Let me start this post by saying I'm a newcomer to the optical industry. I've been working for a retail optical chain for a bit less than a year now, and I like the work, but I'm looking for a little more info about the advantages and disadvantages in working retail chains vs. an independent optometrist office. I'm not a licensed optician but I am taking online classes to work toward it.

If there are threads covering this topic (I find it hard to believe there aren't any!), can someone point me to some good discussions?

The question that has been nagging at me the most is... What's the selling atmosphere like in an independent shop? To be frank, I'm not overly impressed with how the higher ups at this chain look at customers. I don't enjoy having to recommend every upgrade to every customer, because I can often get a feel for whether or not a person is trying to keep themselves on a tight budget, and I would prefer not to upsell these clients. I know what it's like to be on a tight budget and pressing options on me is just going to tick me off.

But every time I turn around, I've got the higher ups telling me to sell more of this or that - especially protection plans.

Here's what I DO want.

1. I DO want to use my professional judgement to make choices about what I do and don't recommend to customers. If they say they're on a budget, I want to honor that request without getting browbeaten later.

2. I DO want to learn as much as I can about the products I am selling, so I can present the information to my customers as straightforward and simply as possible. I want to EMPOWER (not persuade or smooth-talk) them to make their OWN decisions.

3. I DO want to stand behind the products I sell. If someone buys a high quality pair of glasses, it should be expected to perform for a reasonable amount of time. If it doesn't - I want to fix it without charging them an arm and a leg.

4. I DO want to develop a reputation as someone who will not BS my customers. I understand all businesses have a bottom line and there are goals that we strive for. But my reputation is not for sale. I am more than happy to brainstorm for other ideas to help goals get met that don't involve finding a way to extract every possible dollar out of every customer.

So.... break it to me, y'all. Am I in the wrong business? It's not too late for me to change career paths :-) I like working with people. I love learning about the properties of the different lenses and frames and available options. I can't stand to not know what I'm talking about when it comes to making recommendations to others, so I am always reading up on our product line so I can do a better job of explaining it to my customers. These things make me think I'm on the right career path. But doing the smooth-talk-sales just is not my personality. So maybe it's a bad fit for me.

Thanks for any advice, tips, or links to good discussions.