M&S or Marks and Spencer is well known for being a reputable British store with good quality products and trusted to be good with customer services. I can honestly say I have never heard anyone complain about M&S, have you? When I heard that they now have Marks and Spencer opticians in some stores I must admit I was a bit unsure.
Is this them branching out a little too much? Or is it the perfect addition to their stores? We went to check it out in their Derby store in return for some glasses and an eye test, all views however are our own.
The Store and Layout
The Marks and Spencer Opticians in Derby is situated in the large M&S store within the Intu centre. It was easily signposted within the store. The Opticians area was clean and looked impressive on arrival and with a good selection of glasses on display.
Whilst a small area it was well designed and actually didn’t seem to be lacking in anything I have seen in other opticians.
The Eye Test
Booking the eye test was easy and can be done at Marks and Spencer Opticians online with appointments available into the early evening and at weekends including Sundays. Confirmation texts were great and when arriving for the eye test we were already feeling optimistic.
Due to the glasses I already have and my prescription being quite weak I observed Stuart having an eye test and choosing glasses instead of myself. It made it interesting for me to watch too!
The eye test itself consisted of two parts. One was done by an assistant called Rebecca. This part included looking at the back of the eyes as you can see in the photo above.
The other parts included the field vision test which was fascinating to watch as I could see which ones Stuart missed and how the machine was then asked to repeat those to see if he missed them again. Rebecca was very knowledgeable and explained everything she was doing and why.
The second part of the eye test was with the optician in another room. It involved all the usual tests and was conducted efficiently. The optician took time to thoroughly check through all of the tests and adjust lenses slightly before trying again to get the prescription perfect. I definitely felt this was done in more depth than any eye test I have ever had.
Choosing Suitable Glasses
Due to Stuart’s prescription varifocals are best for him and what he is now used to. There was a variety of frames available and an assistant (Izzy) helped him to choose his glasses.
The variety seemed vast with frames from £40 which looked nice enough up to designer frames for over £100. Stuart liked the look of the frameless lenses but was a bit unsure. With advice and reassurance from Izzy he chose half framed ones.
The pricing on the glasses was clear and I liked the fact it wasn’t obscuring the lens and were neatly tucked away on the arm. There was such a good selection of prices I really did think there would be something for everyone’s style and budget.
Ben fell in love with some designer glasses. He can wait until he is a bit older for those and his prescription doesn’t change as regularly!
Fitting The Glasses
Before ordering the glasses Izzy and another assistant Steve at Marks and Spencer opticians looked over their fit and did a lot of measurements and checks to ensure the lens would be positioned correctly as this is really important for varifocals.
We also discussed the different choices regarding lens thickness, anti-glare coating etc. Both members of staff were very knowledgeable on these and it didn’t feel like they were trying to sell the most expensive options just explaining the choices available.
Ordering and Collection
When all the measurements and checks had been done the glasses could be ordered. We were told that the estimated date for them to be ready was 3 weeks away which was a little disappointing. They did explain however that it is usually much quicker than this and we would get a text when they were ready.
We left with a handy little folder with all the information inside of what we had ordered and the prescription and recommendations from the optician.
We had the eye test on 31st January, and on 8th February I received a text to let us know that the order was in store ready to be collected. We were impressed, it had been only just over a week!
We arranged to go and collect them on a Friday evening. The opticians were really quiet when we arrived as it was not long before they were closing. This however did not affect the service we received which was second to none.
We were seen by Steve who checked the fit of the glasses and that Stuart’s vision was as expected with them on. He chatted through the prescription and the additions we had requested.
Our overall views
The whole experience with Marks and Spencer Opticians we found to be great. From booking the appointment to collecting the glasses involved updates by text.
The staff at the store were all knowledgeable and helpful naturally friendly and approachable. The small opticians were not too busy so great for those with disabilities such as autism too in my opinion. We really could not fault the service we received or the choice available to us.
Stuart has found the glasses to be perfect for him and clearly the prescription, despite being different to his previous one, is correct. They were well fitted as he finds them comfortable and has no problems with them for helping his vision.
