Apple Launches Improved Employee Hardware Discount Program for Mac and iPad

[Unggoy Murderer]

How much experience in sales or retail did you have? Do you think they hire people with no experience? Thanks

I worked for three years in a few of my local supermarkets, one of which targeted "people with deeper pockets". Great customer service is what they're looking for, but if you're like me (going for a Genius position) you'll need past experience with OS X/Apple hardware maintenance or other relevant qualification. Windows experience is a plus too.

Overall, be good and confortable talking to customers (like starting conversations, know when to stop) and know your Apple gear inside out. (Also, they're not looking for fanboys, "I just love Apple" isn't enough, you'll need to demonstrate your ability).

Hope this helps, and if you go for it, dress smart and relax. Best of luck =]

 

[ghostface147]

isn't that the way most retail companies work?...aside from getting to possibly store manager, they typically hire outside for the higher end jobs.

Wouldn't know. I've never worked retail. Been white collar since graduating high school.

 

[mattopotamus]

Wouldn't know. I've never worked retail. Been white collar since graduating high school.

i worked at petsmart all through high school and college. Really fun job haha, but no one, no matter if they had a degree and experience goes from the retail end to the corporate end...that is all outside hiring

 

[Bheleu]

Maxed out 13in MBA (2GHz i7, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $2199

Apple employee would pay $1149.25 :drool:

EDIT - Just in case people don't understand my math, it's inclusive of the 25% discount and $500 savings.

That is good, just keep in mind that 3yr rule for the $500 off. Really becomes an employee only discount, vs friends and family with that limitation.

 

[AbyssImpact]

What kind of degree in Apple technology do you have to hold in order to get a job at an Apple store?

 

[happy2000hk]

Exactly (and see my longer post below)



Agreed, but the issue (at least before 2006) was that Apple kept their info even secret from us. We had no future knowledge of product launches or updates, and in fact most new info came from customers/clients/etc. who read MacRumors, etc. We were not allowed to post on any online forums for obvious reasons, although we could read them. It was a shame, no matter how knowledgable and experienced one may be, that we were often sandbagged by loyal Apple fanatics. I recall getting phone calls behind the bar the day the iPhone was announced. Our store was so slammed, even Geniuses had to deal with customers asking when they can pick up the iPhone, does it do a, b, c, etc. We had to admit we had no knowledge, and looked like fools.

This is an instance in which Apple secrecy makes Apple retail look like incompetent retailers.

If you read my post closely, you'll notice that the time frame b/w me visiting the apple store and the new MBA announcement/release was a full 9 days. This has nothing to do with fanatics. That is more than enough time for any employee to learn of the new updates. In fact, all they had to do was go to the Apple.com homepage and see that there's a new MBA. I just think Apple retail store managers need to ensure their staff, including themselves, to be fully aware what their own company is doing.

 

[aristobrat]

As most had iPhones when I left as it was just released, management got the first model free, the rest of us got a small discount.

Wait, what? Steve Jobs notoriously gave EVERY full-time Apple employee the first iPhone for free. Actually, he even gave it free to all part-timers that had worked more than a year, too. This included all employees of Apple retail, not just management. So you're saying that your store, only the managers somehow got the original iPhone for free, employees only got a small discount?

Never, in two stores in NYC, were we asked to prove we owned an item. Aside from devices you can carry with you, iMac's, Mac Pro's or even MacBook Pro's, you are never asked to prove you own it at any time after your purchase. I'm sorry, it's rare that I am this emphatic, but this is absolutely untrue and I know it still is through my friends still with the company.

It was done twice at the store I worked at, resulting in two terminations (of employees that didn't exactly keep quiet about the fact they flipped their 25% purchases for profit right after buying it).

As for bringing in retail interns for corporate work, I have never seen such. Apple retail and Apple corp. are too entirely different segments and rarely, if ever, do they bring retail management, etc into their Cupertino/corp. base.

The program is called ARC -- "Apple Retail to Corporate", and is targeted at the retail employees currently attending college. You know, finance/design/marketing/logistics majors. Why would you think they would design a program to target their own retail management?

