Apple Store Worker Tells Us What It's Really Like Working For Apple

Megalith

Megalith

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What’s it like to wear the blue t-shirt? An Apple Store employee tells it all in this lengthy interview, where he claims it’s easier to get into Harvard than work at Apple retail.

There’s generally an uncomfortable customer interaction for an employee at least once a day, which will need the manager to intervene. For the Genius Bar it’s higher. I had a friend who was working on the accessories wall and a customer literally pushed her. I have had death threats before. I had someone, I can’t even remember why — it may have been an out-of-warranty fix — who told me that because we wouldn’t repair it for free that they would wait outside until I finished work to run me down with their car.
 
Not really surprising considering, while they may be forced to smile and look happy, probably 95% of Apple retail store employees are truly miserable bastards the majority of the time.
 
Tiberian said:
Not really surprising considering, while they may be forced to smile and look happy, probably 95% of Apple retail store employees are truly miserable bastards the majority of the time.
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It has to be hard; but it's like working for pretty much most big companies. The deck is stacked against you, and you know that the company engages in false advertising to get every cent from it's customers, all while using fine print and excluding wording in EULA's to screw the customer after the sale. I know, there ARE some good companies out there that back up their products and services, but when you look at all the news stories that come out showing, make 'BUYER BEWARE' still a very important thing to remember, it's a very bad indicator that there are still way too many crooks running businesses today. Apple is one of them. Decent products, in general the iphone will work, but you'd better have the money for a brand new computer to go with it, because every new device needs the newest version of itunes too or it won't work right, and the sales team aren't allowed to tell you that. Then of course the apps that update themselves on older i devices and then won't run anymore, and you can't get the old version back. And with all the money they take in, why does itunes still suck? That's a perfect example of a big company like that screwing it's customers, and the poor retail employees get stuck on the receiving end of the customer's wrath.
 
Now I just laugh whenever I hear the word Apple. When I am not shaking my head that is.
 
Poor baby. It is like that in every retail store. You are not going to advance to 100,000 dollars a year. Making 10 to 14 USD (He said 8 funny money per hour,don't know if it was euros or pounds) an hour is very good for retail.

And I never got any stock or store discount.
 
I'm work retail (as a manager no less!) and I wouldn't touch Apple as far as I could throw them. Any company that makes you sign a non-disclosure agreement for a retail position before you actually start working for them is not really a company you should want to work for. You can pretty much guarantee that they are hiding some very dubious practices, which are wrapped up in a very cult-like atmosphere. The feedback thing is unreal. You have to give specific feedback at least once a day? Feedback has it's time and it's place, and forcing people to do it has the complete opposite effect. No staff incentives other than a slightly higher basic rate of pay (Especially with the new minimum wage coming in) and some discount on product (Product which will literally cost them 5% or less of the retail price to have manufactured and shipped from China)?

This is the second richest company on the planet, and they still don't understand that incentivising staff through profit sharing will actually make them more money?

Wow...
 
Working retail in any form sucks. Especially when you have to work with Type A's.
 
Pretty good interview.
My cousin is a Mac Pro or whatever it is called at the local Best Buy. He's been there for nearly 13 years. Can't drive due to vision impairment. He gets sent up to Cinci every year for new training that is put on by Apple. He hates Apple products, with the exception being his iPhone. It helps him out with his disability. He has stated many times that it is all brainwashing on a whole 'nother level, and that the majority of people buying their products are exactly the "Facebook and flash games" kind of people. They want to look trendy. Having overpriced shit that you don't use is still the "in" thing.
 
Kalabalana said:
A lot of people are not good at retail.
Either that or the Apple audience just draws more disgusting people.
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That's what happens when you promote your product as perfect and market it to self-centered narcissistic people who think they are better than anyone else because they have your product.
 
nutzo said:
That's what happens when you promote your product as perfect and market it to self-centered narcissistic people who think they are better than anyone else because they have your product.
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Indeed. What's so funny about that at the same time though is old people and millennials are their target customers. Older people are usually pretty chill, but the other group.. they are supposed to be all PC and safe-zone and no hurt feelings, blah blah blah. Yet, they are so full of themselves at the same time. The youngsters don't get the irony of their ways.
 
LDDazron said:
This is the second richest company on the planet, and they still don't understand that incentivising staff through profit sharing will actually make them more money?
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This is Apple. They don't need to incentivize employees to sell. Apple customers coming into the store already know they are going to buy a product, it's the whole market strategy of Apple to make their products seem like a luxury that people want to come in and buy.
 
alxlwson said:
He has stated many times that it is all brainwashing on a whole 'nother level, and that the majority of people buying their products are exactly the "Facebook and flash games" kind of people. They want to look trendy. Having overpriced shit that you don't use is still the "in" thing.
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I was staying at the Hoxton at Holborn hotel in London a few weeks ago. The Lobby there has 90Mbps free wi-fi and it was full of hipsters all nursing one latte from 8am till 8pm. All of them sat there with identikit Macbooks (Pro and Air) and Apple Watches. Just soo individual. I made a point of looking at what these people were doing in the weekday between 9 and 5. Working on some important report? Coding some amazing software? Editing some crucial video?

Nope.

It was all all Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.

Guys....just buy a Chromebook and then you'll be able to afford your own broadband, plus I'll be able to sit down and have a beer as a hotel guest should be able to!
 
In my retail business, as soon as the customer uses profanity to my employees - sales / customer service is over. Thanks for stopping by, dont ever come back. Online and in person.
 
Krab said:
Is this a joke?

You could be the most knowledgeable, social, attentive and effective retail worker in history and people will still treat you like garbage.
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Some people can deal with bad ugly people, most cannot
 
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