The optometry department has a new system of receiving customers, and scanning a QR code on your phone is Costco's thing now, you cannot go shopping since if they call you and you are out you have to tell them you are there all over again, and it really feels like a BIG Box store now, you choose the frame and the workers are in a rush to service you, no more quality of care like before, felt like a cow being prodded to a spot. read more

My only complaint is a relatively small choice of frames. I found some I loved but they only had one size. I have worn glasses for most of my nearly 70 years. I like some of the more unique styles available, but I found very nice frames not quite up to my outrageous side, but you will have excellent service. The Woman that helped me I think her name is Sandra was fabulous. She was so professional and thorough. She was also friendly and pleasant to work with. They also told me 7 to 10 days. Came in much earlier. Good Job. I hope I got your name right. read more

I'm a fan of Dr. Nosoff whom I've found to be friendly and helpful. When the prescription isn't quite right, for whatever the reaosn, I get a no charge return visit and the glasses are sent back and returned with a proper fit. I've found the optical sales people helpful, some more knowledgeable than others, but the younger staff check with the more seasoned employees. I never feel rushed, rarely have to wait long and the turn around time is between 5 -7 days with reasonable prices. read more

i made mistake give them old glasses prescription. i called them at that day in the afternoon.to canceled for my mistaken gave them old prescription . yet they still not cancel my glasses prescription.i have no choice to pick up my glasses a week after my called. they insist i can't not return that glasses . I had no choice . driving from freeway with new glasses for far vision I was struggling reading free way sign with all letters are double digit. I call them again costco optics. they told me bring new prescription to exchange . Richmond costco one of costco to stay away . read more

I walked in with a prescription for contacts and glasses to order contacts and to ask for a pupillary distance measurement as I continue to look for glasses. The woman at the counter told me she would not give me a PD measurement unless I was buying glasses, even though I was buying contacts. I asked again if she would do it out of courtesy and she said no, it was store policy to not offer PD unless buying glasses specifically. I've gone to Costco because they empower employees to do the right thing and it's a company that holds values to support workers and employees, so I call BS on her attitude and lack of flexibility. I told her I'll just order from somewhere else then, and just like that, she said "ok." That's the difference between losing a sale and gaining a sale. I'll avoid this Costco optical for my needs moving forward. Hope you get a better employee than her. read more

The eyewear selection and staff are terrific. But my appt with Dr. Nosoff, not so much. I made an appt with him a year ago after my Over 60 clinic in Berkeley lost its wonderful eye doc (since moved to the UCB optometry dept). I think the appt w/ Nosoff was maybe $70. It was not a great encounter: quick and sloppy, almost flip. The new glasses weren't quite right and I asked to have one lense corrected. He was grumpy about the request and blamed it on me (?). read more

I'm having problems with the quality of the frames I chose. The service was amazing and very attentive however, so a mixed bag.

The best optometrist in town. Even though I have Kaiser coverage I still go to Dr Nossoff .

Well organized, helpful, quality service.. Never had to wait in line for very long. Glasses arrived sooner then expected.

Always very busy, need to prepare at least 1-1.5 hours to wait and get served. The frame selections are good and the prices are reasonable.

Was not able to get service from the most experienced and competent staff member. It took more than 1.5 hours to order a pair of glasses. The junior optical staff need more training and higher pay to attract and retain qualified staff. This was a truly painful experience. Had to specifically ask to have focal height measured, and was told that they only do this for bifocals. If you are not going to measure focal height, customers may as well just order glasses online in a fraction of the time. read more

Our family remain loyal Costco optical patrons. Tip: go early so you won't end up waiting in a long line. Their frames hold up well and they have a good selection and offer some great deals when purchasing multiple pairs. We've never had to wait more than a week for our eyewear and will continue to buy from costco and this store. read more

This optical staff is a bunch of rude and slow persons . Their service is so poor . I recommend not to go in Costco Optical .... I had a problem with my eye glass frame . I bought by $200 but no body help me change it in very next week..... THE EYE DOCTOR IS VERY NICE AND GOOD PROFESSIONAL PERSON read more

The wait time is up to 2 hours- kid you not. I'm an executive member (which gets me nothing related to this department) & I've come here 2 days in a row & waited almost 2 hours each day. I keep having to leave due to other commitments. They are extremely understaffed at peak hours (lunch & after). Unfortunately, my glasses broke & I need to get them repaired. On the other hand, the REAL reason to come here (anyway) is not just the selection of frames (mine are Fendi, Burberry and Michael Kors- all awesome) and cost (about 1/4 of what I'm used to paying for prescription progressive lens eyeglasses), BUT the staff!! They are superb. Fantastic people, so nice and personable, understanding & thoughtful, plus great at their jobs. Could one ask for any more? Yes, a better system so that members don't have to wait several hours to be assisted. read more

