Help me somebody to choose between Sam's Club/Costco or Lens Crafters/For Eyes

[sharpstick777]

Most MD offices are closed Saturdays and Sundays, and pay a little bit better than Walmarts.

Its your best bet.

...but I would never pay anyone $23 an hour to start.

The most you would get from me is $19 to start, and then I would see how you do.

[Johns]

well if Johns was being sarcastic...no hard feelings. I was only asking anybody for their honest opinion & suggestion.

That still doesn't mean that WM might not be the place for you!;)

[Johns]

ok...so far I've heard not so nice things about Luxxotica...hmmm, got me thinking to stay away.

And you didn't hear it from me or Fezz!!:cheers::cheers::cheers:

[CaramelCutie79]

ok. so doc's office is another option.

[optiman37]

I work at walmart in a vision center and all I can tell you is go to an independent or even costco. walmart is making so many changes to the point they are considering putting opticians on occasion in the pharmacy to help. My opinion walmart say no

optiman37

[Johns]

I work at walmart in a vision center and all I can tell you is go to an independent or even costco. walmart is making so many changes to the point they are considering putting opticians on occasion in the pharmacy to help. My opinion walmart say no

optiman37

Fair enough, but here's a question for you. If WM was not making the changes, would you suggest CaramelCutie79 get a job there over the other options?

[CaramelCutie79]

Thanks Optiman37, your like the 3rd person that suggest Costco or independent doc office.

[hcjilson]

It is never a good idea to take the word of a "giant killer" as gospel. Talk to the people you KNOW! You have no idea what the motivation is for steering in one direction or another. Or whom to believe for that matter. One say's Lenscrafter's is bogus, another says they're great. You are opening a can of worms with a question like this. Be a little more proactive in your quest, and beware the Nay Sayers!

[Johns]

It is never a good idea to take the word of a "giant killer" as gospel. Talk to the people you KNOW! You have no idea what the motivation is for steering in one direction or another. Or whom to believe for that matter.

And then follow it up with visit to several stores, in different locals. Hang out at break/lunch time and ask the people that work there.

Also, keep in mind that small private practices might not have the corporate issues that cause consternation for employees, but they often have their own set of problems such as family in fighting, less product resources, and smaller benefit packages.

[hcjilson]

And then follow it up with visit to several stores, in different locals. Hang out at break/lunch time and ask the people that work there.

Also, keep in mind that small private practices might not have the corporate issues that cause consternation for employees, but they often have their own set of problems such as family in fighting, less product resources, and smaller benefit packages.

The best advice so far!:cheers:

[bob_f_aboc]

Where have you worked in your 3 years of experience?

Has it been for private docs? Box stores? Chains? Back alley optical after dark?

I would think that in 3 years, you would have some idea of what is out there.

No offense intended, just wondering.

[hcjilson]

I quote myself......"You are opening a can of worms with a question like this.". I think perhaps the purpose of this thread WAS to open a can of worms.

A search of caramel cutie's posts show's her/him to be an optical student in 2006 to graduate in 2007.Apparently 2 years of of study and a further 2 years of observation and a common sense were not enough and so they're coming here for some good advice from complete strangers. Caramel Cutie does not have both oars in the water!

[CaramelCutie79]

I hear ya hcjilson...all i'm doing is get opinions and hearing everybody's work experience/environment in different optical buisnesses. I'm not solely going by that, I do my own research by asking people whom I personally know, here, and my current work experience.

[Johns]

I quit working for walmart over a matter of pride and financially it was a mistake.

So there you have it, right from the horses mouth!:cheers:

If you are willing to swallow your pride, it's a great place to work!


(Now go grab a smock, rehearse the cheer, and go to work!)



:cheers:

[Fezz]

(Now go grab a smock, rehearse the cheer, and go to work!)



:cheers:

***POM-POMS READY***

One, two, three.......


Bricker bracker firecracker shischk boom ba

Wal-Maert.................Wal-Maert

Rah...Rah...Rah!!!!!!



:cheers::cheers::cheers:

[Johns]

***POM-POMS READY***

One, two, three.......


Bricker bracker firecracker shischk boom ba

Wal-Maert.................Wal-Maert

Rah...Rah...Rah!!!!!!



:cheers::cheers::cheers:

I'd give you a greenie for that if I had any left. What color are your pom-poms, and when did they change the cheer?

:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

[Fezz]

I'd give you a greenie for that if I had any left. What color are your pom-poms, and when did they change the cheer?

:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

The pom-poms are blue....of course!
{They match the smock}

THEY didn't change the cheer, I did!

I just get so excited that I can't control my enthusiasm!!!


:cheers::cheers::D

[Leonazium]

Johns have you been to a wal-mart in the past 10 years? They got rid of the cheer and the smocks long before I have graduated from high school. The workers are now forced to wear navy shirts and navy aprons.

Sam's is a good place to start off. but you have already started your career. You know what you are doing and hopefully you have a professional attitude. Sam's is not the place for you. You should work for a wholesale lab or OD office. If you want to work for a chain store then your only option is to become a manager for these stores.

