Unprecedented times, unparalleled fears, and unflagging hope…it is not a line from a book, but what we are actually living today.
This will be our time in history.
The future will look back at this borderless pandemic to learn about our ability to adapt, change, survive, and thrive. We know our lives will not be the same as they were just a few months ago…but that does not mean it will be worse than before, only different.
We believe we are well prepared to come back from this disaster. We plan to be smarter, kinder, more aware of others, and sincere in our effort to be better than ever. We also know it will take time. Our employees are our family, and with some government help we will be in a good position to continue their pay and benefits for an extended period of time. It will also allow us to stay open with a small crew even with little business. We will be available for questions and help where we are able to do so.
We know the rest of our optical family is struggling as well. We encourage each and every one of you to leverage any assets available from the federal government such as the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) which provides a forgivable loan for up to eight weeks of pay and some expenses (Small Business Administration 7a). Unemployment enhancement for employees has been a significant boost as well. Talk to your banker about a working capital loan now, to allow additional time for recovery if needed. Also, AOA.org, state optometry associations, and some of the larger organizations and buy groups have put together a wealth of information on what is available. Use it.
We are also looking for ways to offer additional help to our partners. We promise to keep our prices low and our technology high with a focus on beneficial programs for you and your patients.
We have opened up ProperOptics.com for an e-commerce solution to more offices where they keep the profit.
We will extend our payment due date from the 20th to the end of each month (we wish we could extend terms beyond 30 days, but our capital is also limited).
We will eliminate finance charges for 90 days for partners who have been especially hard-hit by the disaster.
We will extend our standard and premium warranty periods by four months, to account for the time we will be affected.
For selected patients who have no financial means, we encourage you to ask for a 50% GSRx Foundation discount during the months of May, June, and July on Proper Optics® frames and GSRx lenses. (Basic Rxs {SV, Multifocal, Progressives} with or without AR only).
Sincerely,
GSRx Family
Dave & Keith