Wow the wait is soo long!! And they stand around acting like they are "busy"! I just watched two employees totally just walk away from the optical area....they went from four employees to two in a blink of an eye. Then 10 mins later one employee comes back, stands around and texts on her phone and talks to another employee casually as if there isn't a long line of impatient customers waiting around, then walks away again... Umm...I guess Costco pays them to do nothing. Bad customer service read more

Yes, the lines are long, but it's Costco, lines to park, lines to get in, lines for returns, lines to check out and lines for gas. However, you'll never find a pair of decent quality prescription glasses any cheaper. They also have designer frames, which aren't that expensive either. The turnaround time for your new glasses could be as little as 3 to 5 days, as their lab is in Fremont. Make sure you take a number and don't walk away. You'll never know how long it will take, and I mean NEVER. A few times I've gone close to closing time, another good time to show up, and I got service right away!! Again, you'll never know how long it'll take. Did I say N E V E R??!! Today I went to pick up my sunglasses on the day after Memorial Day, which gets pretty crowded because they are closed for this holiday, and I waited.....wait for it....45 SECONDS!!! They were serving number 20 and I was number 21 but they had just finished with number 20. The next time I went to get the sunglasses adjusted, I waited 17 minutes. So, don't be turned off by the wait. Waiting in lines is part of life, this one often happens to be one of the longer ones. I've always been satisfied with my glasses and the prescriptions. If you're not, they will remake them at no charge. Again, best deal ever for glasses. I don't think the staff is slow, it just takes time for EVERY customer to be waited on, measured for their glasses and the order completion time (paying) even takes a few minutes. Some folks are just getting their glasses adjusted, which takes very little time. Watch out for the sales in this department when you can get a discount of $40 off a second pair of glasses. This is great when you need to order regular and sunglasses. People crack me up. They will wait in line for hours for BRUNCH but get upset that Costco has lines!! Costco=lines. read more

The optometrist wrote my prescription incorrectly, he wrote a plus instead of a minus. Glad I caught it and asked for a revision.

Went to Costco Optical Department couple days ago and wanted to look at their contact lenses. I asked the sales lady who was sitting down behind the counter about their contact lenses and their prices. She pointed with her finger and said "the contact lenses are behind the glass door and I can't get those out for you" and I said ok, what are your prices on the contact lenses? And she said "the prices are on the wall next to the contact lenses" and then she turned around and started chatting with her co-worker.The lady who was sitting down behind the counter, was rude and very unprofessional. I was about to buy their contact lenses but I decided not to because I'm not flatterd with their customer service and they just lost their customer. I rather go to the optical department at Costco SF soma district instead. At least they have better services. read more

I guess it is all in the timing with Costco Optometry? I brought my eye glssses/spectacles/lunettes distance prescription to Costco on a Saturday morning with The Mother. As soon as I took a number, #15, it was called. Superb! A nice specialist named Sabrina helped me. She took measurements on what eyewear sizes would fit moi. She advised me to seek out sizes 51-53. When I was scouting the racks sometime ago, a long long time ago, there were a lovely pair of Sophia Loren frames thst caught my eye. And guess what--they were there and they were in the advised size range of 52. To cut this long story short, it was between the Sophia Loren and another name brand. The Mother did not like the look of the earpieces on the other frames. She liked the Sophia Loren frames better, much to my delight. Sophia Loren it was! Ciao Bella! We were advised it would take about two weeks for them to be ready. Sunday evening I got an automated voicemail that my new lunettes were ready. So Monday afternoon, The Mother and I high-tailed to Costco to pick up them up a long with a few things. As soon as I grabbed a number again, I was next to be attended to. A very sweet optical specialist named Sandra attended to us. I was so excited to get them. Sandra tested my lunettes for distance. Read the eye chart and some signage nearby. And when reading the the card, what was the smallest could I read at my normal distance? It was the smallest fine print. Sandra was quite impressed, not many people could read that smallest line. When I saw the "20/20" next to that there fine print, I was thrilled. And Sandra clued me in on the secret of looking up for far distance and down for near distance. We placed an order for reading glasses for me with "Office lenses" for reading books, computer screens, tablets, and eReaders. I was disappointed they were out of the Ray Ban styles. Sandra picked out a few suggestions in the size range, they were okay yet nothing made me go "Wowsa!" The Mother picked a pair of lunette frames giving me a more scholarly look. We were advised they would be ready in about two weeks' time though might be much sooner. I wore my new Sophia Loren lunettes while picking up a few things shopping at Costco. And wore them while driving home too. The Mother advised me to use my old spectacles for reading until the new pair arrives. I was disheartened upon reading the reviews here for Costco Optical. I did not encounter nor have any problems like that were mentioned amongst the reviews. I guess it is all in the matter of timing. Be prepared to wait if it is on the weekend, unless it is early morning. Come during the weekday, if it is possible to do so. The service is personalized and the specialists take the time to help their customers. I guess it is all in the timing, and I am quite happy with the professional care and service I got here. Perfectly Keane, I say: https://youtu.be/gRLv6zvyE48 read more

