I think there's a prevailing culture of low-proce, function-over form stuff at Hardware Stores. I'm not surprised that the $5 glasses there are the top performers for winter riding for me. What's the difference between those and $150 cycling glasses? A logo?
Sunglasses in general is one of the most consumer-driven markets ever, controlled by a monopoly that drives up prices far over manufacturing cost. Check out this for more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxottica