Cheap Pairs of Spectacles

A recent report, out a couple of days ago, rates Finland as the SEVENTH (7th) most expensive country in the world.



This must be because the compilers of that report have not read the book by Annikki and me, published in 1994, called "Handbook For Survival in Finland" and because they are not readimg this blog - Oulu Best Buy!

We have beaten inflation continuously for the last 23 years and the cost of living for us has gone down, even though with Finland joining the European Union, many vendors have just replaced the "markka" sign with the € sign - a six time increase in prices.

In our book we had recommended that if you needed a pair of spectacles, you should take a holiday to a third world country - such as India.

A few days ago, a couple of people have asked about getting pairs of spectacles in Finland.

Today, it is possible to get your pair of spectacles cheaper than any third world country!

Take a look at the web site called SpecsSavers

Specsavers was founded in 1984 by Doug and Mary Perkins, who started the business in their spare bedroom on a table-tennis table. The couple had moved to Guernsey after selling a small chain of West Country opticians. ....

..... It hit the milestone of 100 stores in July 1988, 200 in 1993, 300 in 1995, 400 in 2000, 500 in 2003, 600 in 2004 and 700 in 2005. The first Netherlands store opened in 1997, the first Swedish in 2004, and 2005 saw the first in Denmark and Norway. In 2006 the first store was opened in Spain and in 2007 the company began supplying in Australia and opened the first store in Finland. ....

Presently, there are two Specsavers shops in Oulu, one on the walking street (Rotuari) across the road from Stockmann, and one at the corner of Hallituskatu and Uusikatu, across the road from Instrumentarium - the shop to avoid at all costs!

A single power pair of spectacles is available from just € 9, while a multipower (varifocals) pair is available from € 109, almost half that of any other optician in Finland.

Considering that I paid € 218 almost 8 years ago in Madras (Chennai) for my varifocals, this means the price is half what I paid then!

All Specsavers frames come with free Single Vision Pentax lenses as standard.

Stay tuned to this web site for more interesting price information to help you live cheaply in this expensive country.