Studies will show that the average American doesn't use all the vacation time allotted to them. Giving them more time won't solve this issue - it's a cultural one. This effect isn't seen in other countries.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Gifts Retail Employees With UrBeats Earphones for the Holidays
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Studies will show that the average American doesn't use all the vacation time allotted to them. Giving them more time won't solve this issue - it's a cultural one. This effect isn't seen in other countries.
What you fail to understand is Christmas (or holiday, whatever you prefer) gifts from your employer are a huge employee morale boost, and adds a feeling of being appreciated and valued. This is just as much a part of employer competition as anything else. People can decide to leave over these things, and that's perfectly acceptable/understandable. Also consider that these gifts (or lack thereof) are a byproduct of the overall company culture / work environment.
Apple doesn't compete well in this regard.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-...-apple-google-and-microsoft-giving-1001024092
I suspect this is only for retail employees. Corporate get different benefits and more bonuses/advantages than retail. More like 40K retail employees which still works out at a lot, but its nothing compared to what some (not all) other companies give.
Just like the employee is RECEIVING not PURCHASING. It's a gift not a hand picked item an employee might currently be looking to purchase. Be thankful and carry on. Today too many people think they should be catered to and that they deserve a lot more than they necessarily do. There is a huge difference between being thankful and being entitled or picky.
Well thats a good point. Many people can be morons.....and that shows in every facet of our daily lives. Why anyone wouldn't take paid time off is beyond me. It is indeed a cultural problem.... it could be because people are shunned for wanting to actually live their lives once in a while.
Im sorry I forgot corporations are people too...and have feelings........
Since when is gift giving a competition? There are literally thousands of ways to make employees happy aside from Christmas/holiday gifts. Could you imagine if families did this kind of garbage? 'Looks like the Smith family will be the happiest on the street this year because they are being given $500 in gifts per family member compared to only $100 per family member by the Johnson household.'
You are cherry-picking comparators.
How do they compare to Fortune 500 companies as a whole? (Fortune 100, Fortune 50, or whatever - take your pick)
Employees are free to leave, in the same manner that employers are free to choose the size of the Christmas bonus, and if they even give one at all. I have several friends that work for Apple in various capacities and I have yet to hear one complain or even make a disparaging remark about any gifts they receive. On the other hand, those that have worked elsewhere have been quite vocal about gifts that they found insulting from other employers.
Recall that Apple is doing it's best to be non-denominational, non-judgemental, etc, and that Christmas is, at its core, a Christian tradition. If you are an employee who is Muslim, Hindu, Jew, Buddhist, etc, would it not be more appropriate for you to receive the gift on a different date? And if concessions are being made in this regard, then what about atheists and agnostics, who may not have corresponding dates to celebrate? Or perhaps Apple should recognize that the New Year in China differs from North America and Europe (which differs again from India), and give New Years gifts at the appropriate times in each region?
Maybe we should just stop complaining and accept that this is a gift that was given in the spirit of generosity. Whether it comes from a company that has lots of cash, or has none shouldn't matter - it's the intent that we should be focusing on.
LOL! Retail Value! More like the original price...Nevermind...I know it's the thought that counts. Apple gift card would have been better just a suggestion.
Retail value and original price are the same thing...
Every time this happens, I face palm hard at the responses around here. It's a gift. Not something that's required. People are so damn ungrateful. There's no need to get into a discussion about company culture or the value of things. Just be thankful and move on. Jesus. Are you guys like this on Christmas morning?! "But mom, you made $40,000 this year and I only get a single PS4!?" C'mon guys, get your heads out of your asses.
Yep. That's just like the richest company in the world, with a product logistics system that is the envy of the industry. Take a headphone that they "can't sell" send it back to the factory and have it re-packaged into something that they can give away to the employees. That wouldn't have cost much, would it?
Or wait. Maybe they looked at the product that they "can't sell" sitting on the shelf and said, "Let's make some more, package them with a special message for our employees, and give them away. That will certainly get rid of that unwanted stock."
Geez. Some people are just either too lazy to think things through, or incapable...
Good thing you are here to let us all know what is appropriate and not appropriate to discuss.
I've worked for several companies, 1 was a retailer & didn't bother with sending its employees a thank you are for the holidays which it just got rich from. The other was a family owned hotel which the GM gave all of the managers a gift & during the holiday party free for all staff, gave away many free gifts to all staff. The gifts ranged in perceived value by a wide range but it was at least the thought of receiving a thank you that was appreciated. A note on these headphones, they were not leftover stock. They came with customized packaging that had specific text on the boxes. This means that Apple had to preorder the product & run a special production of cases with the personalized message & all were the same color. Not a challenge for the owner of the company, but proves that this was a customized & personal gift, not a random sweep of their leftover inventory
Cheers !
Cheers !
Not if you continue to sell the more expansive headphones with a 3.5mm jack.
What is might mean is that a new model of the headphones is about to come out.
Apple is either generous, or dumping stock to to a replacement model/discontinued model.
It amuses me how a planned gift giving from Apple can incite such a flurry of agitated posts from people who aren't (for the most part) affected by this in any way.
See you've got the holiday spirit in full swing already.
You'd make a great corporate PR person. I guess it shouldn't matter either when executives of failing banks
Well considering they gave employees iPhones when they first came out.......and lets not forget Steve Jobs was greedy as hell. He rarely gave to charity. A far cry from Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Mark Zuckerberg.