It seems that the biggest complaint is the wait time. Although the long wait times are frustrating I just go in there expecting to wait awhile. I bring a book, or use a book from their book and magazine section. I noticed they recently set up a bench for people to wait. I have been going to Costco Optical for at least 15 years, filling my eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions. (They only take HARD contact lens RX from the Costco eye doc, Dr. Nosoff). The prices can not be beat, especially with my very strong eye RXs. Much cheaper than Kaiser. The staff has always been thoughtful, patient and helpful. They spend the time they need to get your eyeglass fitting just right and offer suggestions. When I was interested in a pair of large frames they encouraged me not to get them because I would end up paying a hefty price for an excess amount of lenses. They also check for frames that fit your face----eyes close or far together, shape of your face, etc. They will also adjust your frames when they get bent----which mine used to I now have a pair of flexible frames---I love them---the lenses never pop off. I think the long wait time issue is something Costco needs to address. The staff is spread thin because of the long hours the Optical Dept is open. The staff needs their breaks and lunch/dinners. Often there is only 1 or 2 staff members working at certain hours. So the trade off is a long wait time and cheaper glasses or contacts VS a short wait time and more expensive glasses and contacts at Kaiser or other optical stores. I agree 100% with MS's review, "The entire Costco Optical staff is personal, thoughtful, responsive, and most have been there for years. Every one pays full attention to each customer (which is why there is often a wait)." read more

Extremely slow workers, with no sense of urgency. You will waste a lot of time here waiting, took 3 employees 1 hour to help 3 people.

makes too many excuses instead of trying to fix the legs to my mom's glasses. They told us to wait while they consult with some other staffs to see if there are other alternative to solve the issue so we waited for 20 minutes. 15 minutes later, still nothing so we patiently waited. Still problem did not get fix. such a wasted of time, and money. She barely wears it ...because the legs are loose and keeps sliding down. Not only that but it hurts. They tighting it too much that it rubs against her ears yet still loose enough to be able to slide down. enough said - has horrible customer service would not take my mom here ever !!! if I can give 0 star. I would ! read more

I've been here twice: once to order contacts and once to pick them up. First time, I had to wait 25 minutes to talk to someone. Longer than I had hoped, but maybe they were just particularly busy at the time. OK, whatever... Second time, I stood in the contacts pickup line behind one person. A staff member addressed the person in front of me after about a 5 minute wait. It took another 10 minutes for her just to FIND his order. Then the lone staff member called a number for the next person waiting even though it would have taken 20 SECONDS (well maybe not) to get my contacts. I waited an additional 20 minutes until two more staff members showed up. They had a 10 minute conversation right in front of me while I stood there patiently. LITERALLY WITHIN TWO FEET. One of them leaves and the other goes and calls the next number. W...T...F! I wait another 10 minutes and finally get to ask for my contacts. How long did it take them to find my order and hand to me? A whopping 20 seconds. The staff here is not only incompetent at working in optometry, but have a total disregard for customer satisfaction. BUT I can definitely say this isn't the case at every Costco. The experiences I've had at the optometry dept at Costcos in Concord and Santa Cruz were EXCELLENT. Do you want to be served by a bunch of sloths?? NO. NEVER AGAIN. I'm going to try SF next time. read more