 

[britboyj]

The program is called ARC -- "Apple Retail to Corporate", and is targeted at the retail employees currently attending college. You know, finance/design/marketing/logistics majors. Why would you think they would design a program to target their own retail management?

Having BEEN one of the VERY few Apple Retail employees to get promoted to corporate, I can tell you this program is nothing worth talking about. Like Apple Store Leader Program and the GYO program before it, it's designed to have a large number of employees do work they're not appropriately compensated for in the hopes of getting promoted later, which 99% of the time NEVER comes.

I went to corporate because I said "screw this" and went outside the program and applied directly. Surprise surprise, they thought I was awesome and hired me after my first interview, with the included point that "Yeah, we prefer to do our own hiring, rather than rely on retail initiatives."

 

[alexiszorba]

No they would pay $1149 on the original price, not the maxed out.

The max out MBA would still be $1650 for employees. Unless they use the $500 they can only use once...

In France, prices are a total rip-off, and I'm waiting for a friend going to the us, or working in an Apple store to get it at the price it should be (the same price as in US stores)

Price of retina mbp in France : 2279 EUR including 19.6% tax
Price of retina mbp in USA : 2199 USD before tax
Price of retina mbp in France excluding tax : 1905 EUR = 2397 USD
So the price in France is less than 10% more than in the USA which I would not call at total "rip-off" considering the costs to address a local market. Unless you take into account the extravagant 19.6% tax that is forced on the customers by your government, but then, don't imply that apple is ripping of french customers when in fact it is only your tax system that does.

 

[DMCY22]

Has anyone here successfully asked a specialist for a 10-15% discount on a laptop and gotten it?

 

[aristobrat]

Having BEEN one of the VERY few Apple Retail employees to get promoted to corporate, I can tell you this program is nothing worth talking about. Like Apple Store Leader Program and the GYO program before it, it's designed to have a large number of employees do work they're not appropriately compensated for in the hopes of getting promoted later, which 99% of the time NEVER comes.

I went to corporate because I said "screw this" and went outside the program and applied directly. Surprise surprise, they thought I was awesome and hired me after my first interview, with the included point that "Yeah, we prefer to do our own hiring, rather than rely on retail initiatives."

I still thought it's cool that Apple would pay travel and housing for a group of retail employees to intern in the various departments at Apple corporate.

Even if it only resulted in 1% of the folks picking up a job at Apple corporate, it was still a pretty awesome thing that 100% could add to their resume!

 

[polaris20]

I'm not sure why anybody thinks that these employees "deserve" this enhanced discount. Working at the Apple Store is like working any other type of retail. The turnover rate is high, the employees know little about the products, and it's a dead-end job. The only ones, in my opinion, who actually deserve this substantial discount are the Geniuses at the Genius Bar. They're very knowledgeable and helpful (most of the time) and it takes significant training and dedication to get to that point. The "Specialists" on the floor don't know a Core i7 from a Core 2 Duo. In fact, they're so ill-informed that much of the information you receive from them is misleading. Any Mac enthusiast who's been to an Apple Store has experienced this first-hand.

I love your hyperbole, but that's really all it is. Sure, you're going to find Apple Stores staffed by idiots; just like any retail chain. But please realize that's not the case at every store. The one my company deals with on a regular basis is fantastic, both the "regular" blue shirts, the geniuses, and the business unit.

 

[aristobrat]

Has anyone here successfully asked a specialist for a 10-15% discount on a laptop and gotten it?

FWIW, employee discounts (either their 25% personal, or 15% Friends and Family) aren't good for in-store stock. To use those discounts, employees have to order the Mac from a special online Apple store, and the Mac is shipped (to the address they enter).

I'm sure some Specialists have hooked up random customers before, but when you're getting shipping addresses, telephone numbers, credit card#s, that can get a little creepy when it's not someone you really know.

 

[Hoppesangen]

the info/rumor about salary increase up to 25% is BS

I can tell you it's not.

 

[msm859]

Spoke to a friend and he said Apple hires on personality. They often will hire people who are good communicators despite having little computer knowledge. I agree with this because those who still buy computers at retail aren't the most savvy customers so they really don't know a know-it-all talking over their heads.

