What's with Specsavers and masks ?

[LeftFootForward]

Semi lighthearted, but what is it with Specsavers and masks still ?
I was told over the phone earlier in the week that it's not compulsory to wear a mask in their shops anymore. I want some new specs and have been holding off until this was the case as I really want to see what my whole face looks like when trying on glasses.

I went to the shop today and wasn't allowed in unless I wore a mask. Do you have an exemption I was asked, we are NHS so you have to wear a mask. (They aren't NHS they're a private business that offers some NHS services but I digress).

Then box of masks and hand gel shoved my way. I was told I could pull the mask down to try on glasses, which begs the question why bother wearing one then ?

Didn't want to be that person arguing at the door so I left and went to another opticians.

AIBU to think they should have let me in without a mask ?

The optometrist is a health care setting so masks are appropriate.
However the glasses bit is effectively a shop. We were aloud to take masks off in Specsavers last summer to try on glasses, so maybe it's a problem with the branch.

There aren't millions of people walking around with norovirus!

Clearly "you don't get it". Vulnerable people have a CHOICE not to go into other busy/crowded places like shops, cafes, restaurants, etc. They DON'T have a choice if they need spectacles, need dental care, need a hospital or GP appointment, etc. Now do you get it?

Please tell me how a vulnerable person needing glasses can "take responsibility for themselves"? Are you suggesting that the specsavers optician will come out to their home with a trolley load of equipment and glasses? Or a dentist doing home visits with their chair, x-ray machine etc? You clearly don't understand that these are settings where the vulnerable HAVE TO go, they don't have a choice, so they must be made as safe as possible for them.

Specsavers do home visits for some people, yes not all, but I'm not sure what you want? A dentist would be wearing a mask anyway, as would an optician in the consulting room. Any other part of the dentist's or opticians is just like a shop, like I said the vulnerable person can wear an FFP2 mask so they are protecting themself, then they don't have to worry about anyone else.

Personally I don’t think Specsavers are hugely concerned over vulnerable people. If they were they wouldn’t let them stand outside in the freezing cold for well over 30 minutes in the middle of winter. They also wouldn’t treat a 2 year old with vision problems with such disdain because they struggled to keep a mask on. The opthalmologists at the hospital have far higher professionalism than that.

I think it’s a bit of a pain but ultimately it’s no big deal to put a mask on so not going to cause a drama by refusing. The staff have to wear them all day too, if they didn’t I would probably feel differently

@Badbadbunny There is a home dentistry service for very unwell and disabled people; I know because it's how I receive my dental care! During the pandemic they come in full PPE and everyone in the house has to wear PPE too. You just take the mask off for them to look in your mouth.

I wish it was available to more people, as I hate the thought of CV and CEV people having to go into these unsafe environments. They are usually very busy and have to limit who they can offer their care to.

We went to our local Specsavers at the weekend and all COVID restrictions are gone aside from them cleaning frames after being tried on. Some staff had a mask on but we weren't asked to at all. I had originally rang to make an appointment as we have had to and the lady on the phone told me all restriction in store have gone. When we were in there they were discussing taking the maks signs off the windows. My Mum went to a different Specsavers where she lives and masks were mandated so it definitely depends on the store.

I just couldn’t get glasses to suit me during the big lockdown because of having to faff around with the mask ….and it was for this reason I took my custom over the road to vision express yesterday!

I was abruptly halted at the door of specsavers
and told to “gel up” and mask up before entering.

It was awkward but I just didn’t go in and had a much easier experience trying specs on in a more relaxed & comfortable setting at vision express.

Boots were hysterical too - remember them taping off the make-up aisles? I can't speak for their opticians though.

I went for my eye test in late Jan or thereabouts so I can't comment on how Specsavers are now. However, I do wonder if they've seen more people with worse eyesight, because having a mask on makes it more difficult to see! I presume they have factored that in though!

I can't imagine being let into my dentist without a mask on, they only unlocked their doors about a month ago, you had to go and queue outside and couldn't make an appointment in person or even online, only by phone.

This thread is bonkers. I cannot believe that even now people are getting called out for being 'selfish' for not wearing a mask. I say this as someone who is CEV but who is also exempt from wearing one, so never have (apart from the once when I tried to back in July 2020 and it brought on an agonising attack/flare of my health condition).

My Specsavers is actually brilliant and has never insisted I wear a mask. My last eye test was in March and none of the staff were wearing them, either. They were still cleaning the glasses after they were tried on but it was just a quick going over with an antibac wipe, not a deep clean or anything.

I've had covid five times (immunosuppressed, not a risk taker with no regard for rules as I was once called on here!). I'll get it again and who knows how serious it might be when I do? However I'm five times vaxxed and covid is here to stay. At this point I'm all about living as normally as I can, while I can (if covid kicks off again obviously I'll have to be more careful). And also at this point I would not expect or want others to make any more sacrifices for me.

I absolutely agree with this.

I have rheumatoid arthritis and my feet are fucked. There is absolutely no way I could stand outside a shop for half an hour, no way at all.

Viral load, innit 😁

I have an eye test today, I have been putting it off for so long because of the masks issue. I absolutely understand wearing one for your appointment, however, I really don’t want to wear one to try on and also wait for some to be cleaned to try on and made to feel a bit like a leper. I have received an email this week saying masks are still compulsory 🙄
I had a hospital appointment yesterday and asked them if they would like me to wear a mask, they said they didn’t mind it wasn’t compulsory and they weren’t wearing one.
I’m so tempted to cancel and go elsewhere.

An update:

January 2023 and the staff at my local branch are approaching anyone who comes through the door with "Is there any reason that you can't wear a mask?", as they offer one from a stack on the unit beside them.

My response was to book in with an alternative optician. I can't see that SS are doing anything but losing business by clinging on to their mask policy.

I can understand why they want people to wear masks but it affects how you can see! When I had my last eye test about a year ago I had to take it off eventually as it was clear I just couldn't see properly.

Not sure why some places are still insisting that you use hand gel. Especially when you don't touch anything once inside...

My local SS does not insist on masks - the staff are wearing them (some just over their mouths - sigh) but none of the customers were when I went last week.

They do still make you put any glasses you have tried on into a little basket which you give back to them for cleaning.

I had my eyes tested and bought glasses from Specsavers just before Christmas - no masks in sight.

and no cleaning of tried on frames

Appt in one tomorrow in Scotland - just had the call 'as we're a healthcare setting we are asking customers to wear a mask'

Needless to say we won't be wearing them if for no other reason than they've not been in our house for at least a year......

No way would I wear a mask either, I would go elsewhere.

Zombie thread!!

Maybe the people who just posted should have gone to Specsavers!!!

?