Rite Aid eye care pilot abruptly shut down by Florida firm, workers laid off

A Florida company which partnered with Rite Aid to provide in-store vision care kiosks abruptly ceased operations on Saturday.

The decision by Aisle Optical affects 10 Rite Aid locations in Pennsylvania, including Harrisburg area stores on Linglestown Road, Market Street in Harrisburg, Route 15 near Dillsburg and Leader Heights Road near York.

The affected employees are considered independent contractors who had worked for Aisle Optical.

Rite Aid director of public relations Chris Savarese on Monday said Aisle Optical informed Rite Aid it “needed to cease operations.”

He said he didn’t have specific information such as how many workers are affected and referred questions to Aisle Optical.

Ed Weiner, who said he’s the founder of Aisle Optical, said he had no comment.

The vision care services, which included eye exams and sales of eyeglasses and contact lenses, were a pilot launched last fall involving the ten Pennsylvania Rite Aid locations, Savarese said.

A Harrisburg-area resident who worked at one of the kiosks said employees were notified by conference call on Saturday morning the operation would shut down as of the end of the day.

The Harrisburg area worker, who didn’t want to be named, said some workers are owed two weeks pay and it’s unclear whether they will be paid.

On Saturday, workers were told to call customers and ask them to immediately pick up their orders. They were told Aisle Optical would mail orders to customers who didn’t pick them up Saturday.

It was unclear what will happen to orders in the process of being filled at the company’s Florida lab, the worker said.

Savarese said anyone with concerns about their order can call Rite Aid’s customer care line at 800-748-3243.

Cumberland County-based Rite Aid has about 2,500 stores in 18 states.

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