KANEKO OPTICAL: its work and people

During our interview Kozai quietly asks, between questions, "Am I really communicating what I want to say?"
Looking uneasy, she slowly opens a notebook, revealing a summary of what she wants to say in this interview. "I don't have much experience with this kind of thing, and I'm not very confident I'll be able to convey what I want, so I've written it down in advance" (laughs). "Compared to the eyeglass craftsmen and designers you've interviewed so far, my story is probably pretty shallow. But my position itself gives me something to say, so I've come prepared." This perfectly expresses Ms. Kozai's personality. She's nervous, and she worries, so she's always super-prepared. And she thinks ahead. As a professional saleswoman, this is her biggest strength.

KANEKO OPTICAL's store is in the Kashiwa Takashimaya Station Mall, a commercial complex within the station building. Store manager Kumiko Kozai is in her seventh year with the company, where she first joined as a part-timer and was later promoted to full employee status. In the fall of 2019 she became assistant store manager, rising to store manager the following year. "I think it was about 3 months after I joined as a part-timer that I met President Kaneko for the first time. I declared to him on the spot: 'I am going to be store manager.' He wasn't someone I would easily meet, so I thought, 'it's now or never.' President Kaneko told me, 'You don't have to rush -- the youth have the energy!' (laughs). I'm embarrassed when it I think of it now." But she wasn't going to leave her future to fate. She really wanted to be a store manager. In fact, she felt she must become one.

The year was 2015. After working for 3 years at a major prepared food manufacturer which operated primarily in department store basement food emporiums, Kozai moved to KANEKO OPTICAL. "To be honest, I was torn, because at the time a condition of employment was that for the first year I could only work part-time . After 4 years of college, I had managed to get a job at a good company, but I was leaving that job, and now I felt apologetic to my parents to be working part-time. So if I was going to work at Kaneko, I had to become not just a regular employee, but a store manager. That was a pretty strong feeling."

There's a big reason Kozai chose KANEKO OPTICAL. On her day off, a year before she made the move, she had taken her mother shopping at the Kashiwa Takashimaya Station Mall. Without no particular goal in mind, they walked into the KANEKO OPTICAL store. "I'd mainly worn contact lenses when I went out, and I always had a negative impression of eyeglasses. No matter what glasses I tried on, they made me look boring, or like a school teacher" (laughs). But the glasses here were totally different. My feelings changed 180 degrees. Thanks to my new love of glasses, I also became more interested in clothes, and since then when I think about my appearance I start with the glasses. After I had my first pair made, I got another 3 or 4 pairs in the year that followed. That's how hooked I was!" 

Kozai was attracted to the products, but even more to the store itself. Why were conversations between store employees and customers so comfortable and easy? Even though she really didn't plan to buy glasses when she came in, what made her come to think, as she talked to the salesperson, "Oh! I do want these…should I buy them?" It really was a magical effect, and for Kozai, who had already observed so many retail shops, the customer approach and product appeal of this store were outstanding. When she began to think about changing jobs, she wondered what kind of company this must be that could present such attractive stores, so when she saw an advertisement for KANEKO OPTICAL on a job search site, she decided to submit an application. 

7 years have passed, and Kozai's status has changed from customer and fan who loved KANEKO OPTICAL, to selling the product, and now to store manager. Still, the scene she idealizes is the KANEKO OPTICAL she envied at her first encounter. "From the time I joined the company, I've always wanted my first customer encounters to be like the one I had back then. In fact that's still true. Nothing makes me happier than to add another customer in the same way. My wish to approach and exceed the amazing quality of the store experience I had back then is one of my guiding principles as store manager." 

Kozai, now in a position to create her own store, still has much she wants to accomplish. One of her biggest missions is to further improve the working environment for female staff. "Actually my toughest time was when I first joined the company. There were a lot men with what I'll call a craftsman's temperament. It wasn't exactly, 'watch us and learn,' but sometimes I got nervous -- it wasn’t clear to me what I could and couldn't do. I was shy about pointing out things I noticed, because I might seem too picky, and I didn't feel I had anyone I could talk to. So when I got into the position of teaching others, I made sure to understand the employee training myself, and I created a list so we could proceed in a planned way. I also kept an eye out for staff facing problems, so they didn't become isolated. There are more women staff now, and I'd like to be able to make good use of lessons from the difficulties I faced after I joined the company." 

Kozai is planning to take maternity leave this fall, and will be away from work for some time. Being in the middle of many new initiatives makes her feel all the more conflicted. This is by no means a simple job. Sometimes a tough mentality is required. She wants to create an environment where colleagues have a shared idea what they like: "I like the glasses here" or, "I like this store" or, "I like the way we approach customers." Kozai won't be changing her thinking on this subject anytime soon. No doubt, KANEKO OPTICAL fan and one-woman warrior Kozai herself is the person who can accomplish this.


PROFILE

Kumiko KOZAI

Born in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture. Lived in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture from the age of 4, and after graduating from a local high school, entered Gakushuin Women's University, majoring in Japanese culture in the Department of International Cultural Exchange. After graduation, Kozai worked for a major prepared food maker, then moved to KANEKO OPTICAL. In 2015 she was assigned to work at the KANEKO OPTICAL Kashiwa Takashimaya Station Mall store, where she took over as store manager in the spring of 2020.