I came across a set of designer frames that I loved and no store carried. Before they even arrived, I began shopping around for lenses and my usual go to (Lenscrafters) quoted me $315 for their top of the line, lightweight, anti-reflective lenses. It was more than usual because I did not purchase the frames through them. I then asked friends and family if they've had any experience with Costco Optical and the short answer was no. I came in, got a number, and waited a good 30 minutes and asked whether they could put lenses in my Burberry glasses and the answer was yes but there would be a $15 surcharge because I did not purchase the frames through them, which was fine. As for the lenses, they have 3 tiers: plastic, mid-grade (lightweight, anti-reflective), and their top of the line. I was quoted $65, $85, $115 respectively. I found the price to be a great deal compared to other optical retailers. Once I received my frames by mail, I went down to Costco 30 minutes before closing on a Saturday and had no wait and was quickly assisted my staff member. Leo was very knowledgeable about the products they carried and quickly filled my lens order. All that was needed was a copy of my prescription from my optometrist. He then rang me up and the total came to a little over $100. I began to ask what tier of lenses he was charging me for and he responded with the mid grade. I then asked what about the top tier lens and after explaining the pros and cons, he personally recommended the mid grade, lightweight, anti-reflective lens for my prescription. Furthermore, I asked him what type of lens was used on my current glasses from Lenscrafters and after examining them, he responded with the mid grade lens. I was sold. I was quoted 10 business days for arrival. Five business days later, I received a call from Costco that my frames were in and ready for pickup. Great turnaround time. Upon picking them up, they were test fitted and were contoured for my ears. As for the lenses? 1080p HD clear. I've been asked many times already if I have lenses in my glasses and my response is always of course I do. I've come to prefer these frames and lenses over anything I've ever had. Thank you to the Costco Optical team especially Leo. read more

Don't waste your money, they don't stand behind their products. Glasses broke after normal wear and tear, four months after purchase. They won't help. No replacement or fixing the product. What a waste!!! read more

Dr Ian Nossoff: 7 stars Optometry department: 3 stars only due to the wait time, but otherwise 5 stars. The price is exceptional. read more

Price is 4- star Selection 3.5-star Service 3.5-star I went in to get two pairs of glasses.. One designer and the others were transitions. The wait to make my order took at least 45 minutes.. Some people in line even left because it took so long.. Once your number gets called, it's really a hit or miss with the staff.. You might get someone who is nice or someone who is just ready to go home.. Regardless most of them know what they are doing. Kaiser optical has a better selection of designer glasses, but definitely not with Costco prices. One thing I didn't like was that when your glasses are ready they don't come together so you will get two seperate calls.. I didn't know this so I had to come twice to pick up. Also you have to take a number when you are just picking up glasses... Good luck! read more

I get my prescription glass every year at Costco today I had the worse experience today. The person helped me did not allow me to ask question. Had attitude toward showing glasses and if this review is viewing by Costco member I will happy to provide name. I understand this is COVID time and don't except to have same service as last year but at least a little respect would be nice. read more

Ditto on 7 Stars for Dr. Nossoff, the optometrist with his office beside the Optical department. The optical department at Costco is busy and there can be long waits, but the prices are very good. Shout-out to Denzel in the Optical department. He was patient, polite, offered many options, and he helped find frames that get many compliments. read more

Went into Costco for 3 pairs of glasses today. There was a bit of a wait but they had 4 people working. Stephanie went above and beyond to take care of all my concerns and needs. She spent a lot of time and was extremely patient. Can't wait to get my new glasses!! read more

Unprofessional and rude they don't even help customer rush them out! Highly disappointed!

While I normally get my glasses at Kaiser, I found that I needed new glasses before my benefit kicked in. So, in my guise of always looking for a bargain, I listened to some friends and went to Costco. They had a moderately small collection of frames, but I found one that I liked and then waited for my turn to be fitted. There were 2 staff on duty, but one left for a break while I was waiting. My number was finally called and I was fitted by a young woman who seemed to have enough basic training to handle the job. After paying for various upgrades and the frames, I'm not sure that I saved any money vs Kaiser, but the glasses are fine and do the job. I think, however, that next time I will go somewhere else where I am treated in a less mechanical manner and deal with staff who have more experience. read more

