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
I've heard it here too, don't know how true it is.
Originally Posted by harry a saake
This is probably done, because the manager is there to handle the business side point of view. For a chain that makes all of its product decisions and such in the top end, it is not necessary to have an optician. In this case I would actually hire a very good, knowledgable (about management), unlicenced manager over a licenced optician who does not have a management background.
For-Life,
I believe we have all had the experience of working for an Optician or OD/MD who was a fantastic doctor or optician but not at all a good manager. I know I've been there. Medical school does not teach management skills.
I have also, however, been on the other side of this one. Working for a manager who does not understand optics can be quite a pain! It usually winds up with frustrated managers asking their frustrated staff to do things that do not make sense in the optical world.
It will be interesting how this all winds up, but my guess is that the optical shops will be more or less left alone to fend for themselves.
I just recently left my job at WM optical...
The restructuring of management applied to photo and Tire Lube Express. They Now call Pharmacy and Optical "Professional Services..."
Both the managers I worked for have little to no optical experience.
It was funny because my manager and I would be sitting at a desk, both in lab coats...And someone would walk in with a smashed up pair of glasses, hand it to him and ask if he could fix them. He would them hand them to me and say "no but she can!"
They always looked confused.
He knew how to keep decent inventory and manage money, so thats all they cared about.
I would be willing to bet that in ten years or less there will be no optical in Wal-mart. I worked for K-mart optical when it opened 25 years ago. Same set up almost exactly. My second optical job. It wasn't profitable for them and it won't be in the long run for Wal-mart.
WalMart will dominate...................
By looking at the generaity of post's on the Optiboard I have found a tendency that there is a general mood to sell the successfully the most advanced and expensive items on the market.
This does not seem the right attitude in a weak and getting weaker economy were poeple are loosing their houses and jobs by the millions.
WalMart is geared to serve these people who want to purchase at better prices. Therefore the prognostics are that WalMart will do even better over the next few years, specially in an area where otherwise high prices dominate. Look up the post's on the "Forum for Professionals only".
Wal-Mart reminds me of my ex-wife, it was good to see her come and good to see her go, even though we share two children, [23 & 13]. Each store seems to have it's own click of Managers and if you do not fit in then your days are numbered. It allways got under my skin if a produce manager or tire and lube manager came over and tried to tell me how to handle my, "Patient". Twenty five years in optical, A.B.O. & N.C.L.E. certified, have a Florida State license & and Florida Board Certified and some grease monkey or foledge fondler is going to try and tell me how to care for my patient. I am a Optician first, that's what I went to school for, If thay want to pay me for management then that is a seperate check. That is why people go to school and get their degree in business management. Optician's need to stop giveing these big box stores a two for one deal. It takes a good manager and a good optician to make it work and if the optician can do both then pay them for both. But most of the time in Florida, what you need to do as a manager for the good of the company goes against the rules of the Board of Opticianry. So I beleive in Florida you should be able to do eather or, even if you want to be a Distric Manager, it is a conflict of intreast.
the optical mgr position isnt going anyplace- know that for a fact
You can dress them up, but...
hehehehehe
:cheers:
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
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.
Wont 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.
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.
Always remember,your going to buy glasses at the same place you buy your tires?
the worst 5 year optical experience of my 26 year career as an optician oh and manager.glad its the past now.
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..:)
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.....
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
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
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.
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,
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