well in Australia. We celebrate air-heads and sports stars (and drop them like a bag of wet poo when they lose, but that's another story) but resent self made successes such as Gerry Harvey, Frank Lowey and Dick Smith.

These people made their wealth by generating wealth that flows through the nation's economy, and their wealth is invested in businesses that continue to generate wealth and productivity.

brickies · Guru

Well said Jimricho I was starting to think I was only one with that view these people make jobs and we can't do without these people has we need jobs oversea internet baron take our money and put nothing back into our great country

jimbo · Guru

Around my way The shopping complex is run by Fat Cats..What they do is....If for interest say... The Chemist stays there they are promised that there will be a Minimum of say 25 shops.....So the greedy owners will allow very small rents to get the others to move in so's to bring it up to 25....Once the contract has been signed....The rents fly through the roof and one is locked in.....This happens in Bacchus Marsh and Melton......Coles get the best deals because they are huge.in some cases Free rent....Because of their huge customer base..hence the high charges.....And asgain the term Fat Cats.....

Happywanderer · The Master

I agree with everything that has been said here except his name is not Harvey Norman, It is Gerry Harvey.
Just wanted to say my piece!!

Oh and Wombat, don't like the plastic cases though.

Hylda&Jon · Guru

Happywanderer wrote:

I agree with everything that has been said here except his name is not Harvey Norman, It is Gerry Harvey.
Just wanted to say my piece!!

Oh and Wombat, don't like the plastic cases though.

Thanks, My mistake, I wrote that close to midnight so was half asleep at the time. I meant to say Gerry Harvey but by the time I spotted my mistake today it was too late to correct it & if I did it would have made people scratch their heads over what your comment was about.

Cheers
Jon

Happywanderer · The Master

Thats ok Jon, and then I could have changed my comment also to suit.

Connie · Veteran Member

If you buy your glasses on the internet, who is going to fit them to your face, or adjust them when they hurt your nose? The bloke who has to pay the big rents in the shopping mall is who. If he doesn't get the original business, he'll go out of business soon enough, and then who will test your eyes, adjust your specs and replace a missing screw.

jimricho · Guru

Connie wrote:

If you buy your glasses on the internet, who is going to fit them to your face, or adjust them when they hurt your nose? The bloke who has to pay the big rents in the shopping mall is who. If he doesn't get the original business, he'll go out of business soon enough, and then who will test your eyes, adjust your specs and replace a missing screw.

hear hear

Isn't it amazing! Here we have a forum where the members are patriotic to core...believe one of the world's great art works has 5 stars, a couple of crosses and another big 7 pointed star underneath, but for some, suddenly morphs into one with 50 stars and 13 stripes when there's a dollar to be saved!

(that'll stir 'em )

Happywanderer · The Master

Connie, I have bought 4 pr and never had to worry about getting them adjusted, they just fit.
If a screw falls out you could always pay the local guy to replace it..
Jim, don't get it at all. I'm on a pension and buy what I can afford. If the local guy charged reasonable rates I would be quite happy to buy off him but around 400.00 for a new pr of glasses is ridiculous when I can get a pr for 12.95 that do the same job.
Nothing to do with being patriotic, just like to be able to afford them when I need them.

Sheba · Guru

Hi Marj,

I need Trifocals [Graduated lenses], but can't afford them now I'm on the pension, so have to make do with Bi-focals.

Are you able to just get a Prescription from the Optometrist ?

How long does it take to get a pair from this lot ?

Cheers,
Sheba.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Sheba, yes you can get bifoacls but they are called progresive, and yes just get your eyes tested and ask for your script then send me and email and I will help you fill in the form on Zenni.com

-- Edited by _wombat_ on Sunday 9th of January 2011 10:32:49 PM

Sheba · Guru

_wombat_ wrote:

Sheba, yes you can get bifoacls but they are called progresive, and yes just get your eyes tested and ask for your script then send me and email and I will help you fill in the form on Zenni.com

-- Edited by _wombat_ on Sunday 9th of January 2011 10:32:49 PM

Thanks Wombat. It will be a little while before I do that though.

Cheers,
Sheba.