IT SEEMS LIKE shrinkflation is everywhere. Your “Family Size” box of Wheaties went from 19.3oz to 18.1oz but you’re still paying the same price. There are fewer sheets of toilet paper on that roll, less toothpaste in that tube, and fewer chips in that bag.
So, you might notice that our America’s Finest Optical Retailers package is smaller this year too. While certainly, as a business, we have our eyes on our bottom line (printing and mailing all these pages is expensive, y’all!), we also figured we’d add a little more competitive excitement and name just one winner from here on out. Now, in the eternal words of The Highlander, “There can be only one!”
But have no fear, there are still some exceptional businesses worth shouting out. Our Honorable Mentions are all worthy in their own rights and will still receive their time to shine with a profile in each issue until June 2025.
It just felt like 10 years into this thing, it was time to shake things up a little. So, in addition to naming just one winner and partnering with Vision Expo to award that winner $1,000 and their trophy live on stage at VEW, there will be some other exciting changes to the contest coming down the pike. Stay tuned for those being announced this fall.
Until then, glut yourselves on the wonder that is our 2024 America’s Finest honorees starting on page 34.
Once there, you may get the impression that the INVISION team is a little … mystically inclined. (It’s me. I’m the spiritual gangster.)
But the truth is, the world can be a scary and divisive place, and there is so much we don’t understand about the universe and our place in it, that it seems to me it can’t hurt to believe in a little magic. Nothing bad can come from thinking that everything — even the bad stuff — happens for a reason, that we are all connected, and that if you can dream it, you can be it. On the chance that there is real magic in the world, I lose nothing by believing in its possibility.
You know what doesn’t shrink? Not if you don’t let it? A positive mental attitude. Besides, it’s a whole lot more fun looking for glimmers than triggers and the more you look for them, the more there are… magic! Seems like the opposite of shrinkflation to me.
Best wishes for your business,
Five Smart Tips From This Issue
- I am a list person. I’ve got lists for to-dos, lists for groceries, lists for gift ideas. And if I ran an optical, I’d definitely have a list of items customers ask for that I didn’t have. (Manager’s To-Do, page 20)
- I absolutely love our Eyeglasses and Sunglasses pages in this issue. If your sunwear sales are losing a little steam as summer lingers, maybe it’s time to go feral. (Eyeglasses, page 24)
- It’s the height of summer and you probably feel like doing very little. Boy, does Kayla Ashlee have the column for you! (Columns, page 49)
- One of my favorite things is those old “Damn You Autocorrect!” memes. I love a good typo. The more inadvertently dirty, the better! (Buzz Session, page 52)
- Remember my reference to the world being scary and divisive? (Of course, you do. It’s on this page!) Did you immediately think of politics? We’ve got some ideas on handling that in your business too. (Real Deal, page 54)
