As a Costco optician, you will help people with vision and correct vision problems. You will also train new workers to sell contact lenses, eyeglasses, and eye exams.
In return for working at Costco, you will receive excellent pay and benefits. Therefore, read on to find out more about this job and the duties that come with it!
What is the Costco Optician Job In [currentyear]?
In this professional role, Costco opticians correct vision issues, advise patients on eye health and sell vision products. Opticians can earn between $30K to $80K annually and receive Costco’s excellent corporate benefits in [currentyear]. Licensure is required from an accredited organization, and Costco prefers opticians to have certification in fitting contacts at least within the first year.
To learn more about the Costco optician job, including its pay, hours, and more, keep reading!
What Qualifications are Needed to Work as a Costco Optician?
Although education requirements vary from state to state, most require Costco opticians to hold at least a Bachelor’s in Science in Optometry, Ophthalmic Science, an Associate’s in Science in Optometry or Ophthalmic Science.
Since this is a professional role, an accredited organization must license opticians that work in the vision center. Accreditation is offered through the following organizations:
- American Board of Opticianry (ABO)
- National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLEX)
- National Examining Board of Opticians (NEBOP)
- National Academy of Opticianry
Besides performing eye exams and fitting glasses, Costco prefers opticians to have certification in fitting contact lenses.
While failure to have this certification will not stop you from being hired, opticians without a certification as a contact lens fitter must enroll in the contact lens fitter course within a year.
Consequently, opticians cannot maintain their position if they’re unable to take the course, and another optician can take over the job after a year is over.
Finally, valuable skills for this job are computer skills, math, and customer service experience.
What Kind of Training Do You Need to Work at the Costco Optical Center as an Optician?
After working at Costco as an optician for a while, you will take on more responsibility and training.
As an optician, you will learn how to examine eyes and diagnose vision problems, and you will also learn how to fit contact lenses and eyeglasses.
In order to become an optician, employees must learn required skills, such as measuring eyes, adjusting glasses and contact lenses, patient care management, and office administrative practices.
Indeed, optician training is not just about teaching technical skills- it also involves giving sales and customer service training.
During 2-4 years of postsecondary education, opticians learn these medical and business skills from the Commission on Opticianry Accreditation programs.
What are the Daily Duties of the Costco Optician Job?
As a Costco optician, you will be part of the optical department responsible for selling and fitting eyeglasses.
Also, opticians will serve customers by performing eye exams and helping them choose glasses and contacts.
Additionally, opticians train new employees and complete administrative tasks to help create a welcoming environment for all Costco members.
As a Costco optician, you will need to do the following:
- Help Costco members book vision center appointments
- Accurately measure the pupillary distance (PD) of patient’s eyes during an exam, using an examination tool like a pupillometer or ruler
- Expert in determining where to place different amounts of lenses for spectacles, contact lenses, and bifocal glasses
- Examine patient’s eyes with a slit lamp to identify any health issues within the eye and assist in the fitting of contact lenses
- Enter patient orders into Costco computer systems and place special orders to outside vendors by telephone
- Ring up purchases, over-the-counter optical merchandise and receive payment
- Receive checks, credit cards, and debit charges correctly for paperwork processing as well as managing cash flow
- Order items by keying into a computer record the receipt of special orders from vendors
- Follow safety and security procedures for all company operations
- Fill stock of various optical merchandise and supplies
- Follow department procedures to produce goods as well as record-keeping standards for sales, eye health merchandising products storage area, and other processes to make sure your store meets its goal
- Verify that a proper amount of contact trials is on-site
- Train new employees in the optical department
- Ensure the safety and cleanliness of all department displays and merchandise by spraying them with a disinfectant and wiping them down
- Work on projects as needed
How Much Does a Costco Optician Make?
According to average data from Glassdoor, Costco Wholesale Licensed Opticians can expect annual salaries that range from $30,346 -$83,199.
What Type of Benefits Come With the Costco Optician Job?
Besides great pay, Costco opticians can also use many benefits like health insurance and retirement plans.
Additionally, Costco employees are provided discounts on all the products at Costco and from partnering companies.
What Hours Do Costco Opticians Work?
While working as an optician at Costco, you must be available during all the hours that the center is open.
Since open hours are determined by location, check your store’s website to verify.
In most locations, stores are open Monday through Sunday. Here is an example of a store schedule:
- Monday – Friday 10:00am – 8:30pm
- Saturday 9:30am – 6:00pm
- Sunday 10:00am – 6:00pm
As an optician, be prepared to come in early to set up equipment and stay a bit after closing to clean up after each day.
How Can I Apply Online for Costco Optical Center Jobs?
If you’re interested in working at Costco Optical Centers, you can apply online. Check the website for information about the optician/contact Lens practitioner (licensed) job.
Once the applicant has closely reviewed the job description and verified, has met all the required qualifications for the position, they can apply for jobs near them by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page.
After the applicant has selected a location with an optician opening, the applicant needs to sign into their Costco applicant profile to complete the application.
By assigning each applicant an individual profile, information is quickly submitted from the applicant to human resources via the applicant portal for review.
Conveniently, this profile only needs to be created once and can be used multiple times to apply for openings at Costco locations.
Therefore, past applicants can sign in and move directly to the job application (new applicants need to create a profile with an email address and contact information).
Once the applicant has set up their profile, they can complete the job application by filling in education, work experience, and certifications or licenses.
Since this is a role that requires professional knowledge, the applicant must verify that they hold current licensing from an accredited organization to be eligible for employment.
Is the Optician Position at Costco a Good Job?
After reading this guide, you may wonder whether the Costco optician role is a good job, and many would say the answer is yes!
Certainly, this is a fantastic opportunity for someone who wants to work in the eye care industry.
There are many benefits available to Costco Optical Center employees, including health, dental, vision, and prescription coverage.
Likewise, there are also opportunities for advancement, as Costco Optical Centers offer training programs for customer service associates and optical professionals.
To know more, you can also see our posts on whether or not Costco repairs glasses, does Costco optical takes insurance, and Costco glasses returns policy.
Conclusion
Costco opticians are a group of professionals who work in vision health.
An optician’s job can be divided into two main parts: 1) fitting glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, or any other sort of corrective lens 2) advising on nutrition and eye health.
While working in this job, opticians will use their professional knowledge to help Costco members take care of vision issues and eye health.
