retrospectives

How Do You Pick Suppliers?

A timeless topic from February 1987

In a 1987 spot survey of dispensers, Eyecare Business asked what factors weighed more than others in buying decisions.

SPEED

“I take into consideration price, the percentage of discount available on volume purchases, how fast I can get the material I need, and whether the supplier has it in stock. Factors such as a sales rep's personality [are] unimportant if turnaround is quick.”

—Jim Molloy, The Eye Man, New York, N.Y.

PATIENTS

“Without a doubt, quality and fashion are the main factors I concern myself with when choosing a supplier. These are the factors my patients are most concerned with.”

—Lorenzo de Toro, Versailles de Toro, Coral Gables, Fla.

FIT

“Those offering frames with the most comfortable fit interest me.”

—Matthew Fields, OD, Jackson Heights Vision Center, Queens, N.Y.

RETURNS

“The preferred frame supplier is one who offers us merchandise that has style and durability, and…stands behind that merchandise and has a reasonable returns policy.”

—Rhona Kodroff, Weiner Optical, Chicago

SERVICE

“Value is what we're searching for in our suppliers' wares. If a company carries a good product, you can usually be assured they have good service.”

—Matthew McDonough, Grand Spectacle, St. Paul, Minn.

BACKORDER

“If suppliers constantly have what we ask for on backorder, we will soon discontinue using them, so an extensive on-hand inventory is quite important for us.”

—Cheryl Collins, Cape Ann Optical, Gloucester, Mass.

SOURCING

“Price is unimportant because I feel you get what you pay for. That's why it's the suppliers of European frames that we use rather than American- and Far Eastern-made frames.”

—Angie Tribble, Tom Barrett Optical, Dallas

PRESSURE

“With today's pressure on the independent from chains and superstores, we find we can save the high cost of inventorying lenses by relying on suppliers who can work with us prescription by prescription and job by job.”

—Thomas Sandler, OD, Guhl-Midtown Optical, St. Louis

PAYMENT

“Service and quality are primary. Secondary is what payment system the supplier offers; but, if we can purchase frames through a buying group, all the better.”

—Shirley Wanamaker, Eye First, Tucker, Ga.

VOLUME

“Cost is a factor, of course, but we realize that if you want quality, you have to pay the price. We usually buy in volume and get a discount. If the supplier doesn't offer that discount, we're not likely to buy.”

—Dick Walling, Crystal Opticians, Everett, Wash.