I just lost my pair of prescription glasses. Well, maybe “lost” isn’t the word. I know where they are. They fell off my parents’ bathroom sink right into the toilet exactly after I pushed the flush down. Whoosh. Gone. What happened next is what’s annoying.
Buy Local, They Tell Me
I called my eye doctor’s office and asked them to order up a replica of what I’d bought the last time. No fuss, right? Just look at my records, get the same thing, and pow, I’m back in action when I get home from visiting my parents.
Only, no.
“It’ll take 7 to 10 business days.”
Huh?
This is a local place. Old timey. They call out to get the glasses made. From some place that does this work. I went there the first time because they were in walking distance of my house, because it was a local business, because I felt good supporting the little guy.
But 7-10 days? And if you think about it, they’re not doing anything besides charging me more. They did the important job (figuring out my prescription) but the print and bake stuff could be anywhere. No allegiance necessary.
7 to 10 days.
The frames are Oakley. I really like the Oakley brand ( for reasons explained here). But maybe even that’s up for grabs.
Velocity Issues
Next time? Probably Warby Parker because I know they’ll be there fast.
Hey, supporting the local guy is great. My eye doctor was a nice lady and helpful, and everything.
I’m going to have trouble seeing anything on a screen from 7 to 10 days.
Do you “buy local” and just shrug off the fact I’ll be mostly blind (or using reading glasses) for a week or so?
Doesn’t feel like a great plan. Not to me.
What Can a Business Learn?
We, the buyer, want what we want now. I can’t actually see the screen right now (I’ll get some reading glasses later today). I live in front of screens for work. 7 to 10 days? Not going to work for me.
The lesson?
Always work to improve the velocity of delivery. Get the buyer what they want. As soon as possible, so that the buyer can continue on with their story.
I’ll talk more about this in a different way in some of my upcoming newsletters. You subscribed? Get one!
