Who works for Wal*Mart?

[soontobeopti]

I have seen a few threads about Wal*Mart, but they were all really old. So I thought I would just start a new one.
I was just wondering who else works in a Wal*Mart's Vision Center?
I enjoy working for Wal*Mart as a company; they pay good, and have good benefits. Wal*Marts optical prices are nice and low too! We are the cheapest around our town for most lens and contact lens. That really helps our business.
Well anyway, that’s all. I was just wondering who else worked for Wal*Mart!
Thanks!!

[palfi]

yea - I do! I started my career in hospital - then followed up with my own practice, and now work or Walmart in the UK. I have been there for about a year now. It was a big learning curve for me as I always believed in small independent practice was 'best'. Its okay - as you say - the pay is okay and the discount card is nice. The instruments are average really (I know they play big with them - but really !!! ). The food is nice in the canteen and I enjoy the company. After years of 'being my own boss' and eating sandwiches - its nice. At Xmas we went very quiet and I volunteered to stack shelves - I founds it good fun and a great laught - but it may not suit everyone. I did hear of an optom who walked out after being asked to stack shelves during XMas! Its not a hospital dept. - but it is a handy research dept - I have had so many interesting patients -I have now written my first poster for BCLA in the UK based on my patients. Very good!
Yep - its cheap - and this brings in people who value theri eyes cheaply - price is not everything. I like the Walmart optical thing-bing - its not the best - but its got a nice atmosphere. (I have worked in some highly professional places with horrid atmospheres). I am not sure if its the future - I think that perhaps one day it will go back to small indi practices again. As people get wealthier they may prefer to seak them out again. I a m happy and it was a good move for me. I am keen to furhter my studies and I get the patients I needto help build up case notes. In the mean time - there is always the canteen!

[paw]

soontobeopti,

Your profile says you are an "optical student." What does that mean? Are you in optometry school, or are you studying to be an optician?

[Johns]

soontobeopti-

Sounds like you're really happy in you job, and that's the kind of folks that should be in optical. Serving folks that are seeking you out because you are the cheapest can be very rewarding, but you won't believe the fulifillment you'll receive when they seek you out because of your quality ! Learn all you can, and have fun!

palfi-

What an honest, rounded answer ! It is what it is...isn't it?

I was talking to a rep the other day, and the two of us were doing our best "everyone stinks but us" routine, and Wall Mart came into the conversation. "At least you'll never have to work in a Wall-Mart" he said. I replied that I never say never, and that if my fortunes were to change, I may one day be begging Wall-Mart to hire me. I'm glad you guys are comfortable where you are.

Any optical is really only as good as it's employees.

[soontobeopti]

Palfi, glad you like it too! LOL we were very quite on Xmas too. Not one person even stepped into the Vision all day. I volunteered to help out in the store, but instead my manager had me stay in the Vision Center and demo toys that we were selling. So I got paid to sit and play toys!! LOL It was great!!

Paw, I just mean that I am studying to be an optician. I couldn't think of a better way to say that

Johns, yes I love my job! I have never been able to say that before. I love helping people, I love learning about eye care, and all that follows that. I don't know if I love Wal*Mart enough to stay there for the rest of my career, but it is a great place to start out!
:D

[varmint]

I did a seven month stint with Wal-Mart 12 years ago before I started my own independent office. At the time all the vision centers were owned by NVA. It was the absolute worst experience of my 33 year career. I almost left the optical field back then due to that experience, but decided I had more to offer on my own.

[Joann Raytar]

soontobeopti said:
I don't know if I love Wal*Mart enough to stay there for the rest of my career, but it is a great place to start out!
:D

Everybody has to start out somewhere and if Walmart has created an environment that has got you hooked on Optics then that's all that matters. Enjoy what you're doing; that's important in life! Don't forget to learn as much as you can through as many sources as you can. I have found that experience and learning come from many areas in this field.

Take care and best of luck,
Jo
:)

[palfi]

all the best soontobe .. . I hope your career goes well. I think Walmarts is a great place to start - many of their company value's re-inforce professional values. Good first practice. Yea - there is a big wide World out there - and may be one day you will form your own business which could even show opticianry the way to go! It is nice to feel part of a big company with lots of suport. it is very wet/ cold over here yuk!

[Cd'A Eyes]

I once was a Wal*Mart optician. And yes it was a good exprience for me. I soon became a manager of a store and loved my team. The key with Wal*Mart is your district manager. A positive and knowledgable DM makes all the differnce. I always wanted to be the best "inexpensive" (not cheap) vision center in our area. My team always wanted the bar raised,such as all were to become ABO certified and so on. I am now an optician in a private doctors office and love it too. 8 to 5 is a nice benefit for me now. When it comes down to it I love my career and the places I have been have added to my knowledge,experience,and just being well rounded and open minded. So enjoy Wal*Mart (do a Wal*mart cheer for me) :D

[Johns]

Do they really do a Wall-Mart cheer ? I'd heard about it, but thought that they discontinued the practice because it was too "cultish". I think that I'd have to draw the line there.

