Eclipse glasses?

[Colleen27]

Just the paper frame kind? If so, at that price there's some serious price gouging going on. I do understand that the options for the week before the eclipse can be limited.

Retail on those in a few places around me has been $5.99. Printed right on the cardboard or standee display, so it is obvious that it is MSRP, even though it is much higher than the prices I've heard Lowes, Walmart, and other big boxes are charging for theirs (we got ours from a small teachers'/homeschooling supply shop and paid the $6 MSRP marked on the packaging).

But I've heard from friends in retail that they didn't think to institute purchase limits when these things first came in so there are probably plenty of people and businesses in the price gouging business right now.

 

[bcla]

Retail on those in a few places around me has been $5.99. Printed right on the cardboard or standee display, so it is obvious that it is MSRP, even though it is much higher than the prices I've heard Lowes, Walmart, and other big boxes are charging for theirs (we got ours from a small teachers'/homeschooling supply shop and paid the $6 MSRP marked on the packaging).

But I've heard from friends in retail that they didn't think to institute purchase limits when these things first came in so there are probably plenty of people and businesses in the price gouging business right now.

I bought mine for $2.50 (minus a member discount) and tax at a local science museum. Walmart pricing varies a ton depending on location. I've heard some found theirs for $1.50 at some locations. And at least nationally Lowes says that it's $1.98.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Eclipse-Paper-Glasses-ISO-Certified/1000255189

Walmart's website says that their 10 pack of American Paper Optics shades are $9.99.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eclipse-...lar-Eclipse-Glasses-Assorted-Styles/180711601

I don't doubt that they might be sold for more though at a convenience store. Or that any place that still has them and is independently owned.

 

[bcla]

Retail on those in a few places around me has been $5.99.

Just thinking about it some more, and there are a lot of these that are custom made. Rainbow Symphony was selling a lot of their overruns of custom eclipse glasses/viewers for 45 cents each. I suppose a wholesaler that's selling to convenience stores or novelty shops could just do a custom order with a specific price on the box.

 

[because]

I bought mine for $2.50 (minus a member discount) and tax at a local science museum. Walmart pricing varies a ton depending on location. I've heard some found theirs for $1.50 at some locations. And at least nationally Lowes says that it's $1.98.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Eclipse-Paper-Glasses-ISO-Certified/1000255189

Walmart's website says that their 10 pack of American Paper Optics shades are $9.99.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Eclipse-...lar-Eclipse-Glasses-Assorted-Styles/180711601

I don't doubt that they might be sold for more though at a convenience store. Or that any place that still has them and is independently owned.

All the Wal-Marts, actually every single store, library, and anyone else, within a 50 mile radius have been sold out for a couple of weeks now (area of 98% totality.) A large hardware store received 2,000 pairs yesterday. Started selling them at 10:30am, limit of 4 pairs per person. The lines were wrapped up and down 6 long aisles by 9am. Sold out within an hour and tons of the people in line didn't get any. LOTS of scalping going on right now.

 

[OhhBother]

I'm a marketing VP for a health system in South Carolina, and we gave away 80,000 pairs of glasses to people in our region -- no charge. I KNOW what I paid for the glasses buying them in bulk direct from a NASA-approved manufacturer. It is absolutely appalling that there are people charging as much as $10 a pair for those glasses -- it's price gouging at its finest.

 

[Disneypeach]

I got my NASA approved glasses at Kroger for $1.99 last week. Haven't been back to know if they still have any but you might try your grocery store.

While I was at Home Depot a couple of days ago, one of the staffers was on the phone telling a customer that HD wasn't carrying the eclipse glasses although I had read in the paper that they were selling them. Maybe they had already run out.