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Thread: walmart optical

  1. #51
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    Blue Jumper Bring Up again......................

    There have been responses........just a lot of lookers......so I brought it up again. I would like to see some comments on how well we are all doing.

  2. #52
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    Hey Chris

    My wife and I are doing fine. I manage 2 opticals fro MD's., My wife has a good job, no kids(that helps). Bought my house as a foreclosure in 99 for 77 (seriously) at 5.9. We put on an addition , we have a great yard, etc. no complaints here.
    But then again I was raised by Europeans( slightly different outlook on the whole buying-something-when-you-don't-really-have-the-money-thing.

    And yes, I fit a ton of our pt.'s w/ cr-39. And we don't treat the elderly like lepers.

    :)
    "A bargain is something you can't use at a price you can't resist."
    Franklin Jones.

  3. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by DallasLabTech View Post
    Interesting tidbit the general manager there said (a man who knows nothing about optics--has been a store manager, district manager and several other "managers") he said that it costs them on the average of approximately $58.00 to produce any pair of glasses.
    :bbg:
    A man who knows nothing about optics, the general mgr of the lab?

    Interesting? Maybe...

    Surprising? Not a bit...

    It almost seems like a prerequisite.

  4. #54
    Master OptiBoarder Alan W's Avatar
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    To quote the Geico caveman . . . .
    "uhhhh....what?"
    Don't know about where you live, but here where I live in Texas there's a whole lot of moolah gettin thrown around. Sure, there's a WallyWorld on every corner. So? That dosen't mean we all have to hide our better stuff. High end retailers, glasses and anything else, don't exactly sell anything they've got by the tons. They cater to and sell to a smaller, qualified, market in smaller quantities. They've been around for years and won't dissapear just because of Wally. If they don't make enough money, they'll have to sell more colors of fur-lined frames!

  5. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan W View Post
    To quote the Geico caveman . . . .
    "uhhhh....what?"
    Don't know about where you live, but here where I live in Texas there's a whole lot of moolah gettin thrown around.
    Where I live, there's hardly any money being thrown around, but ironically, we just had another record month. People don;t seem to be buying as often, but they are buying higher ticket. And this is in an area that is being called "depressed".

  6. #56
    Something Wicked This WayComes AngryFish's Avatar
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    Cartier at Wal-Mart?

    MarcE has a valid point, Wal-Mart does have the ability to change the market, I personally don't believe they have a reasonable chance at high end though because this pre-supposes quality, and that is something Wal-Mart can not afford to associate itself with. The consumer does not equate quality with Wal-Mart. This, I believe, was demonstrated by their failure to shift toward higher-end goods during their recent "I want to be like Target" campaign. It was an abject failure. And I feel that the infastructure required to support a quality product, the very mindset, is so far removed from Wal-Mart's ability to comprehend that it is nearly inconceivable to imagine anyone looking to spend five hundred or a thousand or more dollars on a pair of glasses at Wal-Mart. Besides the company is far too focused on screwing their labor force as a way to generate profit.
    Last edited by AngryFish; 06-13-2007 at 09:12 PM. Reason: Change title

  7. #57
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    Maybe Wal-mart didn't get it right the first time, but I don't believe that they will fail. They now sell the retail version of the Physio 360 (20% wider field of vision, optimized for you Rx, they say), w/ Alize. Wal-Mart just remodeled their local optical and it looks modern, clean and nice. They now have more frames and with a higher average price. A lady came in today with a $400 quote for one of these high-end progressives from WM. 6 months ago they didn't have anything that expensive on their menu. New optical that looks a lot like a nice LensCrafters right next to the plasma screen TVs.

  8. #58
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    Blue Jumper Wont fail...............

    Quote Originally Posted by MarcE View Post
    Maybe Wal-mart didn't get it right the first time, but I don't believe that they will fail.
    Right..................people with all the resources they have are learning fast.

    To be known as inexpensive, but have the ability to also provide high end products will put them into an advantagous position.

  9. #59
    Something Wicked This WayComes AngryFish's Avatar
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    Quality vs. Wal-Mart

    I disagree. Wal-Mart has been meeting its self defined limitations for some time now. There is an old adage to the affect that you can't have the best quality and the cheapest price. The best people will not accept the lowest wages so you won’t be seeing their highly skilled work at a super discount. And the people who are spending five hundred to one thousand or more dollars on their glasses are not going to accept poor quality. Additionally if Wal-Mart were to begin to properly pay to attract the highly skilled work force they would need they would be saying their other philosophy, control costs with pay and benefits, is incompatible with the new business model needed for this higher end approach, one they have been operating under for decades and they would coincidentally need to maintain theses two diametrically apposed philosophies throughout the rest of their operation, talk about conflict.