I could stock underwear, garden tools, and slim fast; I could probably even play with toys if they wanted me to...but I couldn't sing praises to a store or it's founder.

I said I'd never say never, but in this case I'd say probably never!

[soontobeopti]

LOL!!! Unfortunatly Johns, yes they still do the cheer thing. It is supposed to get the employes pumped up and excited to their job. Whatever!! I don't know what they do in other stores, but here when they do the cheer they just chant Wal*Mart! Wal*Mart!! They say it faster and faster and faster, then they all scream!!!:hammer: It is the stupiest thing I have ever seen!!
And no, I don't do that!! Most of the time, I get to work right after they are done, they do it ever morning at 8. But the days that I am there when they do, I just tell them 'Sorry I have stay here.' LOL

Varmint, wow that is not good! Sorry you had such a bad time there. What is NVA? Does it stand for National Vision Assosiation? Glad you didn't leave the opitcal field!!

Palfi, that would be so cool! Form my buisness!! I would LOVE that! But for now I will just be satisfied with Wal*Mart. At least till I get certified

;)

Cd'A Eyes, yes a huge key is the DM. I am glad, I got a good one! He is a very kind manager, very understanding. He takes the time to set down and talk to you as a friend, not as an employee. That makes the job very enjoyable.

:D

[varmint]

NVA stood for National Vision Associates who were the leased optical when I did my time. I won't discuss any events, but I can only say due to that 7 month experience I will not walk into a Wal-Mart store even now, 12 years later. Funny, I had forgotten part of the training at NVA in Atlanta consisted of all the prospective managers learning & performing the Wal-Mart jingle. I still feel embarrassed today!
I'm sure working for the corporate wal-mart cannot be nearly as bad as it was when the old NVA was involved.

[stephanie]

GIMME A W!!!!!!!!!!! What no one??? LOL!!! No I would NOT do the cheer. I liked my job but there is a limit!!!




Steph

[paw]

Oh, please. I won't set foot into a WM, and BTW they are not only inexpensive, they are cheap.

They put on a face of being pro-America, pro-middle class, and yet they are the ones who skirt government regulations that result in them being able to do business more cheaply, while other law-abiding business follow those regulations and are thus competing on an unlevel playing field.

You want examples? How about the recent news that they outsourced janitorial services to business that hire illegal aliens? How about the recent news that they make employees work through breaks and off the clock?

WM has done more than any other outside force to hurt independents in any aspect of the optical business, and I am incredulous that any business owner would shop there.

Sorry, I tried to hold in my rant for as long as I could.

[BGoldstein]

I have never worked for Walmart or NVA......however I Know MANY opticians, and EVERY single one of them that has worked for Walmart said it was the worst experience that they ever had in the optical field. The local Walmarts around here seem to always be seeking opticians.....I wonder why????

[varmint]

PAW,
I am in absolute agreement with you and I have expressed these same sentiments, and too many more to mention, to many friends & acquaintances who just don't seem to understand how wal-mart has effected our country.

[Johns]

I gave up (tried) bashing Wal-Mart about the same time I gave up (tried) bashing Lux. I did it for a new year's resolution 2 years ago. So, far, I've done pretty well (see above posts:bbg: ) Like Varmit said, "Nobody seemed to care".

When Sam's Clubs first opened, Mom & Pop shops swarmed to buy goods that they could sell in their stores. At first, they sold tires, but didn't install them. The local tire guys were hauling tires out by the pallet load. Now that Sam's installs tires, most of those guys are out of business. Same thing for many businesses. They filled the Waltons' pockets with enough money that they could go into any market and bury the competition.

Want to try something ? Ask a business person that shops at WM if they've heard that WM is going into the (*fill in their specialty here*) business ? Watch the look on their face. It's always OK to shop there as long as WM is not competing with YOU. I was the same way.

Want to try something else fun? Type: "Why I hate Wal Mart" in a search engine and sit and scroll. If these are all lies, they sure all got their stories straight first.


It used to be that Chinese companies that wanted to do business in the US had to establish a distribution network that would travel the country trying to gain market share with their product. Now, they plug into the WM system, and overnight they can sell their slave labor-produced goods to almost every city in the US.

It's not bashing if it's the truth.

I hope you're all happy!! I almost broke my resolution by bashing WM, but I held myself back. No more slams on the land of stretch pants and geriatric greeters.

One thing I won't do is bash opticians that have to work at WM, or any other optical that might not be on the who's-who of the optical world. We all have our reasons for working where we do (skill level, self-esteem, monetary motiviation), and we all have to work somewhere.