Moopig's Brands Department :: "Sunglasses Sticker Shock"

Next Time you throw down $268 for those Oakleys, Think: "Italian"
Retrieved by Pat Darnell  |  Oct 7, 2012  |  Bryan TX

[Picture LINK] Best Comeback
A smaller, squarish alternative to classic aviators, these Ray-Ban Caravans were introduced in 1957 but are suddenly damn near ubiquitous. More importantly, they still look as timeless as ever. $119.


Luxottica owns the two top premium sunglass brands in the world, Ray-Ban and Oakley. But Luxottica points out there are other players... Wal-Mart is their biggest competitor.

Luxottica Group is a leader in premium, luxury and sports eyewear with approximately 7,100 optical and sun retail stores in North America, Asia-Pacific, China, South Africa, Latin America and Europe, and a strong, well-balanced brand portfolio. The company is based in Milan, Italy.

The interviewer for 60 Minutes says: " ... But other competitors told us Luxottica has them in a chokehold: if you make glasses, you want to be in their stores; and if you have stores, you want to sell Ray-Bans! So Luxottica can set the prices as high as it wants. ... "

Sticker shock: Why are glasses so expensive? - CBS News: "Have you bought a pair of glasses lately? Bet your eyes popped when you saw the price tag. If you don't go to places like Walmart or Costco, you could easily be spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars for a pair that cost $30 10 years ago. Talk about sticker shock."

'via Blog this'

You might want to get some of those Oakley's so you can at least look like a Kennedy on vacation...

That's the finish on those expensive sunglasses you bought, or stole. Luxottica has set the price margins to fit their conglomerate needs. They own the stores, or call them distribution points, so competitors won't get exposure unless they make a deal with the sunglass cartel, Luxottica.

And the article ends its interview: " ... You'd think, well, surely insurance companies covering vision would complain. But guess what? Luxottica also owns the nation's second largest vision-care plan: EyeMed, covering eye exams and glasses. ... "

MooPig buys its sunglasses at the 99 cents store, where they are much cheaper by the dozen. The glasses cartel, 'Luxottica,' prefers to call them 'eyewear.'


__________________Reference
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57527151/sticker-shock-why-are-glasses-so-expensive/
http://www.current-movie-reviews.com/41418/60-minutes-recap-10712-huawei-and-luxotica-foreign-co-s-taking-over-u-s-markets/
http://www.luxottica.com/en/careers/
http://www.esquire.com/style/merchandise/best-new-sunglasses-of-2010#ixzz28fYtUMMP