Looks like I've touched a nerve there - I am not attempt to convince anyone the sun shines out of anyones rear - I was just trying to share my view and if "he change jack ****" you are even more unqualified that I am to pass comment on his performance as a CEO.
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Tim Cook on New Retail Chief John Browett: 'The Best by Far'
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Looks like I've touched a nerve there - I am not attempt to convince anyone the sun shines out of anyones rear - I was just trying to share my view and if "he change jack ****" you are even more unqualified that I am to pass comment on his performance as a CEO.
UK Perspectives
All the comments from the UK crew are great and very insightful. Thanks
***Sigh*** I hope Tim knows what he is doing. He is super smart and it's hard to believe he have made what we think (but don't know as fact) is an obvious mistake
Let me just add that I hope Browett lights it up and does a fantastic job. We've all been in positions where those around us have doubted us. Good luck John. Be bold and respect the Apple DNA
All the comments from the UK crew are great and very insightful. Thanks
***Sigh*** I hope Tim knows what he is doing. He is super smart and it's hard to believe he have made what we think (but don't know as fact) is an obvious mistake
Let me just add that I hope Browett lights it up and does a fantastic job. We've all been in positions where those around us have doubted us. Good luck John. Be bold and respect the Apple DNA
Haha, former employee and MacRumors Newbie, are you him, a close relative, etc.? How far removed were you from him in your position?
The proof of Tim's judgement will be 'in the pudding' and we will not know how good he is until we bite into 'the new apple' but hopefully it's just as sweet as the Mackintosh Apple's
we're used to and not a Granny Smith , or worse yet not an Apple at all but a Green Persimmon 
, which many people seem to be associating him with so far before he has done anything.
Lots of companies think that squeezing every last penny out of customers through upgrades and warranties and up-sells is more important than customer satisfaction. If the board says 'increase those metrics over all others,' what do you guess he'll do?
Remember, I'm not saying I know that. I'm just saying that it sure is possible that, yeah, he was told to do things that resulted in poor customer service AND was told that that was ok.
We know those things aren't true at Apple, so IF that was the case over there, it wouldn't translate to Apple.
I really have no idea if this guy is a good choice. But I also know that none of us can know that yet based on the information we have.
Haha, former employee and MacRumors Newbie, are you him, a close relative, etc.? How far removed were you from him in your position?
The proof of Tim's judgement will be 'in the pudding' and we will not know how good he is until we bite into 'the new apple' but hopefully it's just as sweet as the Mackintosh Apple's
MacRumors Newbie because you need an account to post on here and I've never done so before.
As for how far removed I was from his position? Pretty far removed as I worked in store but I was easily able to see the changes he implemented.
Love the fact a lot of people seem to be getting upset when someone shares a different view.
Dixons' stock plunged 8% yesterday on the news he was leaving. Dixons was a basket case when he arrived and he has turned it around, in the midst of the worst recession in 70 years that took out most competitors.
People are complaining that Dixons doesn't have the same level of service as a Nordstrom in the US or John Lewis in the UK. However, compare it to Radioshack or Best Buy in the US, or to competitors in Europe. Dixons has a profitable business in the Nordics and the rest of Europe, and they turned the corner in the UK. It seems like a good choice. Had Apple hired the CEO of Nordstrom or the CEO of John Lewis, I'm guessing people would be complaining that "what does a fashion retailer know about selling iPhones and iPads?"
Ron Johnson will be a tough act to follow, but I think they are off to a good start. On a related note, JC Penney took out a 2-page spread in the Wall Street Journal (and I'm assuming other major papers) with a simple message of bringing "fresh air" into the shopping process. It will be interesting to see how he does there.
But this is the internet. We're all super smart in this alternative universe - that's what makes it fun!
Anyway - I have no doubt he's going to be great but if you'd ever shopped at Dixons you too would find this hilarious! Honestly it's really funny.
My best Dixons experience (and over the years I had a few) was being asked, when something wasn't in stock, why I couldn't wait a few days for them to get it in. I explained that it was for a birthday present and as the birthday was the next day I'd better try somewhere else. The girl behind the counter then announced to the rest of the queue that I was " a *********ing idiot for leaving it so late..."
A relative who works in retail always referred to Dixon's staff as SPO's (Sales Prevention Officers).
What a smug image of him hah, i dont know, im sure there were plenty of people in the wings that would have loved to take on Apple Retail...the experience in the stores now adays is bit off track compared to a few years ago.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)
They didn't bring Ron Johnson in to bring Target in to Apple Stores either.. Everything worked out just fine.
They didn't bring Ron Johnson in to bring Target in to Apple Stores either.. Everything worked out just fine.
