*Warby Parker affiliate links used in this post. See full note below.
I recently knelt on my Ray Ban glasses, requiring me to get a new (more affordable) frame. I'd love your help choosing which pair I should get, but first a little background...
Corrective lenses have been a part of my life since middle school. I wore contacts through much of my teens. Then, sometime in college (maybe even after Brylee was born), I fell in love with glasses. They're so much easier, greener, simpler, cheaper, cleaner. Well, cleaner for my eyes; I'm terrible at keeping my glasses clean after the kids' grubby fingers smudge 'em up.
Although, cheaper is debatable.
Making an incredibly long story short, a few years ago we "spent" $2,000 total for Daniel and I to both get a pair of glasses and prescriptive sunglasses. (It didn't feel as bad, because insurance covered 80%.) That was a lot of money.
I'm still not happy about it. But we did it. We've bought glasses two times since. Even after spending less those two times, I can't believe how expensive glasses are. Seriously, it's some wire, plastic, molding, and glass!
Fine, I don't know the true anatomy of glasses. But they've been around for centuries, shouldn't they be going down in price rather than going up?
Why are glasses so expensive?
This year, I finally found out why glasses cost more than an iPad.
There is a terrible monopoly in the eyewear industry. I learned about it in this 12-minute segment on 60 Minutes >> Sticker shock: Why are glasses so expensive?
Of course, you can avoid the unreasonable prices by shopping at Wal-mart or Costco. Or otherwise avoiding all the brands associated with this company. And many people do.
Then, Daniel found another, more stylish alternative: Warby Parker.
Warby Parker: The affordable, stylish eyewear alternative
Warby Parker is a store in New York asking the same thing: Why should this age old technology cost more than some of today's digital technology? The simple answer being: It shouldn't.
So, they've created frames with current styles and trends. And they make them available now starting from $95 including frames and lenses. Given our great insurance, that means we'll end up paying less than $20 out-of-pocket for a great pair of glasses. That's more like it!
Plus, when they sell a pair, they also donate a pair to someone in need. And I just love that.
How does Warby Parker's at-home try-on work?
Even if, like me, you're not able to visit a store in person, we're still not excluded.
When I browsed the women's frames online, I was able to take a picture of myself to use for a virtual try-on through Warby Parker's Home Try-On Program with the frames I thought I liked. If I thought a frame looked good, I added it to my "home try-on." They will send up to five pairs of frames to try on. I ended up with four I really liked, so to fill the box they chose an additional pair to send me.
I "ordered" my frames for at-home try-on this last Sunday. And they arrived today (Wednesday). I put in my credit card info in the order (they need some back up in case you never returned them). They put a charge of a dollar to ensure there are funds in the account, then that charge disappears after a couple days.
I have five days (today is day 1) to try on the glasses, and post pictures if I want to get my friends and family's opinions. Then on day 5, I send them all back. At any point, I can choose a pair (or two ;) to order and get filled with my prescription.
I might have more to say after I choose and order my glasses. So far, I'm extremely impressed with the whole experience.
Choose My Frames
Okay, now we get to the fun part. Help me choose my frames!
I haven't done this since the boots I had second thoughts about over a year ago. You convinced me to keep those, and that was a great choice. Don't let me down now! (Side note: it was hard to get a decent shot of these without having terrible glare. And, no, they're not all the same glasses.)
Here are the five options...
linwood // violet magnolia
marshall // striped sassafras
crane // sugar maple
arthur // green spruce
sims // striped sassafras
>>>
also see:
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sharing my love for glasses
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* Note: Warby Parker Affiliate links used in this post. I wrote this post from my experience before I knew Warby Parker offered an affiliate program. I am so impressed with my whole experience (and my awesome Sims frames!) that I am proud to be a Warby Parker affiliate--which means that any purchases made through one of these links will earn me a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you!
Are you a blogger? Click >> here to check out Warby Parker's affiliate program!
