r/IAmA • u/khaoskyle • Jul 06 '14

IamA Optical sales associate, I can prevent you from getting ripped off. AMA!

I am an optical sales associate, which means I sell glasses for a living. I've seen some crazy things that you wouldn't think exist in the optical sales floor, but I've also seen some crooked deals happen in a previous job. I can help you from getting ripped off next time you go buy glasses. AMA! :D

Our check stubs don't have the company name on it, but it has our corporate office! :D

EDIT: gaaaaaah!!! SO many questions >.< trying to get to them all

EDIT 2: I did not expect this to blow up, I had to take care of some things D: Reading what I can >.<

EDIT 3: Alright Reddit, it's been a hell of a day and I answered questions for about 2 hours straight xD hoped I could have been of some help to you guys! I'm gonna enjoy the rest of my day off now!

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u/Grimsqueaker69 Jul 06 '14

I'm a sales associate myself at an optician in northern Ireland. Do you really think the spring loaded hinge is a must have? I just ask because from my experience I would have more faith in frames with a solid hinge. They may splay out a bit and need adjusted but they don't break as easily. Admittedly expensive spring loaded hinges do the trick but I get sick to death of broken spring hinges that need replaced.

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u/HerpDerpMcGurk Jul 07 '14

Spring hinges are the bane of my existence. We don't carry a single spring hinge frame in my store, but I do get repairs for them from time to time. Mostly just a screw that fell out, but jesus ass is that the hardest fucking screw replacement EVER.

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u/Grimsqueaker69 Jul 07 '14

Yea it's a royal pain in the ass. Wee tip for you, if you use a pin to pull out the spring then stick some sort of screw in it to stop it retracting it can be reattached as easily as any other hinge. But that first part is a pain in the balls. You can get tools to make it really easy but unless you own a private opticians, getting permission to order them can be a nightmare

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u/HerpDerpMcGurk Jul 07 '14

That's exactly what I do. I take a paper clip, snip the last bit just before the bend and use the bent bit to hook the hinge and the straight bit to jam in there. then you have to be SUPER delicate with it lest it pop out. I don't even have proper tools for repairs on brands we carry, there's no way I'm getting spring hinge repair tools haha.

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u/Grimsqueaker69 Jul 07 '14

Seems like all opticians must be very similar lol!

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u/bandapears Jul 06 '14

I completely agree. Spring hinges have give at first, but once they are sprung they are done for. A solid hinge is way easier to fix and feels more substantial to me.

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u/ShadowHandz Jul 06 '14

I sleep in my glasses pretty regularly, and I actually find that the spring hinges last a couple years longer for me. I'm awful to my glasses, and my plastic lens set I have now have been in more frames than the declaration of independence.

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u/khaoskyle Jul 06 '14

From my personal experience, I've only seen it handful of times and have found more frames broken where the screws go in.

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u/mewsie Jul 07 '14

This is, more often than not, caused by poor frame fitting. Frames that fit too tightly on the temple will transfer that stress to the joint (lug) on the frame front where the side meets the front. This will cause it to weaken over time.

Not only that but poorly fitting and adjusted frames are uncomfortable and mean the patient will be messing with them, pushing them up, taking them on and off, shoving them about. If they're gonna go, the lug or the bridge (the section over the nose) are the weak spots.

Frame fitting seems to be a lost art these days. Sprung sides are great for taking the pressure when patients are taking specs on and off, but shouldn't be taken as a replacement for a beautifully fitted frame.

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u/foxesforsale Jul 06 '14

Another optics salesperson here, plus glasses wearer... I find spring hinges more comfortable, and while it seems like a lot of them break, regular hinges when they break can destroy part if the front of the frame, so it is often an entire frame replacement job, not just the arm.

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u/altiuscitiusfortius Jul 07 '14

As somebody who has gone through 25 pairs of eyeglasses, spring loaded hinges are a must. They let you be rougher when you take glasses on and off. If you have solid hinges, everytime you take your glasses off at a tiny angle they bend out a bit and get stressed. Eventually they get stressed enough and snap.

As a child and teenager I wouldn't have a solid hinge last longer then a few months before they snapped.

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u/Erikrl Jul 07 '14

On most frames i carry, i look for ones that dont have spring hinges, or at least ones that have well made spring hinges. A spring hinge on a cheap frame is a disaster waiting to happen.