Pros
This company has great benefits if you are a full time employee. You accumulate vacation time, so within the first year as a full time associate, your paid time off equates to 120 hours (three weeks) with 6 holidays/diversity days (it used to be 9). You receive a pension (fully vested after three years), and the company does a 1 to 1 match up for up to 3% with a 401K (fully vested after 5 years). You gain another week of vacation after 5 years, and the next week is gained after 10 years. There are plenty of opportunities to be promoted, and you can transfer to any LensCrafters. The schedule is flexible, and this is the top optical industry. There is plenty of training, and there is a full lab, so you can cross train. There are commission, spiff, and bonus opportunities. There is tuition reimbursement, insurances, flexible spending accounts, online training, and there is constant coaching and development.
Cons
When the economy suffers, the hours suffer horribly. If you are not salary, it does not matter whether you are full time or not, your hours will be cut. If you are salary, you will work more hours than you signed up for. The company constantly reduces the hours to sales guidelines. Another downside is the pay. If you do not negotiate a good salary initially, you will not be able to negotiate for much more. The company only does percentage increases, and it is based on an annual review or title change. Once you are locked in at a rate, that is it. Unless your position changes, you will not see a significant increase. If you get hired in at a good rate, then you will not see an increase (sometimes this can go on for years). Commissions, spiffs, and bonuses are based on the store's sales, before your individual sales. Regardless of if you are actually a licensed optician (dependent on the state), or hold national certifications only (in a non-licensed state), you may feel like a glorified sales person. The clinical part of the company has been taken out. This is fully retail now. This company's motto used to be to make LensCrafters the best place to work. It has long left the top 500 list for that. No matter what you do, the upper management will want to know what else you can do. This job is surrounded around selling, selling, and selling more. The goals are, at times, seemingly unobtainable. If you love to sell, and you are good at negotiating good pay initially, go for it! But be aware...this company has a minimum to maximum pay range! You make more if you did not start there, and obtain your certifications and licenses, or if you have experience in this field walking in. In other words, you can't stay under your mother.