Luxottica going to hourly wage?

[Eyegirl2k7]

So I have numerous friends who work for Luxottica retail (lenscrafters etc) and they received a memo a few days ago that Lux is going to hourly wage where full time doctors have previously been salaried. Is it just me, or is this really really not a good thing? My boyfriend (who works for them) calculated that if they maintain his current hourly wage he stands to lose $20 000 a year and Lux's starting salary is only $80 000. He can't pay ICOs extravagant loan payments on that salary. He says if that is what happens he is quitting next week, and this sentiment was echoed by five other friends of mine last night. There is supposed to be some sort of conference call next week with all of the managing doctors to decide what will happen, but I know they are offering the hourly wage to the current fourth years because they have been calling me up very concerned. Are they KIDDING? What doctor punches a clock?

Has anyone else heard about this?

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[drbizzaro]

So I have numerous friends who work for Luxottica retail (lenscrafters etc) and they received a memo a few days ago that Lux is going to hourly wage where full time doctors have previously been salaried. Is it just me, or is this really really not a good thing? My boyfriend (who works for them) calculated that if they maintain his current hourly wage he stands to lose $20 000 a year and Lux's starting salary is only $80 000. He can't pay ICOs extravagant loan payments on that salary. He says if that is what happens he is quitting next week, and this sentiment was echoed by five other friends of mine last night. There is supposed to be some sort of conference call next week with all of the managing doctors to decide what will happen, but I know they are offering the hourly wage to the current fourth years because they have been calling me up very concerned. Are they KIDDING? What doctor punches a clock?

Has anyone else heard about this?

i personally know some of the higher ups in lux. they are planning on knocking down the pay of a doc to 50,000 or less over a transition period. It was all in a meeting they recently had. This was a proposition made by one of the main doctors who work for them (I believe he graduated from ICO a few years back). By making this transition, the doc that created this idea (I will keep him nameless) will get a bonus of 200,000, and every other doc will reduce their paycheck to 50,000 in a series of transition periods. The first being the change to hourly.
They are making it so that the doctor needs to work nearly 15-20 hours a day, 5 days a week to keep their current pay.

I'm just glad I knew about lux long ago from my buddies there.

 

[vsarge0708]

i personally know some of the higher ups in lux. they are planning on knocking down the pay of a doc to 50,000 or less over a transition period. It was all in a meeting they recently had. This was a proposition made by one of the main doctors who work for them (I believe he graduated from ICO a few years back). By making this transition, the doc that created this idea (I will keep him nameless) will get a bonus of 200,000, and every other doc will reduce their paycheck to 50,000 in a series of transition periods. The first being the change to hourly.
They are making it so that the doctor needs to work nearly 15-20 hours a day, 5 days a week to keep their current pay.

I'm just glad I knew about lux long ago from my buddies there.

Why don't you PM me his name and information, cause I know a couple of guys back in the old country that can take care of this...
What does the AOA have to say about this?!

 

[JMU07]

Will this apply to docs working at franchise locations (Pearle)?

 

[KHE]

So I have numerous friends who work for Luxottica retail (lenscrafters etc) and they received a memo a few days ago that Lux is going to hourly wage where full time doctors have previously been salaried. Is it just me, or is this really really not a good thing? My boyfriend (who works for them) calculated that if they maintain his current hourly wage he stands to lose $20 000 a year and Lux's starting salary is only $80 000. He can't pay ICOs extravagant loan payments on that salary. He says if that is what happens he is quitting next week, and this sentiment was echoed by five other friends of mine last night. There is supposed to be some sort of conference call next week with all of the managing doctors to decide what will happen, but I know they are offering the hourly wage to the current fourth years because they have been calling me up very concerned. Are they KIDDING? What doctor punches a clock?

Has anyone else heard about this?

This is yet another in a loooooong list of reasons why you should avoid working for these places.

 

[Mixin Marc]

This is yet another in a loooooong list of reasons why you should avoid working for these places.

i agree!