  10. #60
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    Always remember,your going to buy glasses at the same place you buy your tires?

  11. #61
    Rising Star ShuString's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harry a saake View Post
    Anyone who works there know about a story floating around, that there will be no more walmart optical managers, they will hire licenses, and then walmart will hire a manager, who will wear many hats, he or she will be the manager of optical, photo, hair salon, etc, etc
    the worst 5 year optical experience of my 26 year career as an optician oh and manager.glad its the past now.

  12. #62
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    Quote Originally Posted by loratz View Post
    Always remember,your going to buy glasses at the same place you buy your tires?
    Then you would have to use the same thinking process when you buy cherries and peaches two isles away from the chicken liver in a super market.

    The food supply industries has done away with Ma and Pa butchers..........bakeries............veggie and fruitstores.............milk and cheese stores............kitchen utensils and ceramic stores, ............coffee shops that mix and roast and grind their own coffee

    Next time you go through your favorite Supermarket, think about how many specialty businesses had to close because of these corporate owned and run super stores.

    This happened 40-50 years ago and the sentiments of people at that time where not any different, than what I see on this thread complaining about WalMart or Costco and other big outfits. WalMart will streamline their specialty departments,

    Costco already has done so and has become the best employer in the USA optical retail business.

    Optical Corporations are selling their prime products under other names at a fraction of the official price to these companies

    The only way to save an independent optical skin from going the same route as the milkman and the butcher took 50 years ago, is by changing the mode of service in their stores, offer visibly competitive deals to counter the threat of becoming distinct in the very near future.

    One competitive advantage of a smart optical retailer is to push service, use your small lab in the back become
    your service center, Do little jobs from repairs to tinting and more, right there while customer waits, and you will soon gain a reputation of a service oriented business.


    ...............................................

  13. #63
    Something Wicked This WayComes AngryFish's Avatar
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    Wal-Mart CAN'T evolve into a Costco

    Costco has a fundamentally different philosophy on how to run a business. The CEO of Costco has an annual salary of around $350,000; whereas Wal-Mart’s CEO Lee Scott made $29,000,000+ last year (over $23,676 per hour!). Wal-Mart does not generate a profit normalized to the sales volume/profits/locations/revenue per square foot etc. of Costco. Lee Scott is paid, if I remember correctly, nearly 1000 times the average worker’s wages; while the CEO of Costco is caped at a fraction of that. Costco pays ALL of their employees on average over three times what Wal-Mart pays it's "associates." There is no conflict in Costco’s business model - they simply pay ALL of their employees well. So if becoming the best place to work as an optician is a cause, then the effect is better quality and service (read that as “productivity” and “profits”) for Costco. Wal-Mart has publicly stated and, as evidenced by their aggressive anti-collective bargaining efforts, lives to fight to the death any change to the way they pay their “associates.”

    Besides all of that wholesale clubs are targeted to households with over $100,000 in annual income; whereas Wal-Mart’s demographics are on the polar opposite end of the scale by NECESSITY that IS their market.

  14. #64
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    Redhot Jumper What are you ding.....................

    Quote Originally Posted by AngryFish View Post
    Besides all of that wholesale clubs are targeted to households with over $100,000 in annual income; whereas Wal-Mart’s demographics are on the polar opposite end of the scale by NECESSITY that IS their market.
    Nice post.................Now we know that Costco is rated best and WalMart gets the "Necessity market". and then you have the over 5000 Luxottica controlled outlets............so what are you going to do to attract customers ??????????

  15. #65
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    that wont be happening anytime soon.

    I am a vision center manager and I can assure you I do not run the hair salon the nail salon, or any other part of walmart I have my own division, and that is where my work is done. I dont know who starts such incompetant rumors but I wouldn't fall into there traps... You have a nice day..:)

  16. #66
    CL Fitter/Optician/Mommy SarahMP584's Avatar
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    All I know is that I make FIVE DOLLARS AN HOUR MORE at costco than I did at walmart and our stuff costs less and is better.....

  17. #67
    OptiBoard Professional sharon m./ aboc's Avatar
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    costco pays for creditials

    If you think they pay their employees well..... you'd die if you knew what they paid their managers! It's more than you would make at a dr.s office, or Sears, or Target, or Pearle, or Lens Crafters, or Sams Club. I used to work at Sam's (in optical) and they make you sign forms that say you'd never sign a petition to form a union. The scariest thing was the giant picture of the late Sam Walton....like he was a god or something. Personally, I think he was a smart and fine man and Wal Mart has just deteriorated since his death.
    sharon

  18. #68
    OptiBoardaholic bt5050's Avatar
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    unions for opticians

    QUOTE _ "" I used to work at Sam's (in optical) and they make you sign forms that say you'd never sign a petition to form a union."""

