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Apple Introduces Major Retail Changes, Including New Pro-Level Positions and Credo

I enjoyed my time as an Apple Store Genius, but they're truly lousy to their retail employees. The moment I left Apple I doubled my salary (and got 9-5 weekday hours) as an IT engineer... two years later I'm a team lead managing a small group. None of this would have happened at Apple retail, they rarely recognize their talent or promote for the right reasons.
 
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Cineplex said:
Anytime a liquid indicator is added to a product, it is added to save money. It is there to save Apple money from fixing something caused by intentional damage. Why else put it there? And based on this AppleCare document, I can safely reach the conclusion that it is there exclusively to save Apple money and deny customer repairs. I worked for Apple in AppleCare support and I can tell you from experience Apple is very interested in denying service for intentional damage.
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Who the hell wouldn't be interested in denying INTENTIONAL damage?
 
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truthertech said:
You are free to disparage the many men and women who currently run Apple retail stores-,
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Whom did I disparage, exactly? I stand by my statement that the current retail leadership did not build up the Apple store and its brand; the majority of them as long gone. The current bunch seem be riding the wave created by their predecessors. The changes they are making lately--from dropping products to nonsensical stuff like mind-numbing credos and absurd job titles--seem bad or inconsequential IMO, but time will tell. I'm not in retail so my opinion may be uninformed, but I am a customer and I know what I like and what will make me happy. None of this crap accomplishes that.
but even though folks come and go, and over the past fifteen years, their retail leadership team has consisted of almost a thousand people, including the managers at each of their approx 500 stores, (who undoubtedly had the most input over the new job classifications in their stores),
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I was not referring to managers and such; I'm talking about the head cheeses which I assumed was pretty obvious. I'm definitely not disparaging the former at all; they likely have little to no influence of this sort of thing.
and including Tim Cook himself who oversaw inventory at the stores,
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I'll give you this one, but this role is relatively unimportant from a customer's point of view. The store design, experience and customer service are what really count.
Jony Ive who has played a major role in design,
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AFAIK he's only recently (a year or so) had input in store design. Can you point me to a reference that says otherwise?
etc. Fortunately, Angela Ahrendts has continued the astounding success and in the past two years she has been the SVP over Retail, the stores have done even better--witness last year under her leadership as Apple increased its sales per square foot to an even higher level as it remained number one in the entire world by an huge margin.
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Again, I believe Apple has been riding the wave of past success. You even wrote "continued the astounding success". Correct!
 
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Adam Warlock said:
The current bunch seem be riding the wave created by their predecessors. The changes they are making lately--from dropping products to nonsensical stuff like mind-numbing credos and absurd job titles--seem bad or inconsequential
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Keeping in mind that it was the original leadership that put the mind-numbing credo in play, along with the most absurd job title in the world ... Genius. lol
 
I really hate this crap - just makes me want to gag - people who write this stuff should get out more ....
 
The last time I went into an Apple Store was to pick up a repaired Mac Pro. While I waited in line to get the chance to step up to the Genius Bar to get my Mac Pro back, I counted no less than 12 staffers standing around doing nothing (apparently not trained to locate repaired computers Backstage).

Would any of this make more of those just standing around capable of doing more than taking my credit card?
 
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SeattleMoose said:
Happens at every company. They change where you sit. They give you a new title. New corporate slogans are pushed out. And you still show up every day the same person you were doing the same job you were...with all the same personal imitations...just like before the "next big thing".

Humans....gotta love us. Bunch of oversexed, war-like, big ego monkeys floating on a rock thru space thinking we are all that.
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Signed up to rec
 
smacrumon said:
Ridiculous. Your argument is a very interesting way to skew the issues here.

If Apple wants to pay some one a higher wage, or do repairs, then promote the employee to Genius level so that they can do the repairs at the correct Genius wage, not introduce a new position lower than Genius along with a lower wage but with higher duties of the Genius level.
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I think you're confused. This new position, the article says, does not increase their duties above that of the Genius level. It essentially allows them to do repairs on iPhones. That's it. The only difference between this new position and the Genius position would be that the Genius can take a Mac appointment and do Mac repairs. Have you considered that maybe the employee has no interest in the Genius position because they don't want to troubleshoot or repair Macs and would rather stick to troubleshooting iPhones and repairing them as well?
 
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truthertech said:
Ask yourself- if Apple stores are such a joke, give such poor customer service And there is Little reason to visit, why are they always packed and have the highest sales per square foot in the world? No one else is even close. It's a head scratcher.
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I didn't say Apple Stores were "jokes". I said their seminars are jokes for all but the most tech/Apple naive consumers.
As I understand it Apple stores were introduced to provide more consumers with the opportunity to see the products presented by more knowledgeable and product focused salespeople. Going to Comp USA or the few other outlets that sold Apple products left a lot to be desired and Apple products weren't prominently displayed. The Apple stores also presented an almost "boutique" experience and gave the products a certain aura. I would say "mission accomplished."

I am just not always impressed with the genius bar but it does provide a huge and helpful service to many people. My biggest complaint is when Apple stonewalls consumers on obvious product defects. Just admit to a faulty device and keep the customer satisfied. To me Apple products are very easy to use and very reliable. The PC industry, at one time, descended into price wars with vendors competing to see who could put out the cheapest piece of crap with outsourced low bid components. Windows tick tock releases of bad then decent software (crappy mE then decent XP, awful Vista then 7, half baked 8 then apparently decent 10) didn't help either.

So Apple stores did what they were meant to do and, for the most part, do it well.
 
Can a pro tell me why iPhones still have dust under the screen and the camera when they are brought new?
 
Sounds like they just made a bunch of layers of people who really don't know all that much.

As if it wasn't confusing enough. Used to be it was easy to make a Genius Bar appointment. They've made it a lot harder.
 
Silicon Valley on HBO called, they want their spoof back.

silicon-valley-benson-3.png
 
phairphan said:
It does work well, provided you're not trying to utilize an educational discount. Then you need to find a person.
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What?

The only Apple products subject to an EDU discount are limited to very few high-value Apple products such as laptops and desktops. An employee is always required for those transactions since they are inventoried in back room storage and brought out to the front when your order is complete. You cannot simply walk in and then out with a laptop/desktop without an employee involved - there are none out in front for purchase. It has always been that way.
 
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lolkthxbai said:
I think you're confused. This new position, the article says, does not increase their duties above that of the Genius level. It essentially allows them to do repairs on iPhones. That's it. The only difference between this new position and the Genius position would be that the Genius can take a Mac appointment and do Mac repairs. Have you considered that maybe the employee has no interest in the Genius position because they don't want to troubleshoot or repair Macs and would rather stick to troubleshooting iPhones and repairing them as well?
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No, sorry, not confused here. Please reread the article, you are confused or spinning: "Technical Expert: ... employees will be able to provide mobile repairs, a task previously limited to Geniuses"
Technical Experts will be performing duties Geniuses have previously completed, but Technical Experts will be paid lesser.
Have you considered maybe employees would prefer to be paid the higher rate considering they are doing duties of a Genius?
 
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sniffies said:
iPhone Pro is definitely happening next year.

More precisely, Plus will be renamed as Pro.

The lineup will be streamlined and make more sense:

Mac - Mac Pro
MacBook - MacBook Pro
iPhone - iPhone Pro
iPad - iPad Pro
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And yet still no room for the Air...
 
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