 

[IndianaOD]

This is yet another in a loooooong list of reasons why you should avoid working for these places.

We can only hope that people will finially see that commercial is bad for optometry in every way imaginable.

 

[Mixin Marc]

So I have numerous friends who work for Luxottica retail (lenscrafters etc) and they received a memo a few days ago that Lux is going to hourly wage where full time doctors have previously been salaried. Is it just me, or is this really really not a good thing? My boyfriend (who works for them) calculated that if they maintain his current hourly wage he stands to lose $20 000 a year and Lux's starting salary is only $80 000. He can't pay ICOs extravagant loan payments on that salary. He says if that is what happens he is quitting next week, and this sentiment was echoed by five other friends of mine last night. There is supposed to be some sort of conference call next week with all of the managing doctors to decide what will happen, but I know they are offering the hourly wage to the current fourth years because they have been calling me up very concerned. Are they KIDDING? What doctor punches a clock?

Has anyone else heard about this?

any news updates on this? i found this very interesting!

 

[hello07]

If what drbizzaro says is true and I have no reason to believe otherwise along with the rest of you can someone explain to me why would Luxottica cut the salary to 50g's over a transition period? I don't understand this? who in their right mind as an OD would go work for them for 50,000 a year? does this make sense?

 

[cpw]

This is where local ODs need to get into legislature and ban corporate salaried positions in whatever state you're in. If you work in a state where you're required to be independent of the corporation this won't happen.

 

[Eyedoc1999]

Is it fair to dismiss this as rumour and speculation until we actually see one of these memos?

I find it very hard to believe that this is going to happen.

 

[FullScope]

Okay gang, I got the real scoop! I actually called someone in the LensCrafters compensation department. They told me my new hourly pay would be calculated so that I would make the same overall pay per year as when I was salaried. The best part is my benefits wont change as well. On top of that, they apologized for any confusion! (very cool)

And for the poser who claims they know a higher up, and made those stupid comments…try eating lots and lots of Goji berries, I heard they are good for your retina and make you SMARTER!. I went to South America on a Gift of Sight mission with a Lux OD Exec, and we still chat from time to time. He says no one is thinking about reducing OD pay!One more thing, for all the Old School ODs, quit dumping on us ODs who choose to work for LensCrafters. I work 5 days one week, 4 days the next, practice with an Optomap, and love the OD group I work with. I am mean where else do you get to connect with people who have the same interests after college?. So while you slave away worrying about frame inventories, insurance claims, and accounts payable… I sleep well at night knowing I practice Pure Optometry. Oh, by the way…I get 7 weeks off a year and am debt free!

 

[Eyedoc1999]

Okay gang, I got the real scoop! I actually called someone in the LensCrafters compensation department. They told me my new hourly pay would be calculated so that I would make the same overall pay per year as when I was salaried. The best part is my benefits wont change as well. On top of that, they apologized for any confusion! (very cool)

And for the poser who claims they know a higher up, and made those stupid comments…try eating lots and lots of Goji berries, I heard they are good for your retina and make you SMARTER!. I went to South America on a Gift of Sight mission with a Lux OD Exec, and we still chat from time to time. He says no one is thinking about reducing OD pay!One more thing, for all the Old School ODs, quit dumping on us ODs who choose to work for LensCrafters. I work 5 days one week, 4 days the next, practice with an Optomap, and love the OD group I work with. I am mean where else do you get to connect with people who have the same interests after college?. So while you slave away worrying about frame inventories, insurance claims, and accounts payable… I sleep well at night knowing I practice Pure Optometry. Oh, by the way…I get 7 weeks off a year and am debt free!

Yeah, I figured it was something like that.

 

[hello07]

wow, my colleagues had me fooled about Luxottica and decrease payhow that didn't make sense. Dr. bizarro are you a pathological lier ? or just simply a stupid ***** for making comments as such?

 

[KHE]

So while you slave away worrying about frame inventories, insurance claims, and accounts payable… I sleep well at night knowing I practice Pure Optometry. Oh, by the way…I get 7 weeks off a year and am debt free!

