Typical Day
Iris Eisenstein decides to get to work a little early. The mall is quiet. It'll be a few hours before the shoppers fill the carpeted walkways of the Southtownridgewaydale Mall. She unlocks and rolls up the gate on The Sight Hut. She reviews her appointment calendar, tidies up the displays, checks on back stock and orders, reviews the employee schedule, and listens to voicemails. Phew. No emergencies...yet.
She knows it's too early to get ahold of her old mentor, Retina Turner, but she's too excited to wait, so she leaves a message:"When can we have lunch? I've got that new occluder catalog!" That'll get Turner's attention.
The "occluder catalog" is a running joke with them. Occluders sound like sophisticated medical devices, but they're really just the paddles that looked like large, flattened spoons. Patients use them to block either eye while reading a sight chart. Just closing one eye wouldn't work; the squinting would distort the view. And holding your hand over one eye is just an invitation to cheat. Only aging truck drivers try to cheat eye exams, but Eisenstein doesn't get many truck drivers, aging or not, at the mall.
The occluder catalog is pretty limited. They come in two styles: white, and white with a cartoon face, which makes little sense since the patient uses the occluder to blind one eye at a time. Dr. Eisenstein and Dr. Turner are planning to get rich and retire with the sales of designer occluders.
Besides, it's fun to say occluder. There are so many excellent words in her field: skiascopic lens rack, lensometers, snipe nose pliers (so fun at office parties), and, of course, the sphygmomanometers. She doesn't really need those in the office. Most people can just use the one down by the pharmacy if they wanted their blood pressure, but she likes telling people that she might have to use the sphygmomanometer. Blood pressure can be an early indicator of diseases like diabetes, which can result in vision loss.
Eisenstein is really looking forward to working with her new partner, Pupil Lashay. She and her last partner hadn't seen eye to eye. Lashay knew it was time to take the blinders off and move on.
For the rest of the day, Eisenstein feels more like an office manager than a doctor. She talks to her bookkeeper for an hour or so, trying to sort out problems with insurance forms. Most insurance only covers one exam a year and basic prescriptions and frames. It's more important that she develops a relationship with her patients so that they choose to rely on her for additional services.
Ima Highbrow is her 9:00AM appointment. She's a long-time patient and customer and is coming in to pick up her new glasses.
Eisenstein pulls out the glasses from a little tray behind the counter and checks them once more for any flaws. As she carefully cleans them, she makes small talk with Ima. Her new glasses are trifocals and she'd paid extra for progressives, the kind without dividing lines. A tricky prescription. The doctor adjusts the nose pads and arms and watches as her customer looks in a mirror, trying to see if she could see herself looking good.
"I think you made the right choice with those rimless frames. The last pair looked great, but were heavy, weren't they?"
"And that geek look has come and gone, according to my hair stylist."
"Well, those Chanels look good on anyone, but I think they make your eyes look brighter."
"I think so, too," Ima says as she cranes her neck, looking around the room, testing the new lenses.
An hour later, Ima decides she loves them and orders a second pair as well as another pair of sunglasses with the same prescription.
After she left, the doctor sighs with relief. That paid the bills for a few days at least.
She strolls out to the front of the store, re-straightening the displays. She doesn't have much choice about the layout or selection. Being a franchise owner is both good and bad. She doesn't have to worry about marketing too much. The name of the store makes it easy for customers to find online. She already has the right mix of affordable and luxury models, as well as the latest styles for trendy kids and teens.
Now that teenagers are starting to wear chunky black frames with no prescriptions at all, sales have been good. She knows the trend won't last forever, though, so keeping up with corporate research is crucial. The little kids love the Spongebob and Little Mermaid models. They also love the books and beanbags in the kids' area—it gives them something to do while Mom or Dad have their eyes checked, and also gives them a comfortable area to try on new pairs of glasses without feeling self-conscious.
Dr. Eisenstein's pretty proud of the kids' area. It was her idea. She likes to think that it's what sets her store apart from all the others in the franchise.
She stopped to chat with a guy looking at the Oakleys. "Those are really popular with wind surfers," she said. She'd noticed the young man's t-shirt with the sail on it.
"Oh yeah, that's what I'm looking for. I've heard these wraparounds are good, but I was looking for the ones with the tiny windshield wipers on them."
"We can order those for you but, to be honest, these newer models have a special coating. Water just rolls right off them. Here, let's see how they look."
She watches as he tries them on.
"These are pretty cool." He looks pleased. "How much are they?"
"Hang on a second and I'll check. Do you have insurance? Let's go back to the counter and see what I can find."
Once he's sitting in front of a mirror, she looked up the prices but she also pulls out a tiny spray bottle and towel with the Oakley logo and set them in front of the customer.
"Here, try out the water proofing. It's really cool."
Half an hour later, she finishes writing up his order and hands him his copy. "See you in about ten days. I can't wait to see how you like them."
After lunch, she interviews an applicant for a vacant part-time position. She was ready to hire the guy before they even met. Ira Glass was studying for his D.O. and his GPA showed that he took his studies seriously. Dr. Eisenstein's happy with the high schoolers and stay-at-home moms she has on staff, but she needs another expert on board.
She goes with her gut and offers him the job. He's happy to have it. He even asks to work on the same days she was in so he can learn more. Perfect. Soon, Dr. Eisenstein'll be getting a few Saturdays to herself. She can finally hang out with her softball team again.
By 9:00PM, she's worn out. She runs her end-of-day reports and is happy to see she's made enough to cover the rent and the cost of her new employee. She gets home at 10:00PM and rolls right into bed for some well-deserved shut-eye.