Also ...Apple stores are busy. I'd hate to be on my feet all day dealing with a throng of people but that's exactly what they do.

It is also not true that none of the sales reps have any knowledge of Mac computers etc. Apple is one of the most profitable companies in the world. If they can afford to pay their CEO $400 million in stock options they can afford to pay their workers a living wage. $12.50 per hour in LA is Not a living wage. This is the systemic problem with our country. Too much of the profit in a company is being sucked up by a select few (CEO's making 500 x's the average salary) while the rank and file try to scrape by. This is a good "start" in the right direction.

 

[aristobrat]

It is also not true that none of the sales reps have any knowledge of Mac computers etc.

I think the point nuckinfutz was trying to make is that Apple retail would prefer to hire someone that has great people skills and little Mac experience (or prior retail experience) vs. hiring a Mac technical guru that has little people skills.

Apple can (and does) spend the money to train the first person so that they will have knowledge of Mac/Apple products, whereas it's next to impossible to train someone without people skills to have people skills.

 

[ngenerator]

FWIW, employee discounts (either their 25% personal, or 15% Friends and Family) aren't good for in-store stock. To use those discounts, employees have to order the Mac from a special online Apple store, and the Mac is shipped (to the address they enter).

Those who know, don't say.
Those who say, don't know.

 

[nuckinfutz]

It is also not true that none of the sales reps have any knowledge of Mac computers etc. Apple is one of the most profitable companies in the world. If they can afford to pay their CEO $400 million in stock options they can afford to pay their workers a living wage. $12.50 per hour in LA is Not a living wage. This is the systemic problem with our country. Too much of the profit in a company is being sucked up by a select few (CEO's making 500 x's the average salary) while the rank and file try to scrape by. This is a good "start" in the right direction.

Exactly

The high turnover is because

A. A lot of students work part time for Apple Retail and eventually move on.

B. Anyone that knows their stuff eventually gets poached by another company.

 

[aristobrat]

Those who know, don't tell.
Those who tell, don't know.

Those who worked there, don't all really care anymore.

 

[ngenerator]

Those who worked there, don't all really care anymore.

makes sense, just figured i'd help you out since your statement was incorrect.

 

[aristobrat]

makes sense, just figured i'd help you out since your statement was incorrect.

 

[laserbeam273]

"Unfortunately for those Apple employees looking to apply the discount to the new Retina MacBook Pro, the model is not included in the program and is not even available through the employee purchasing portal. This is typical for new Apple products, and with supplies remaining tight for consumers it may be some time before availability loosens up enough for Apple to add it to the employee purchasing program."

Thats just lame.
Apple is nowhere without their employees so everything should be included.

Not having enough stock is just BS.

EDIT (because some of you don't understand my point)
I don't mean having low stock is BS. A new product is always low on stock. I mean not including your own employees on new products is BS.
I own a store and would never treat my employees with this capitalistic nonsense. Doesn't Apple earn enough. Tjees!

They'd face a substantial reselling risk if they gave discounts on new products.. if they allowed it, employees could shave over $1000 on the retina then resell it near RRP. I imagine you'd have quite a few doing it.

 

[user418]

So you worked at apple 5 years ago but have the balls to talk about currently apple policy ? You HAVE to be able to account for the location of products bought with the discounts for a year. Failure to do so can result in termination. That's that. No question.

You seem pretty adamant with your position. Are you a current Apple employee? Are you relying on information from someone else?
Just asking....

 

[britboyj]

Even if it only resulted in 1% of the folks picking up a job at Apple corporate, it was still a pretty awesome thing that 100% could add to their resume!

A few years ago, there were 120 or so folks who went. Apple does not pay housing or living expenses for this program, or at least they didn't. It was like 5 to a 1 bedroom.

No one from that group got hired after they graduated. Not one.

 

[user418]

It doesn't matter, they're dead end jobs.

That dead end job can teach a young person working their way through college a lot about retail, about people, and about life. That experience can also lead to bigger and better things than may not necessarily involve Apple.