I for one never worry about those things either. I hire someone to worry about them for me. I just keep the profits off of the material sales instead of letting them flow to some multi-national corporation and I sleep well at night knowing that my patients are getting the most appropriate options for them, not whichever "preferred" contact lens is being provided to the optical shop next door for less money that month. I also sleep well at night knowing that the materials that come out of my office are fabricated and provided by highly trained, competent staff and not someone who was working across the mall at Cinnabon last week, or the person who transfered over from the Children's Shoes department.

 

[eyestrain]

Pure Optometry

Apparently I'm only allowed ten images, otherwise there would have been hundreds of these laughing guys.


This "pure optometry" crap sounds an awful lot like something posted on Odwire not that long ago. What the hell is "pure optometry"..... oh, excuse me "Pure Optometry"? Does it involve referring everything to an OMD? Is it that Optomap that makes it pure?

 

[Eyedoc1999]

Apparently I'm only allowed ten images, otherwise there would have been hundreds of these laughing guys.


This "pure optometry" crap sounds an awful lot like something posted on Odwire not that long ago. What the hell is "pure optometry"..... oh, excuse me "Pure Optometry"? Does it involve referring everything to an OMD? Is it that Optomap that makes it pure?

Give me a break.

The "pure optometry" was a term taken from a personal history written by someone on another website that someone took and put on ODWire to roast them behind their back. It was a petty, childish, pathetic attempt to make fun of an OD happy with practicing at WM. They were referring to the fact that they occupied themselves SOLEY with patient care and the retail aspect didn't come into play when making their recommendations. It would be nice if some private practitioners would take the retail consequences out of their patient recommendations. We all know those guys are out there...if you don't, feel free to ask about those guys fitting biocurve, extreme h20, superduper 66 or whatever the hell other private label lenses to keep patients from being able to purchase anywhere but their offices.

 

[eyestrain]

It would be nice if some private practitioners would take the retail consequences out of their patient recommendations. We all know those guys are out there...if you don't, feel free to ask about those guys fitting biocurve, extreme h20, superduper 66 or whatever the hell other private label lenses to keep patients from being able to purchase anywhere but their offices.

Oh, I understand that. I just had patient who wanted to try Oasys at her last PP doc, but apparently the guy wouldn't let her (of course, she could be a bad historian like every patient). Instead she got one of the private-labels. Obviously, she didn't go back.

 

[IndianaOD]

Sorry ya'll, but pure optometry is private practice optometry!

There has to be something in it for Lux to go hourly. They are nothing but a profit hunting faceless corp.

 

[eyestrain]

There has to be something in it for Lux to go hourly. They are nothing but a profit hunting faceless corp.

I agree 100%. There has to some benefit to them to do this, which you have to imagine would be paying docs less money. But I guess we'll wait and see what happens.

 

[hello07]

I would like dr.bizzaro to come clean and tell us did he actually hear from higher ups in Luxottica or was it all a fabrication ?

Dr. Bizzaro Sir, explain to us what aforementioned comments and where it came from? I think the moderator should ban him for a few weeks for lying to us otherwise.

 

[FullScope]

There has to be something in it for Lux to go hourly. They are nothing but a profit hunting faceless corp.


Hey Indiana OD, how does 7 million people helped through the Give the Gift of Sight Organization sound? (FACED!) I just got back from Mexico and we helped 16,000 people. Apparently the Governer of Baja California thought we gave back, he took the time to visit the clinic and commended us on our humanitarian efforts. They do 20 international missions a year, 20 domestic clinics, have 2 vision vans complete with a finishing lab and 2 exam lanes. In fact, I will volunteer for the Chicago Children's Clinic this year...my OD partners plan on seeing 10,000 kids this year and will help them with free eye care and eye wear. This organization has been recognized by the President of the United States of America for helping those who have the least and need it the most.

What have you done?

 

[xmattODx]

I think a more appropriate question is what has tne international arm of Gift of Sight done to provide sustainable, long term, appropriate eye care to developing countries? Are they following VISION 2020 strategies? Do they care?

