Making Sense With Surfacing

Most of us associate in-store surfacing with multilocation operations.

In Brooklyn, NY, however, opticians Rich Dussek and wife Nyegypt split their 2,400-square-foot location in half.

The retail side, Seeing Is Believing Optical, is overseen by Nyegypt. The other half, managed by Rich, is dedicated to surfacing and finishing for their location—and other businesses as well.

The optical and lab are very different entities, explains Rich. “Both are profitable, but retail is more straightforward, pulling in the larger portion of income,” he says. “Surfacing and edging are more tedious and rely on wholesale pricing that is affordable to other retailers.”

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Rich notes that most people looking into surfacing have multiple locations and are trying to save/cut costs. That’s the savings side of the coin.

What about the expense side?

“Equipment can be costly, and you need reliable employees to get out bulk orders on time,” he says. “Anyone handling lenses needs experience in processing jobs, handling merchandise, and maintaining the equipment.” Electric and water bills can be very expensive as well.

Potential profitability depends on the kind of lenses the location wants to process. “I work with some locations and stores,” says Rich, “that don’t want any part of low-end surfacing like flat top 28 lenses, for instance. It’s not cost-efficient when you can apply that same time and energy to surfacing a much more profitable plastic progressive Transitions lens or another high-end product, for example.”

Surfacing also means working with more vendors...lens suppliers in addition to frame vendors. Doing both retail and wholesale can result in longer hours as well.

In Rich’s case, he takes care of all deliveries and necessary runs before opening. “Once I get in, I’m here until maybe 12 a.m.,” he shares. “That’s six days a week.”

MANAGING IT ALL

Here’s how Rich makes surfacing work for him.

Equipment: “I have multiple Coburn units, including two generators, two blockers, and two edgers. Their equipment tends to last for a long time, and the response in terms of maintenance is very, very good and is well worth the expense.”

➤ Staffing: “We have an ophthalmic dispenser and opticians, a licensed eyecare specialist, and lab techs in-house. Together, we are a team!”

➤ Lab Hours: “I’ve found that the night crew handles the bulk of the work, and with smiles, so our lab hours are Monday to Friday, 3 p.m. until 11 p.m.; and Saturday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.”

➤ Turnaround: “We have the best, unbeatable turnaround time. Whatever we get in today gets out the same day or very early the next.”

How does this compare with other operations? “The bigger labs are now beginning to have problems,” says Rich. “These days it takes big labs a minimum of five to seven business days to complete and ship out surfaced jobs, and they’re closed weekends.

“Having my own lab allows our retail side to provide same-day service even with progressive lenses,” Rich explains. “It also allows me to provide same- or next-day services for accounts. Plus, we deliver!”

In today’s world, having a competitive edge is crucial.