Not really, the only reason I've stayed with Apple is because there customer service has been miles above others. If they turned themselves into just another computer outlet they'd sink pretty fast.
Browett makes me worried for Apple Retail. His list of past employers don't speak well for him. I just hope he isn't built along those 80s business ideologies and actually cares about the customers, but regardless, I'm still doubtful Apple Retail will be as great in a year or so's time.
Thanks for providing some information on the company for those of us outside of the UK
. Culture and hire quality are both difficult to shift. Their hires are probably heavily influenced by their budget for labor, and then as I said there's the issue of workplace culture and the accepted practices and attitudes among employees. The thing to look at would be his influences over the direction of the company rather than its isolated present state.I think it is safe to assume that you are an american who has never been to the UK, let alone visited currys, dixons, or comet.
I think we can also assume the same thing about Tim Cook, because if he had, then he would never employ anyone who was ever involved in those stores.
The store revamps were impressive, but have nothing to do with employees providing good customer service.
Selling the insurance policies was big money for DSG, and as a result, their employees were forced to throw it down every customer's throat. There was bonuses for selling the most insurance policies. It didn't matter if you sold the customer the crappest TV in the world, as long as you sold them the 5 year policy, you would be salesman of the week.
Employees were told to only serve customers who were actually going to buy something. Customers just browsing were a waste of time.
Having worked at John Lewis and Currys, the cultural difference between the two is incredible. John Lewis was all about the professional service - if the customer doesn't want to buy it today, make sure you give them the best service possible, and they'll come back. Currys was the complete opposite, force the customer into buying it today.
I worked at John Lewis first for 2 years before working at Currys for a while. I've lost count the number of times I was told off for selling things the "John Lewis way" - which was basically being honest to customers (such as, that TV might cost more, but this cheaper one is actually just as good, all you're doing with that one is paying for the brand).
Customers weren't allowed to just browse either - if you saw a customer, you had to go up and try and instigate a sale. The fact that you had to instigate a sale was the thing that pissed me off most. If the customer wants to buy it, they'll buy it. If they don't, they won't. I hate going into a store to browse and suddenly being pressured to buy something by sales staff.
That is how the DSG stores operate, and how they still do. John Browett changed nothing in terms of customer service and satisfaction. Which is the reason Tim Cook appointed him - so him "saving Dixons from the economic crisis" is kind of irrelevant here.
Miles... I can't believe that you of all people posted that.
You will also have noticed that I ignored it.
He has a proven track record and one to avoid.
He and dixon's et al stand for the opposite of what Apple
represents, excellence vs creepdom.
Sure give him a job, in the packing room. If he can be re-programmed then move him to concierge.
Has Tim Cook ever been to any of these stores ?
Forgive them Steve (not) for they know not what they do.
He and dixon's et al stand for the opposite of what Apple
represents, excellence vs creepdom.
Sure give him a job, in the packing room. If he can be re-programmed then move him to concierge.
Has Tim Cook ever been to any of these stores ?
Forgive them Steve (not) for they know not what they do.
I think part of this is cultural between the US and UK. Customers in the US are more used to sales people approaching them. Even at a high end store like Nordstrom (known for its customer service) you will be greeted and "helped," though much less aggressively. When I lived in the UK, it took some getting used to. The first time I went to a department store looking to buy something, I stood around restlessly waiting for someone to appear. I almost wanted to wave my credit card around and shout "helloooo!" but then I finally saw and approached a sales person.
that said, the Apple Store experience is a little bit more like the traditional UK experience in that you are rarely approached by a sales person. Part of this is deliberate, but I think another part of it is that there are so many people that the sales staff can't get to everyone.
I think an American walking into a Dixons store would be far less put off than the posters from the UK here.
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True, though Target also owned Dayton's, Hudson's, and Marshall Field's at the time, which were high end stores known for customer service (and sadly are now part of the bland Macy's chain).
Funny....it was around 2007 that Tesco changed for the better. Before that they were loosing a huge marketshare to Asda/Walmart. After 2007 they started the agressive Tesco Local program.
So thats two large companies that under Browett, didn't do too well. Lets hope he'll either change for the better, or be booted out pretty quickly.
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They are both doing EXTREMELY well compared to Dixon Group
So thats two large companies that under Browett, didn't do too well. Lets hope he'll either change for the better, or be booted out pretty quickly.
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They are both doing EXTREMELY well compared to Dixon Group
Further, I came to realise it was daft to question their hiring him purely on the basis of the terrible reputation DGS has in the UK. It's been bad for decades, and he was only there from 2007. One man can't turn that around in 4 years. There must be more to him, and he's not going to single-handedly poison Apple's entire retail line.
The Dixon's guy's gonna go home and tell his family...
"you will never know what job i've just blagged"
"you will never know what job i've just blagged"