 

[Eyegirl2k7]

IMO I don't think DOCTORS should punch a clock. They're starting the hourly thing where my boyfriend works and he hates it. He feels debased by it. All the doctors he knows who work there are very angry. They also expect him to clock out for lunch but then clock back in after half and hour altho he can take an hour if he wants--but what if he wants to go somewhere on lunch. And apparently they are sending the doctors home if it is slow---now maybe that's where they are saving money. He maintains he will quit if he sees even a small decrease in his pay--I think he's right.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

There has to be something in it for Lux to go hourly. They are nothing but a profit hunting faceless corp.


Hey Indiana OD, how does 7 million people helped through the Give the Gift of Sight Organization sound? (FACED!) I just got back from Mexico and we helped 16,000 people. Apparently the Governer of Baja California thought we gave back, he took the time to visit the clinic and commended us on our humanitarian efforts. They do 20 international missions a year, 20 domestic clinics, have 2 vision vans complete with a finishing lab and 2 exam lanes. In fact, I will volunteer for the Chicago Children's Clinic this year...my OD partners plan on seeing 10,000 kids this year and will help them with free eye care and eye wear. This organization has been recognized by the President of the United States of America for helping those who have the least and need it the most.

What have you done?

Are you some sort of luxottica shill?

 

[IndianaOD]

There has to be something in it for Lux to go hourly. They are nothing but a profit hunting faceless corp.


Hey Indiana OD, how does 7 million people helped through the Give the Gift of Sight Organization sound? (FACED!) I just got back from Mexico and we helped 16,000 people. Apparently the Governer of Baja California thought we gave back, he took the time to visit the clinic and commended us on our humanitarian efforts. They do 20 international missions a year, 20 domestic clinics, have 2 vision vans complete with a finishing lab and 2 exam lanes. In fact, I will volunteer for the Chicago Children's Clinic this year...my OD partners plan on seeing 10,000 kids this year and will help them with free eye care and eye wear. This organization has been recognized by the President of the United States of America for helping those who have the least and need it the most.

What have you done?

That means nothing. If you consider how large Lux is, those small costs are laughable. Its a PR gig. I bet if you compare the charity of the individual private doc vs that there is no contest.

How many vouchers does VSP give out a year? A lot!

If those parents really wanted to help their children (in the US) its incredibly easy to get on medicaid. There are lots of charities as well.

Our office donated a VF machine and other things to a permanent missionary clinic in Honduras. Thats sustainable.

 

[IndianaOD]

Sorry, double post

 

[drbizzaro]

Are you some sort of luxottica shill?

he obviously is!

and to anyone who wishes to question who i know, just PM me, and i'll give you more information if you wish.... this new user is obviously here to try and give luxottica a good name....

also, please THINK about the whole idea of moving someone SALARY-> HOURLY
just the basic facts speak for themselves.... doctors will see a huge drop in pay over time by just clocking in and out for lunch... lets say, you clock in 1/2 an hour over each day, or clock in a little late in the morning due to a snow storm or car problems: what this will do is reduce your yearly pay dramatically...

doing some basic math, you'll realize that it's all about cutting down doctor's pay....

again, if you wish to quesiton who i know, just PM me.... however, if you are someone who wishes to kiss luxottica butt, i dont care to hear from you...

 

[drbizzaro]

And apparently they are sending the doctors home if it is slow---now maybe that's where they are saving money. .

exactly another way of using hourly wages to cut down doctors pay... obviously doctors who work corporate signed up knowing that some days are busy and others are dead.... but corporate sending you home if it's dead, you are basically working crazy busy days for very cheap pay....

 

[igirl]

What about doctors who work over 40 hours/week? Do they get pay overtime?

 

[itek2OD]

Geez. I may as well keep my present job.

A link would be nice, if that's possible.

 

[FullScope]

Because I have pride in where I practice and the way I take care of my patients you resort to calling me names? (How professional) If you are to debate, stick to merit and principal as opposed to hearsay and personal attacks.

