To wonder this about Specsavers?

[SweeneyToddIer]

I wear glasses and go to my local Specsavers- have done for over ten years. Every single time I’ve been there I’ve noticed that all of the staff in the glasses department wear glasses. I figured that they probably don’t all need glasses but maybe wear clear glass just to be more relatable and advertise what they sell.

Then yesterday I had an appointment for contact lens fitting so went to the lens department. The optometrist was telling me about different lenses and pointed out the ones in her eyes- I could see them from where I was sitting (they had a UV filter so weren’t entirely clear- there was slight colouration around the edges)

Then I moved to an assistant who did a session teaching me how to put in and take out my lenses. She demonstrated a few moves with her own lenses. Then I looked around and realised that nobody working in the lens section wore glasses. I had to go the glasses section to pay and, sure enough, all staff in glasses.

So, if you’ve ever worked in Specsavers, can you shed any light? 🤓

Yes, I have noticed this too!

Me too, but they surely can't legally insist that all their staff have to need glasses!

I asked once if it was a requirement to wear glasses - they said it wasn’t, but that people who wore glasses were naturally more interested/likely to go for that career so it just ended up being that way. Not sure if the same applies for the glasses/contact lenses side though!

Every optician I’ve ever been to, specsavers and the rest mostly have staff that wear glasses! Not sure it’s about being relatable but just because they probably get free eye tests?

When I worked in shops, I always bought tons of their products cos I saw it all the time!

That’s what I was thinking.

It’s easier to get someone with good vision to wear glasses as you can get clear glass, but how does it work if you can’t/won’t wear contacts and wear glasses- do you have to work in the glasses section only and never get to spend your days teaching people how to slide little bits of plastic off their eyeballs?

Neither of the staff who assisted me in Specsavers recently wore glasses, couldn’t tell about contacts though.

I went in specssavers today for the first time and noticed this too! While I was in there I was also looking up retraining as an optician.

so it makes sense if you don’t need glasses you wouldn’t have given it much thought as a career.

I had a Saturday job in spec savers for years, loved the job!

We weren't required to wear glasses or lenses (I needed neither and had perfect eyesight) but I chose to often wear glasses with clear lenses as I loved some of the styles. I also had gorgeous coloured lenses that I used to wear.

Got them at very very low cost so they were a fashion accessory to me.

Yes,I've noticed that EVERYONE who works in an opticians wears glasses,not just in Specsavers!

I saw a comment previously saying “Have you ever wondered if laser was so good why do so many opticians still use glasses?”
It did make me think and put me off tbh

Good point! This never occurred to me before.

I was going to say about laser as well. Don't get it

This is one of the reasons I won't even consider laser

Maybe they employ more people who wear glasses because they can review the glasses whereas someone who doesn’t wear them can’t give the customer the same feedback as they don’t know what it’s like to wear glasses .
I guess it’s like a midwife who’s given birth can help her patient more in labour as she knows exactly what the pain is like and she can empathise more with the Mum to be ?

I didn’t notice this. In both our local Specsavers and Vision express the vast majority of stuff are without glasses. Of course they could wear lenses.

I had my eyes lasered about 25 years ago - it was still quite a new technique. My Moorfields surgeon was one of the leading practitioners and researchers, but he couldn't do his own eyes... he has since had them done, though.

My daughter worked in Specsavers last year for a few months. She had a full range of eye tests done when she started. She has perfect vision. Her manager asked her to pick out two frames that would suit her to wear in work. It wasn't mandatory but it was heavily advised for staff to wear glasses. She refused because she didn't want to wear glasses and she thought it was dishonest. As I said she was only there a short time but pressure was put on her regularly to wear glasses.

68% of the population wear glasses or contacts so it’s not really surprising that you noticed lots of staff wearing them. You’d probably notice similar in lots of workplaces but of course you wouldn’t notice those wearing contacts as they’d have no reason to tell you, in say a shop or office!

Well Boots don't have this "rule" (that you've made up!) I don't think any of them wore glasses the last time I went in.

I think you are suffering from Apophenia. It's not terminal though.

Poor reading comprehension isn’t terminal either: you’re lucky.
Nobody mentioned anything about Boots, or rules.

PS- randomly capitalising an improper noun makes it obvious that you had to google the word. Good on you for trying to increase your vocabulary, but if you’re trying to appear smarter than you are, maybe look out for that little tell?

I work in an opticians and I don’t wear glasses 😂 Some staff do because they need them.
I do however have loads of nice sunglasses 😎

This made me chuckle.
In my local specsavers, only a couple of the staff wore glasses when I visited recently. No idea if they wear contacts but I will look more closely next time!

Do you know if this 'policy' extends, in a corresponding manner, to their Hearing Centres? 👂

Thank you! You are right I knew the word but not the spelling !

I was at Specsavers last week and the optician who tested my eyes didn’t need glasses.