I bought my last pair of glasses at Costco about 4 years ago, and they've been by far the worst pair of glasses I've ever had. Costco got high marks from Consumer Reports, and I found the prices to be great and service to be acceptable. But the quality of their product is far inferior. You get what you pay for. My prescription is moderate to high so I went with polycarbonate lenses to minimize thickness. When I received my pair and tried them on, the peripheral vision was HORRIBLE. Compared to my previous pair, the lenses were incredibly blurry with chromatic separation on the edge of the lenses. They convinced me to take them home to get used to it, but after a week I couldn't take it anymore. I took the glasses back and convinced them to replace the lenses with high-index instead, thinking maybe that was the problem. Two weeks later I come back and pick up my replacement high-index lenses. OK, these weren't as bad, but still not as good as my old lenses. Probably halfway in-between. I've had these lenses since then, and I'm still pretty dissatisfied with the lens quality. That wasn't the end of my issues though. I also got the anti-reflective coating added to my lenses. After a year of mild use (I wear contacts 90% of the time, and glasses mostly at night), the lens coating began peeling off at the edges. It is very obvious and looks awful. The frame quality also proved to be very poor. The nose bridge and hinges have both had areas of paint chipping off. Also, about a year ago, the right nose pad broke off. The rubber had just disintegrated and fell apart. So as a little summary of my experience: + Inexpensive + Customer service is decent - Poor quality lenses (both poly and high-index) - Cheap anti-reflective coating peels off - Frames proved to have poor build quality (these were Bulova brand) Don't think you're getting a deal at Costco Optical. They've cut corners on cost. All of my previous glasses have lasted me for years. After a year, my Costco pair had to go back on the shelf as a backup only. read more

So many people kept telling me to go to Costco because they're so great for eyeglasses. They were all from SF- maybe it's a better experience there. As much as I love Costco, I won't be using their eyeglasses department. I went in a couple weeks ago and there were two people working at the counter, then none, then usually one. There were two ticket machines. There were around 20 people standing around waiting with numbers. Apparently, people were taking tickets from both. I was lucky and chose the right one. When there are a ton of people waiting, it's not very clear that at one end of the counter the tickets are for picking up orders (it should say that on the ticket dispenser- not above your head), and the other for getting new glasses and prescriptions. When I came in, they were on number two. After 30 minutes, they got to number six. (half the numbers they called had left, clearly tired of waiting.) However, there were two number sixes. For some reason the person at the counter couldn't figure out that each person had taken a ticket at a different dispenser, and the customers figured it out after five or ten minutes. (Is this a new system?) I had a couple of pairs of glasses in my hands, and so far had been waiting forty minutes to ask if what they had was the only color of the model out there (because there was only one color per model for every pair of glasses, and most places have all colors out). I went on yelp to see if there was somewhere else nearby, and was horrified (ok, that's a little dramatic...annoyed) to see that this is a common experience. People were saying they waited an hour every time they came to pick up their glasses or contacts that were pre ordered! Sorry, but that's not worth saving a few bucks...maybe the first time...So, I was another person who disappeared when they eventually called my number. Turns out theres a place nearby with 5 stars (so rare on yelp, we can be picky picky and like to kvetch), that has great prices. I plan on going there next week when the holidays are over with. read more

Sandra and Ken are awesome!! I love this costco optical. It runs smoothly and in a timely manner. Thanks you guys!

Customer service is outrageously slow - excruciatingly slow - no matter when you go. As if it's the policy. And when you finally get help, it's minimal, like the person is putting their life on hold to do you a favor. At an otherwise very good place to shop, the optical department stands out as a disgrace. read more

Come on Costco - I take a break from work & wait over an hour to pick up glasses? Unacceptable.

The wait = 1 star. Tooooo long. There is absolutely NO reason why anyone should have to wait and 1-1/2 for anything. I've learned to go find a store manager who can pull help from employees outside of optical. Quite frankly, the staff should wave a red flag when they see they are that backed-up...but they don't, I guess becuase they're just too dogone busy. The product = 3 stars. Can't beat the Costco standard; reasonable prices. The staff = 2 stars. They aren't the friendliest people, I think mainly because they are fried trying to help a million people in an hour. This isn't thier fault, it is Costco Richmond's fault for not hiring the staff to assist with supply and demand. I beleive this is true, because when I'm in other "Posh" locations (BTW Richmond is considered the hood store - don't judge me for saying that, I live here in the hood) ...I get quality, quick service and a smile. read more

Costco is so great and affordable at so many things but they really drop the ball with their optical department. They have numbers, which is good if there's a wait, but if you're not there when they call your number, you get to start over. I was there on a "slow day" and there was a 20 minute wait with only a few people waiting. There were two very stressed out people trying to get the job done. Ok, so they were very prompt about telling me that the frames I ordered were on back order. I have VSP so went somewhere else instead, for half the price. Not sure what their issues are but they could use some management consulting. read more

Stopped by and asked if they could clean my glasses and a lovely pleasant lady named Linh cleaned them for me. I also mentioned to her that they were always crooked on my face. She had me try on the glasses a few times and took a few min to adjust them. Learned something new from her today! My glasses were intentionally crooked in order to be level on my face! Best advice? Always let the eyeglass people do the adjustments! No wonder things were fuzzy! Now I can see better! Thanks Linh! read more