EyeCare is slow to embrace diversity and change. We need to quit arguing OD vs MD, Corp affilation vs Independent, state laws barring license mobility and start to go after things that advance the profession such as scope of practice, reciprocity, and an annual eye exam message. I was recently at an AOA event and they told us the AAO membership is at 95%, while AOA is at 65%. This speaks to a widespread lack of unity. We could learn a lesson from the dental profession as to how they have reinvented themselves....

 

[KHE]

EyeCare is slow to embrace diversity and change. We need to quit arguing OD vs MD, Corp affilation vs Independent, state laws barring license mobility and start to go after things that advance the profession such as scope of practice, reciprocity, and an annual eye exam message. I was recently at an AOA event and they told us the AAO membership is at 95%, while AOA is at 65%. This speaks to a widespread lack of unity. We could learn a lesson from the dental profession as to how they have reinvented themselves....

This posting makes so little sense....

You are saying that we need to stop arguing about state laws that bar license mobility and that we should start arguing about things that advance the profession like reciprocity. Ummmmmm, those are the same things.

There are approximately 15000 ophthalmologists and 45000 ODs in the country. If they have a membership of 95%, and we have only 65%, we still outnumber them 2 to 1.

Dentists have never reinvented themselves. They have always been and done what they do now. Optometry on the other hand HAS tried to reinvent itself somewhat by trying to transfrom from a mercantile profession where the thrust of the operation is to generate material sales to a profession where professional service is emphasized. I think it's pretty hard to reinvent the profession when more and more of it's members are practicing in the mall and at Walmart. You may provide the most state of the art, mind blowing eye examination in the history of the known universe, but if you are providing it in a mall, the public image is always going to be more mercantile than professional.

Let's be honest with ourselves here....

When you walk into Sears, and you see the accountants working in the back corner at H&R Block, do you get the impression that they are accountants who are at the top of their profession and worthy of commanding an impressive fee, or handling complex tax issues?

When you walk into JCPenney, and you see the hair salon in the back corner, do you get the impression that those people are at the top the their game, and worthy of commanding top fees?

When you walk into Walmart, and you see the "vision center" at the front of the store in between the Subway and the photomat, do you get the impression that that is a place where healing arts are practiced by doctors who are at the top of their game?

Even if you as an OD know that there are skilled doctors working there, what is the PUBLIC's perception?

The response is likely going to be that when the "public" comes in for their $49 eye exam (Ok, ok Steve....I know, I know....you charge $60) you provide them with such a thorough exam, that the public is so incredibly impressed with you that they simply can't wait to bring in all of their family and friends down to see you at the mall.

Well hey....booty for you. But the reality of the situation is that you have now just trained the general public that a state of the art, comprehensive eye exam is worth exactly $49, which is less than most women pay to get their hair cuts, and less than the Bronze service package down at the local Qwik Lube.

So keep right on doing that....and just watch as your multi-national employer gets larger and larger and more and more powerful to the point where they no longer offer "leases." They simply employ doctors directly, and start paying them hourly wages that cap out at $45 per hour, all while working late Saturdays and Sundays. Say bye bye to that lease that generates a nice six figure income for you. Say hello to weekends and Sundays for $37 per hour.

Don't say I didn't warn you....

 

[Eyegirl2k7]

What I've heard is that apparently you can't get overtime under the new regime either--they will cap you out at 40 hours max.

 

[eyestrain]

What I've heard is that apparently you can't get overtime under the new regime either--they will cap you out at 40 hours max.

How are they going to man the offices seven days/week?

 

[IndianaOD]

How are they going to man the offices seven days/week?

Force the OD to work for free or lose his lease!

There is always an endless supply of new grad blood.

 

[StushOD]

The SAD part is that JCPenny charged my wife $90 for a haircut/highlight!!!

 

[Eyedoc1999]

The SAD part is that JCPenny charged my wife $90 for a haircut/highlight!!!

