1-800 Contacts reviews

3.8

69% would recommend to a friend

(636 total reviews)
avatar

John Graham

82% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

1-800 Contacts has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 636 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The 1-800 Contacts employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

636 reviews
5.0
Mar 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I could talk for hours and hours about why I love this company (and if you run into me in person, you'll likely find me doing just that) but the top 5 reasons I love 1-800 Contacts are: 1. They care about people. The people that work there, and their customers. They go above and beyond for their own and show up when it matters most. Just one example; my dad passed away unexpectedly this last year, and I had more than 20 1-800 Contacts co-workers show up to my dad's -- who they've never met -- funeral. 2. They truly value work life balance. I have worked here for almost a decade, in multiple different roles, with different time off strategies and have never been unable to take the time off that I've needed. 3. When other companies in the valley were having layoffs, 1-800 Contacts was giving dividend payouts. This included anyone, full-time and part-time, who has been with the company more than 3 months. And we still have stock in the company today. 4. The leadership is top notch. Our CEO is open and honest and doesn't sugar coat things. He can explain complex issues simply AND he's one of the nicest people on the planet that cares about making a difference. 5. There is a place for everyone. Want to climb the corporate ladder? 1-800 is the place. They care about your development and will help you get where you want to go. Want to work and go to school? 1-800 is the place. They'll even help cover tuition. Want to have a part-time split shift so you can be a parent and have a extra income? 1-800 is the place. They'll help you find a schedule that fits your home life. No company is perfect, but 1-800 Contacts is pretty close.

Cons

They care so much about feedback and sometimes forget they can't please everyone.

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1-800 Contacts Response
3mo
This comment was truly a joy to read. Thank you for taking the time to share such detailed thoughts on your experience with us. At SeekWell, our goal has always been to foster a culture where people feel genuinely valued, supported, and empowered to do their best work. Hearing that your experience reflects those values means so much to us. We want to thank you for an incredible ten years, what a big milestone! There's no doubt that your commitment and contributions have played a role in our success. We look forward to many more years working together.
1.0
May 3, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Note: All of these pro's are also cons. Nothing here is given without ulterior motive. They will suck you in with talks of commission, free gym, discounted chef meals, great company events, discounts on the company product, agent empowerment which is basically giving you the ability to be in control while on the phones. They love to boast about what a great positive attitude the company has, how everyone here is friends, and how many people have found their spouses here which really does appeal to the young 20 year old LDS demographic they target in hiring. I honestly believe the CEO is a borderline genius-- but you will see why I think this in the cons section.

Cons

Let's break down why this company offers the perks they do and how it benefits the company and, ultimately, robs you of your livelihood. Free Gym, discounted meals- These are great perks at first- until you realize that a limited amount of the meals are discounted and then the price goes up. They fail to mention this and so you find yourself paying way more than anticipated. Not to mention all purchases are just deducted from your paycheck, that way they can give you 'discounted food' and also pay you less. In addition I betcha if you looked at their overhead of how much these meals actually cost, they are not losing any money by doing this. Gym? It's about dependency. Why would you want to leave a company if you have to go buy a gym membership, too? It is a cheap way to keep you from leaving. Commission--it's a lie. You don't get commission, period. They wait until the end weeks of training to let you know that they have a bonus structure for only top performers and you can earn up to $3 extra an hour if you hit these metrics. Crunch the numbers and you will find if they even gave you 1% commission on every sale (no company gives only 1%), you would make way more money. The bonus structure is designed to make you work harder for less but still feel like you are being paid fairly. Very, very, very smart. Agent empowerment- they talk about how you have the power to give discounts and such to customers at your own discretion. It's totally true. But the purpose of this is quite sinister- it is to make you feel as though you have control and a real stake in the company. If we are actually empowered, why is there no option to own a legitimate share of the company? Because that would be far too expensive. It is easier to let you give $20 discounts to customers and give you the delusion that you are somehow responsible for if someone buys a product or not. Factor in the money they are saving by not giving you real commission and they have a cushy overhead to give you this 'empowerment'. Dependency- the culture of this company, and you will hear them talk about it a lot, is to identify people pleasers and those with co-dependency tendencies. The perks are offered of low cost to the company and perceived as high value to the employees even though they are not. The activities the company puts on are emphasized because they would actually love if your only friends and your spouse were within the company- it makes it harder to leave the company. The fact that you were hand picked by the company is not actually a complement- they profile people using a psychological assessment and only hire the most agreeable people. Anyone who they believe may speak out and ask questions is eliminated, which is why their training classes are full of young kids who don't know anything. I originally thought they were ageist, but now I think it's more about the idea that young people will be easier to control. Their culture of positive attitude is actually just active thought suppression. You cannot disagree with people here or challenge higher ups. You cannot even vent or admit if you are having a bad day. It is a carefully crafted illusion to make you believe everyone else here is happy, so why aren't you? Majority of employees are just putting on a fake face due to inability to be honest. It is true psychological warfare. Don't forget that upon hiring, there is no promised time off. You earn 15 minutes every 40 hours you work and they rely on this ridiculous point system that basically if you have an unexpected sick day you are the person who is penalized. So if you ever need time off that is not 3 weeks in advanced, forget about it. They want old dedicated workerbees to whom work is their main concern. The CEO manages to make a profit by exploiting employees in the ways listed above in conjunction with a long list of SLAPP lawsuits where their main goal is to bankrupt their competitors. That's what the floor of legal team is for. With these two money making strategies, of course they can afford to give their customers discounts....all on your back!

1.0
Jan 23, 2019

Don't waste your time, because they don't value yours.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

They put on a really good face, and act like they care about their employees but in all reality they could care less about you. They get you with all the free incentives like an onsite gym, and free soda, and subsidized meals, and events. But I will tell you from 3 years of experience, it is NOT worth it.

Cons

The people department is a complete joke. They "strive" to be there for all of their employees but they are just one big clique and they want to be the top department in the company when they honestly do the least amount of work. And don't bother trusting your designated business partner, because they throw around "team evaluations" like candy and claim that your answers are Anonymous and Confidential, so when you are honest about your manager and the legitimate issues they pose when it comes to being a manager, they fire you 2 hours later, instead of coaching the manager on how they could actually manage a team. Also, growth here is impossible. The only way you move anywhere is if you are a part of the boys club. Expierence and work ethic doesn't mean a damn thing here, it is 110% all about who you know. Their pay is also garbage, they claim to make up for it by all the free things, but yet it doesn't come close to evening out. And don't expect much from your yearly review, you can be a top performer in any department and you'll get a whopping $0.06 raise. Wow, thanks Contacts. This company is a complete joke and a half.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 636 Reviews

Glassdoor has 646 1-800 Contacts reviews submitted anonymously by 1-800 Contacts employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if 1-800 Contacts is right for you.