I'm not saying it is a bad place to be. You have great opportunities and some great benefits available(like stock options)...but if you think WM corp will give you 23 an hour mon~fri 40 a week for being a order taker then you need to stop taking the drugs you are on. Hell even an ABOM with 40 years exp could not get that lol...

Only good thing about working in WM or sam's is being able to blow a pt's mind with how much of a stereotypical wal-mart quality employee you are not.

[Johns]

Johns have you been to a wal-mart in the past 10 years?

You're kidding me right?

I haven't set foot in a WM in over 11 years.

My son is 12, and he has never seen the inside of a WM. I've told the story of how he spent the night at a friends house, and on the way home in the morning, he refused to leave the car when the mom had to run in and pick up a few things. She called me on my cell and asked if it was ok if she left him and her son in the car (they were 7 yrs old), and I said, "Yeah, they're much safer there than in WalMart":D

[Refractingoptician.com]

I hear ya hcjilson...all i'm doing is get opinions and hearing everybody's work experience/environment in different optical buisnesses. I'm not solely going by that, I do my own research by asking people whom I personally know, here, and my current work experience.

Suggest you move and work for Johns and learn the business from his perspective.

Alternately you could work for Fezz , but he still thinks Americans make beer .

Why not try first class first.

[gunner05]

You are kidding yourself if you think you'll get $23 an hour at walmart and your friend probably told you that he was getting that just to make himself look good. Finally just moved away from wally world, and I have to say that I couldn't be happier. That being said, it's not a bad place to work, but in my store, the opticians tended to be the black sheep of the store since we were a little different than the rest of the associates. They just combined the vision center and pharmacy, and I really don't see how that is going to be a good thing. I know the pharmacy district managers won out over most of the vision DMs (and there weren't a ton of them with optical backgrounds to begin with) so who knows how that is going to play into the optical world there. Long story short, I went there after a rocky exit from EyeMasters and am glad for the job they provided me but it was truly below my level.

[spexguy]

:drop:big box opticals like walmart are not going to give you what you want for wages.if you want to make beaucoup bucks,try ecca.they're the best.they'll pay you less than fast food workers and give you worse hours.but the managers get great bonuses and get treated like royalty.ecca prides itself in treating regular hourly staff like dirt,while managers get rich from the sweat of your brow while you're eating beans and peanut butter.

[hcjilson]

I hear this talk about "you're not going to get what you want" [for pay] This us ususally not how compensation negotiations are accomplished. The guiding factor in wage discussions will be what the prevailing wage in the area is. Usually an employer will have a range, within which he is free to work. Another tool in negotiations I have used, is my wage allowance as a percentage of gross sales.In a high end store that would work to the employee's advantage but if sales go down, the newest employee is at risk.:D In any event, your input as to desired wage, while perhaps encouraged, will have little bearing upon "what the job pays".

[Johns]

It's just a myth Walmart doesn't pay and the private shops always pays better.

I have no doubt that I could get that and much more at many of the Walmarts in my area, almost any day of the week? Why? because regardless of what they offer/pay, it's not enough to keep good help.

I often hire good opticians away from Walmart with offers of 5 dollars an hour less, and they stay. Why? $5 an hour is only $10,000. After taxes, it's more like $7,500.

For $7,500 more per year, would you work nights, weekends, and Sundays? I have to assume that the working conditions at Walmart can't be that bad. I only know what folks tell me. I'm sure it's well-lit, smells fine, is probably cleaner than many private offices, the air quality is ok, and the temperature is moderate. I've heard some stories that I won't repeat here, but again, being one of the largest, you don't have to look far to find bad. Having said all that, at the end of the day, it's still Walmart.

While interviewing opticians that work at WM, I've had opticians break down in tears telling me that they were promised 40 hours, and three weeks after hiring on they're cut down to 27 hours. How nice. So now, instead of $920 a week pre tax, they are now making around $650. From the folks I interview, this is not an uncommon practice. I would say that 60% of the opticians I interview for postitions currently work at WM.

I tell my potential hires, that if they need time off for one of their kid's soccer matches, it's not a problem. We'll cover for them. I tell them that if they want to work a Saturday, they'll get overtime, plus, they'll be home in many cases before their teenagers have dragged themselves out of bed at 12:30. However, we have a seperate staff that works Saturdays, so the staff can spend time with their families. On Fridays in the winter, we have soup day, where we make soup and sandwiches for the staff. Most days I buy lunch for the staff at the office I work at. We provide in-office CEUs, and pay for all fees associated with licensure. Hourly pay is often an afterthought when potential employees compare where they are with where they could be.

Want to make $23 an hour? Why settle for that? If that's your priority, you should be able to get more than that. But I'll never forget what my father told me when I laid out the pro's and con's of an offer Cole National once made me (for about $4 an hour more working at a Sears). He said, "If you make a million dollars an year, you're underpaid if you don't like your job."

[Leonazium]

I'm pretty sure if you were offered 23 an hour then they wanted you to be the optical manager. I'm not sure how WM operates in the east coast but here in the midwest there is only one or 2 sam's clubs(getting $14,000 to $21,000 a week) that can actually hire FULL time employees aside from the manager.

Damn johns can I work for you? lol. Anyway, got any tips for job hunting? Every place I call says they are fully staffed. I never know if it's the truth or if it's someone trying to save their job.