Reading In To It
Tips on successfully promoting readers as a spare pair
By Erinn Morgan

Above: EBX Cigar Color Readers are convenient and come in many shades. Below: REM's reader offerings include the styles Butterfly (top) and Gazelle

Do you sell ready-made readers in your optical shop? Many opticians have traditionally shied away from this business, leaving it up to drug stores to satisfy cust-omers' needs. But the market is opening and, thanks to increasing awareness of patient needs and potential profit centers, readers are finding a place in the optical dispensary.

"A lot of optical people don't want to do it, but they are missing a market that is both interesting and profitable," says Neil Rothstein, president of Optical Images in Pikesville, Md.

One retailer, located on New York's Long Island, is a prime example of how acceptance of change--and trying something new--can be beneficial. "I have been in the field for 12 years and the idea of doing a ready-made reader was kind of against the grain of an optical shop," says Kevin Palmer, optician and owner of Main Street Optics in Southampton.

Still, today, readers account for about five to 10 percent of Palmer's business. "At first we didn't want to do it," he says. "But I now sell three to four a day. It's an easy sale--it's ridiculous. And they are priced from $50 to $250."

MULTIPLE SALES

Thanks to reasonable pricing and many style choices, eyewear retailers say they sell multiple pairs of readers to the same customer.

"Quite a few say 'I need a pair, my husband needs a pair, and I need one for the bathroom,'" says Sherry Pearson, optician, LBO, with Cascade Eye and Skin Center, which has three Washington locations, two in Puyallup and one in Tacoma. "One lady recently bought four pairs color-coordinated to her rooms."

The desire for convenience makes multiple sales to boomers easy. "Our clientele can afford it and they will buy a second or third pair of readers," says Palmer. "For $50, you can pepper them around the office, the car, and the house."

"When you sell a pair for $40, the first thing you should say is 'How many?,'" adds Rothstein. "They can put one in the kitchen, one in the den, and one in the bedroom. You are providing a service--my job is to make the customer's life easier."

With such potential, more and more eyecare professionals are adding ready-made reading glasses to their assortments.

"We are selling a gazillion readers," says Pearson, who presents the dispensary's readers in a display on the front counter for quick sales. "We just cannot keep them in stock. Because they are so colorful and eye-catching, people will look at them and play with them. They go crazy when they find out they are readers."

PROPER POSITIONING

There are many customers for ready-made readers, from contact lens wearers to laser surgery patients.

"We gear it to contact lens wearers," says Pearson, whose readers sales account for five percent to seven percent of overall business. "We have the baby boomers who have worn contact lenses forever-- we steer them to readers as well."

Other dispensers put the focus on laser surgery patients who are seeking minor corrections.

"So many customers have done LASIK in recent years that you have to get on board or you are losing out," says Palmer. "LASIK has changed this into a reader market. There are so many people who don't need distance but they do need up close."

PRACTICAL PRICING

One thing that appears to be universal with all readers customers is the acceptance of the pricing. "Our pricing ranges from $35 and $40 to $50 and $79," says Rothstein.

Cascade Eye and Skin Centers sell readers for about $30 per pair. "The customer is still getting a good quality product, and they don't feel as bad if they lose them because they are under $50," Pearson says.

Some ECPs garner even higher prices for specialized products or prescription readers.

"You never know where it's going to go," says Rothstein. "You've got to be the latest and greatest in everything. I've had people come in and put a plus two in a Cartier frame for a reader."

Main Street Optics offers any frame in the dispensary as a reader with a plastic lens.

"It's for people who want something dressier," says Palmer. "A lot of people want something much better than the drugstore variety."

The dispensary also makes any of the frames on the boards into a sunglass reader for an extra $50. "A lot of people want an extra pair of sunglasses for reading on the beach," Palmer adds.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDERS

Because this unique product is bringing customers into your store, it can also help generate interest in the sales of other eyewear products.

"We have quite a few patients who are return customers. They started out with over-the-counter readers and came back to get the rest of their visual needs taken care of," says Pearson. "Readers are a nice stepping stone."

Adds Rothstein, "Relationships begin if you have a way to bring people into your store. When people walk into your store, they may not need prescription glasses yet but may want a plus one for reading."

This helps establish him as the ECP of choice, Rothstein adds: "By the time they hit 1.5 or more, they will need real glasses. When they are ready for their nice glasses, they will think of me and of my store. Plus, any way to get traffic into the shop is a good thing."

Readers take many forms, with an emphasis on modern styling and convenience of use. California Optical's Eyestic	Alumi-Lite readers from Sax North America Services, Inc.
Gels by Scojo Vision	readers, case and cords from Fun Specs

Corinne McCormack's readers and cords present the trends of the minute, such as animal prints	Cable Car Eyewear's Sunlight Readers have a nearly invisible bifocal	Eyemagine's Read and Write Readers keep reading and writing instruments together