Do you wear glasses? Do you plan on buying sunglasses anytime soon? Ever heard of a company called Luxottica? If not, please read on.
Luxottica is an Italian company that makes glasses and sunglasses. What makes them a big deal? I've read unsubstantiated reports that the company may control as much as 80% of all brand-name glasses and sunglasses manufactured in the world. But with the
* OAKLEY
* RAYBAN
* COLE VISION
* PEARLE VISION
* LENSCRAFTERS
* EYEMED VISION CARE
* SUNGLASS HUT
* AVANT GARDE OPTICS
Now, why is this important to fruggies? Through all these companies, Luxottica effectively has a global monopoly on brand-name glasses and sunglasses. And because of this monopoly, we get the privilege to pay through the nose for all of these brand names. Up to $300 just for a wire frame? You've got to be kidding me!
So, if you care about your wallets, I would recommend avoiding any and all Luxottica companies. They don't compete with each other for price. They essentially ARE the same company.
Now, what alternatives do we have? I've gone to Walmart for a pair of glasses before, and they're OK. I've also been recommended Zenni Optical and I'll probably get my next pair there. I can't believe they have fancy memory frames for no more than $25! They can also craft you a sunglasses if you desire.
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The following is an addendum for investors.
Obviously, with a company like this, I had to check out their stock. LUX is a solid blue chip with a 1.75% yield. However, it's an ADR for me, and has a pretty low trading volume. What's worse, the options market is next to non-existent. Even for dividend investors, it seems like you can do better with domestic blue chips. I would pass on this one, though interestingly enough, Georgio Armani seems to like it. He (or the company under his name) owns like 5%!
October 8th, 2010 at 04:28 pm 1286551680
What are memory frames? Do they have nitrile, memory wire? If so, cool, but I think I'd play with my ear pieces just for fun!
October 8th, 2010 at 04:54 pm 1286553282
I have to shop frame size that will make my lens small because they are like coke bottles, right? So although I've seen luxottica forever, brand doesn't matter. Trend or fashion doesn't matter either. I am really limited in frames.
That being said, I refuse to pay loads for frames. I also have to concentrate on children's frames and usually find something not TOO dorky or silly and $100 or less.
Hmmmm, I loved my old Barbie frames with tiny hearts on the side pieces (no one could see them but me!)
and the kid's frames are usually built to take a beating!!
October 8th, 2010 at 05:03 pm 1286553829
October 8th, 2010 at 05:46 pm 1286556374
October 8th, 2010 at 07:52 pm 1286563966
October 8th, 2010 at 08:08 pm 1286564922
That or maybe LASIK?
October 13th, 2010 at 04:32 am 1286940744
July 15th, 2011 at 07:34 am 1310711643
Intel Corp, the dominant company in the business of computer processors, has been in a lot of antitrust trouble for bribing and threatening computer manufacturers and retailers into not making/selling products that contain chips from Intel's competitors.
For example, Intel was discovered to be bribing retailers to simply not stock computers that contained chips from Intel's only major competitor, AMD.
If you want a great computer for a fair price, buy a computer with AMD processors inside.