In the nebula of promotional offers, there is sometimes enough to lose your Latin! A small presentation of the different types of offers, recurring or more original, that you will surely come across in your search for ideal glasses.
The famous second pair
Today, almost all major brands offer the second pair of glasses, for one euro, after your first purchase. But beware, this is not systematic.
In most cases, this offer is subject to a minimum amount for your first purchase. The second pair consists of a frame usually chosen from a particular collection and two lenses without treatments with the same correction as for your first equipment. However, some may offer you to choose your second pair of glasses from the entire store ( Optical Center ) or to opt for sunglasses in your sight ( Optic 2ooo ).
Do not hesitate to ask the opticians near you for brochures on their second pair offer. Carefully read the full terms and restrictions often shown in small print. You will thus learn if your correction corresponds to the imposed limits if your tastes can be satisfied.
Packages for your budget
If your first criterion of choice is the price , you should find what you are looking for among the many packages offered by the brands: a fixed price, often low, which avoids surprises when going to checkout. There are packages for one or two pairs of glasses (eyeglasses or sunglasses), for own brands or designer labels( Générale d’Optique, Lynx Optique, Krys …). They are often limited in time (for the launch of an exclusive model, for the start of the school year), so don’t hesitate when you have found the right one!
Some packages only concern glasses. They can be a good alternative for those who wish to focus on the quality of their lenses rather than the aesthetics or originality of their frames.
Loyalty cards
More and more brands give you loyalty cards. Free, or offered for a few euros, they will give you access to additional services or guarantees in the event of the breakage or theft of your glasses: enough to live for several years without any worry.
Your purchases in the stores of the network are then transformed into points which will reduce the price of your future glasses, or even allow you to offer a pair to a member of your family ( Lissac ).
Original offers
Despite the multitude of existing offers, each year the brands find new possibilities to innovate commercially. For example, GrandOpticalcreated the event with its Les Pourcent’Ages offer. The price of your frame is reduced by the percentage corresponding to your age. If you are 40 years old, you get 40% off your mount, for the purchase of complete equipment. Childishly simple! Please note, it is not available all year round.
Another place, another offer. New brands celebrated the opening of their stores by offering or drastically reducing the price of equipment for their first customers, creating incredible queues in front of the doors of the points of sale. Alain Afflelou set up in 2009 a credit system which also allows you to pay for your glasses in monthly instalments. Convenient for small budgets.
Stay tuned, new original commercial offers will certainly emerge in the coming months. A knowledgeable eyeglass wearer is worth two.
What about independent opticians?
In France, 10,500 stores share the market. Among them, of course, not all are branded. Almost half of them are run by independent opticians, who alone manage all aspects of their point of sale: brands and models presented on the shelves, but also commercial practice. Each being free, it is impossible to draw up a list of the offers practised. A large majority offer the second pair offered but, once again, this is not an obligation and some opticians will prefer to present you with additional service guarantees or products that you will not find in everyone …
To summarize …
To find the glasses of your dreams, do not hesitate to prospect before making your purchase: assess the importance of your selection criteria ( price, brands, the creators…), consult the websites of the brands, subscribe to the newsletters to stay informed, tour the points of sale near you, collect the brochures then read all the access conditions.
Depending on your correction, certain forms of glasses or certain lenses included in the offers may not necessarily suit you. In any case, ask all your questions to your optician. As an eye care professional, he can provide you with valuable advice to achieve a good compromise between price, aesthetics and visual disturbance. Another very important point not to be overlooked: after-sales. Carefully review the guarantees in case of loss, theft, breakage. You might as well think about it now to have a free spirit in the event of a problem!