OMG, I need glasses! What would you do?

[SteveFoerster]

As most of you may know, there's a big Italian monopoly that produces something like 75% of ALL frames and a large percent of the lenses. They also own many of the ... what's the term when you own the chain? I mean like you own the coal mine, you own the train line, and you own the steel mills. Whatever that term is, that company's like that, too. This monopoly owns many of the eyeglass chains and optometry chains.

Supply chain? Interesting, I didn't know that about eyeglasses.

Don't you wonder why your cell phone can get more and more advanced, but the price doesn't increase significantly? And glasses, which really don't evolve much cost an outrageous price? Blame that Italian monopoly.

I guess I didn't think of the cost of eyeglasses as being outrageous until you made me consider it. And compared with the cost of reading glasses, they really are a lot.

Although it's not like there's anything seemingly hard to duplicate in that sort of manufacturing, so I can't help but wonder whether protectionism is also a factor.