    many large - ( usually retailer i have seen ) - have these agreements -
    it is to bad - that these opticians in the large retail stores can not get a union going - with in some states -

    It would even out the playing field - and make it so they can not take advantage of their employee-s

    I saw somewhere ( maybe Canada ? ) - they have a huge union for LO_ OPTICIANS - however i am not sure how well they operate and what the impact is - but i am sure it is positive -

    ***you'd die if you knew what they paid their managers! It's more than you would make at a dr.s office, or Sears, or Target, or Pearle, or Lens Crafters, or Sams Club.**

    i have worked in many locations as mgr - and i have found that sometimes - ( usually ) - the headaches are not worth the $ - esp the hours - if you have no one to work - or the BS - that floats down from the top -
    for me - being a LO- is plenty - and they can keep the extra $$ - my time with my family and my STRESS LEVEL is so much more important then making a little extra $ - it is so clear - from workign in the BIG CORPS - to the mom and pop shops - the quality of the work is so much better in the smaller shops -
    although i wil say benifits - ( which are VERY important to me )- do usually fall short in some smaller places - but there are 1's out there if you shop around - that are = to the big company's -

    1 other thing - the job secrurity - on one hand in larger company's - you need to always worry about them going under - but on the other hand - depending on their focus areas - if you have issues meeting THIER expectations ( u just have to learn how to play their game - and not ROCK THE BOAT - or usually u can kiss your job good bye
    B
    Last edited by bt5050; 07-12-2007 at 10:18 AM. Reason: added

  19. #69
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    Wal-Mart has closed down stores that are unionized.

    I blame the population. If you compete with Wal-Mart then you should not buy from it. If as a union employee, you believe in supporting other unions, and then you should not be buying from Wal-Mart. If you are a female who believes that women should not get paid under minimum wage, and then you should not be buying from Wal-Mart.

    Not for a television, not for a t-shirt, not for a pair of socks. Not one cent. That would send a message.

  20. #70
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    Sad too say Gratiousone, When I was a vision center manager , I had issues with the store manager trying to force me too stock the candy shelves, and no, I didn't start this thread....I can feel your gun hoe attitude as I'm running away from your Walmart Cheer,

  21. #71
    CL Fitter/Optician/Mommy SarahMP584's Avatar
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    Yeah, the amazing pay is just about the only reason I work at costco. I hate retail. I really miss my docs but I am actually making twice as much. I will get a sunday off one day! (Oh we get time and a half on sundays...)

    Oh and when I was at wal mart there was many a time where if we were dead they would have our manager send one of us out to do "go backs" and once I even had to be a door greeter, Lab Coat and all.
    I got a lot of funny looks that day.

  22. #72
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    Attn: "Bob in Optical needed for clean-up in aisle 7!!"

    Quote Originally Posted by SarahMP584 View Post
    I will get a sunday off one day! (Oh we get time and a half on sundays...)

    Oh and when I was at wal mart there was many a time where if we were dead they would have our manager send one of us out to do "go backs" and once I even had to be a door greeter, Lab Coat and all.
    I got a lot of funny looks that day.

    Yeah, our local WM had one of the opticians collecting carts in the parking lot last week. He told one of my employees that he'd rather be chasing carts than sitting in the optical !

    (This is the part where the WM Optical mgr will post again saying that everyone is lying, and you never leave the optical dept to work other depts...)

  23. #73
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    There's always more to the story

    I am a wal-mart vision center manager, I know my product, what is best for my patients, i'm not just there for the bottom line. Some of us V.C manager do know what we are doing and do care about getting our patients into something that they are going to be happy with. If they find that they are not happy with something that has been picked out we have a 60 day satisfaction guaranteed warranty. So if that isn't long enough to tell if your glasses are correct or adjusted right or just not right for you then I dont know what is.

  24. #74
    CL Fitter/Optician/Mommy SarahMP584's Avatar
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    They pulled my old manager from the tire shop.
    Whereas he was a wonderful boss and he is still a great friend of mine, he knew next to nothing about optical. He ordered a slab off on a -10.00 sv lens because he thought it would be thinner!
    The sad part is, our lab went ahead and made it and didnt bother to call and say "Hey, this is a sv lens, are you SURE you want this slab off??" I didnt know about it until I inspected the jobs when they came in. Another sad part about it is that he had called the manager at one of our other stores to ask if a slab off in fact did make a lens thinner, and she said yes! SHE HAS HER ABO! it took her FIVE times to pass it, but she has it....:angry:
    Man do I have stories..........

  25. #75
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    no this isn't the part where the v.c mgrs say they never leave the department. it's the part where i say if division 1 was all it should be this shouldn't and wouldn't happen.

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