Children's eyewear is a growing business for those dispensers who commit both time and space to the category. But to keep both kids and parents coming back, dispensers say it is critical for children to understand the importance of caring for frames and lenses so their eyewear experience ends up being a positive one.

Making Them Comfortable

Many dispensers say the first step to getting children to wear their eyewear is to create an environment where they will feel comfortable and special. Some have created separate sections complete with toys, displays at child's eye level, and small tables.

"When kids walk in, they're usually a little uptight," says Hedda Szmuk, manager of The Eyeman in New York City, where kids' eyewear accounts for 20 percent of sales. "So this kind of a section helps them to relax." At The Eyeman, the displays are smaller so children can reach them, and there are toys and P-O-P materials scattered around the children's area.

At Focal Point in Berkeley, Calif., owner David Salk has an area set up for kids with crayons, comic books, and coloring books. "It's there so the child feels comfortable, and it also helps parents maintain their sanity when they are shopping," he says.

Also, dispensers stress to the parents that it's important for the child to make his own decision. This way he's much more prone to wear his glasses on a regular basis.

"I have to say that 98 percent of kids can hardly wait to wear their glasses," says Jean Marie Poppinga of Purdy Opticians in New York City, a location which has a special section called Purdy Opticians for Kids. "So many more are wearing them now, there are so many great styles, it's almost a cool thing for kids. The other two percent, we simply explain to them that it's important to help their eyes, and when they put the glasses on they can generally see that."

Explaining Care

"Describing to children just how to take care of glasses also helps them understand their importance. Their eyewear experience is more positive when the frames are clean and comfortable.

"We spend time with the kids at the time of dispensing explaining how to take the frames on and off with both hands so they stay in adjustment," says Robert Stratton, owner of the six-location Chester County Opticians in West Chester, Pa. "We also emphasize putting the frames face down in the case so they don't get scratched."

At The Eyeman, Szmuk also tells kids that they should not let their friends play with their glasses or try them on. "We explain that the frames are adjusted and customized for them," she says.

But how do you get them to really remember all this? Salk says, "You really tend to exaggerate all this to the child so it's a little bit more memorable to them."

Dispensers also stress the importance of explaining the maintenance instructions to the parents, so they can reinforce the practice once everyone is back at home. "A child is gonna do what a child's gonna do," says Rick Hogan, owner of Optical Designs in Santa Monica, Calif. "It's wise to explain it to the children so that they've heard it, but you can't really drum it into their consciousness. It's best to also tell the parent and reaffirm things with them."

The Extras

In addition to explaining the care process to the child wearer, most dispensers give them a cleaning cloth, solution, and a case to care for their new eyewear.

"We provide a half-ounce bottle of solution with every pair of glasses we dispense," says Jerry Ziefle, senior buyer of optical products for ShopKo, a chain with about 157 locations in 17 states. "We actually find very little resistance to kids wearing their frames. We offer one-hour service and most people like that because even the kids are looking to wear them right away."

According to Ziefle, the children's eyewear business is so strong that ShopKo has recently exited the sports eyewear category and expanded the kids category to fill this space. The category now accounts for about 12 percent of total sales.

At The Eyeman, kids get to pick from a selection of hard cases, which ensures they like what they are getting. Additionally, says Szmuk, many manufacturers now offer toys like Pez dispensers and Hush Puppies stuffed animals to be given away with frames purchased from those lines. And while Szmuk says this is not why kids or parents choose a certain frame, it is a nice reinforcement of their purchase.

Overall, most dispensers agree that purchasing eyewear can be a lasting positive experience for both child and parent if certain steps are taken by the dispenser first. EB