OK, what would they have charged in a private salon? Probably double that. I wonder if the stylists at JCP get online and listen to drivel by the private stylists...maybe they should get on this forum to make themselves feel better.

 

[Ben Chudner]

OK, what would they have charged in a private salon? Probably double that. I wonder if the stylists at JCP get online and listen to drivel by the private stylists...maybe they should get on this forum to make themselves feel better.

Steve, I think you missed the point. But to go along with your misinterpretation, I would ask stylists what a haircut/highlight is worth. If it's really worth $180, then JCP stylists are creating the perception that it's worth half what it really is. In that case the private salon stylists have every right to be upset. You will never really understand why private practice OD's complain about your fees even though yours are more than most Wal-Mart OD's charge. It's fine that you don't understand, but that doesn't make the private OD's wrong.

 

[stevemc1]

OK, what would they have charged in a private salon? Probably double that. I wonder if the stylists at JCP get online and listen to drivel by the private stylists...maybe they should get on this forum to make themselves feel better.

Is that you steve n?

 

[stevemc1]

The "pure optometry" was a term taken from a personal history written by someone on another website that someone took and put on ODWire to roast them behind their back. It was a petty, childish, pathetic attempt to make fun of an OD happy with practicing at WM.

I take responsibility for that, and I assure you, I would have "roasted" her to her face as well.

WM doc proclaiming she practices "pure" optometry, is the single most insulting statement about my profession I have ever heard.

 

[Eyedoc1999]

Is that you steve n?

Yes, sir. Are you taking a break from the "wire"?

 

[Eyedoc1999]

Steve, I think you missed the point. But to go along with your misinterpretation, I would ask stylists what a haircut/highlight is worth. If it's really worth $180, then JCP stylists are creating the perception that it's worth half what it really is. In that case the private salon stylists have every right to be upset. You will never really understand why private practice OD's complain about your fees even though yours are more than most Wal-Mart OD's charge. It's fine that you don't understand, but that doesn't make the private OD's wrong.

Oh, I get it. I was just making a parallel to another industry.

FWIW, I wish those low exam fee guys would raise their fees also.

 

[stevemc1]

Yes, sir. Are you taking a break from the "wire"?

Not really, I pop over here occassionally for a good chuckle. The naivete is breathtaking.

"OMG! Luxottica is going hourly.....! The horrors...! How will afford my Beamer now? I might have to find a *gulp* REAL job now."

 

[Eyedoc1999]

Not really, I pop over here occassionally for a good chuckle. The naivete is breathtaking.

"OMG! Luxottica is going hourly.....! The horrors...! How will afford my Beamer now? I might have to find a *gulp* REAL job now."

lol

 

[Ben Chudner]

FWIW, I wish those low exam fee guys would raise their fees also.

FWIW, we consider you one of those low exam fee guys as well.

 

[IndianaOD]

Wait, I want in the 'wire reunion.

Hey McD, I started the thread on Naivete'

 

[stevemc1]

You da man Indi.

 

[Eyedoc1999]

FWIW, we consider you one of those low exam fee guys as well.

Call the PP in my area before you go beating up my $85 spec exam. I'm well above the mean for private fees here and considerably above the commercial mean. Of course, keep in mind that's for a private pay and it reflects a $25 discount for same day payment...so technically my comprehensive exam fee is $110. What is yours?

 

[Ben Chudner]

Call the PP in my area before you go beating up my $85 spec exam. I'm well above the mean for private fees here and considerably above the commercial mean. Of course, keep in mind that's for a private pay and it reflects a $25 discount for same day payment...so technically my comprehensive exam fee is $110. What is yours?

Then those PP docs are also low exam fee guys. I don't care if you are in private practice or commercial. If your fees are low, you are part of the problem. My fees are $265 for a comprehensive exam and I give a 20% discount for day of service which brings it down to $212. The way I look at it, I am the least expensive ophthalmologist in my area, but you can be sure I am the most expensive optometrist. Now do you see why I consider you a low exam fee guy?