Apple Reportedly Paying Out $150 Bonuses to Certain iPhone 4 Launch Day Retail Store Employees

[KnightWRX]

150 $ (effectively about 60 to 80 $ if it is pre-tax) is laughable as "bonus". What's really shocking is that Apple makes its employees work for this long. Is this even legal? 12 hrs or longer in one day and non-stop! I doubt it.

I'm unionized. Our employer has a right to make us work 16 hours, and then he needs to provide 8 of rest. He can then require another 16 hours of us. If you're not unionized, you have to follow the minimal requirements that the government imposes (and unionized workers' conventions can't go under these) which state the same thing. So no, 12 hours isn't a long day.

And seriously, I live the worse taxed province in Canada, and I don't get taxed at a rate of 50%+ on my entire income. Where do you guys live in the US that your taxes border on highway robbery ?

Also, these are retail employees, you can't compare their tax rates to ours. In Quebec at least, the more you make, the higher the taxes on the extra income (example : first 20k$ is at 20%, next 20k$ is at 30%, next 20k$ is at 40% giving you a combined rate of about 30% on a 60k$ income). Low wage retail workers don't even need to worry about reaching higher brackets, so their bonus will still be taxed in the lower brackets, thus low percentage.

And you know what ? Who cares if its 1$. That's 1$ more in their pockets that by contract Apple didn't have to give them.

Some of you need to stop sucking daddy's thumb and start working for money to know what it means to earn a dollar.

Maybe he is Canadian

Nope, our income taxes aren't that high here. Check in Europe or something.

 

[Delnoch]

Pro tip: Human capital is your most vital asset.

As the New King of Technology, I would have liked to see do better..

 

[KnightWRX]

Pro tip: Human capital is your most vital asset.

As the New King of Technology, I would have liked to see do better..

Apple should just stop giving bonuses all together with that kind of attitude. I'm sure every employee working there is thrilled with their bonuses, and it's just some arm-chair quarterbacks that are throwing mud.

Again Apple had to give Base Salary + Overtime pay. They didn't have to give anyone 1c more. They chose to give a 150$ bonus on top of the already paid salaries.

What is there to whine about ? If you don't like your salary, don't whine about the bonus, go into your manager's office and ask for a raise.

 

[mdatwood]

Wow, I consider 50 dollars a really expensive night out.

I don't know where you live, but $50 is a basic date nowadays. Outback isn't even an upscale restaurant and you're looking at at least $60 for 2 people to have a typical dinner there (2 drinks each, 1 app, 2 entrees, tip). A family of 4 trying to go out to eat at all and you're generally looking at close to $100.

With that said I agree that no one should be complaining about free money (~$80 after taxes since bonuses are taxed at the max rate), but I could understand an Apple employee wondering how are they only given such a small bonus when the company is making record profits. Apple has been rumored before that they underpay employees to begin with by banking on their brand to bring in people.

 

[StyleWriter 2]

THey just already knew about the screen and signal issues. Just sweetening the staff up for all the **** they were about to have to deal with.

And of course to say thank you for putting up with all the sad people that queue for a phone because they need it as a fashion statement not as a tool.

Why has a troll like you been registered on this site for 3 years???

Get back under your bridge...

 

[KnightWRX]

Why has a troll like you been registered on this site for 3 years???

Get back under your bridge...

Maybe you should wait until you've been here for a while before you make comments like these. Did you really just post to insult the guy ? Did you go through his 3 years of post history to find out if he really is a troll or maybe if he has a legitimate gripe ?

 

[StyleWriter 2]

I don't know how much Apple employees make per hour, but I am assuming I get paid more than they do and $150 would be a blessing to me. I switched to Apple because of their quality but yes, I did have to save to get a MacBook - which by the way is NOT a luxury product. I could have spent half the money and got another Dell or other piece of junk, but I would likely be about ready to buy another one because it would have went to crap by now. I plan on using this laptop for at least another 2 years so I really didn't spend any more. And for the iPhone I saved for that as well. My contract with Sprint has been up for months now and my iPod got full. I now have a device that is a combination of both. Yes, the iPhone may arguably be a luxury product, but it's the only luxury thing I have.

And where do you go that you can blow $150 in one night? I've only done that twice, and both times it was for very expensive restaurants. I think that for anyone that works for a living, no matter what their wage (or location) $150 is a really nice gesture, especially when it was unexpected. Again, there is nothing lame about it.

Well said.

 

[JeffDM]

They get bonuses! ****, I'm gonna send an application to my apple store! I never get a bonus! And I have have to deal with jerks sometimes, and doing dishes at the end of the night blows.
#cannotwaittograduateuniversity

My understanding is that grad school isn't a picnic either, having known people that went through it.

I work overtime almost every day and get nothing for it. It is called salary.

Usually salaried positions are a lot higher pay than retail. What kind of talent, experience, training or education do you have that you managed to get a salaried position?

Retail workers are often underappreciated though, many times mistreated by their employer and the public, seems to me there should be some amount of hazard pay.

 

[Tonewheel]

wow... a WHOLE $150 bucks. lame.

In an economy that has seen bonuses vanish, wages frozen and benefits slashed, this is a pretty nice move on Apple's part.

Little man, I think you're the lame one, and understand zero about how business works, reward and recognition.

 

[Tonewheel]

150 $ (effectively about 60 to 80 $ if it is pre-tax) is laughable as "bonus". What's really shocking is that Apple makes its employees work for this long. Is this even legal? 12 hrs or longer in one day and non-stop! I doubt it. I give these poor wage slaves the advice to organize and choose wisely a date for a great strike, e.g. the next launch day of iWhatever. This action will discipline their employer to pay them better wages and give them breaks and orderly working hours. If Apple needs more labor on some days, they should hire extra workers. In a wealthy nation like the U.S. with many millions unemployed the maximum permitted working time better should be about 35 hrs per week.

Read the article. As a one-day bonus, Apple did something pretty nice for their employees. Especially when they are under no obligation to give them one cent more.

Nice try, though.

 

[ntrigue]

Working in that hectic mess for 12+ hours? You would probably be physically exhausted and require several days to recoup, not worth it.

 

[KnightWRX]

Working in that hectic mess for 12+ hours? You would probably be physically exhausted and require several days to recoup, not worth it.

Back when I was working NOC, hectic mess for 12+ hours was called the weekend shift. (2 shifts per day, 12.5 hours each to allow some overlap for briefings/debriefings). I did that for about 3 years without any negative impact.

Some of you need to get off your butts, no one is physically exhausted for several days from selling a bunch of phones, or from NOC work, or from anything really.

The only time in my present line of work that I was physically exhausted was after a 20 hours shift (4 over the limit set by my union) to bring back online our main datacenter from a complete lights out. No breaks, constant typing, walking in and out of the datacenter to check cables/servers/disks and answering questions from management.

That's when I knew how much the NOC monkeys had an easy life, simply dispatching out problems and fixing the quickies. I wouldn't trade my sysadmin spot to go back though.

Seriously, a 12 hour day in an Apple store handing out boxes seems like a playground to me.

 

[bry223]

Back when I was working NOC, hectic mess for 12+ hours was called the weekend shift. (2 shifts per day, 12.5 hours each to allow some overlap for briefings/debriefings). I did that for about 3 years without any negative impact.

Some of you need to get off your butts, no one is physically exhausted for several days from selling a bunch of phones, or from NOC work, or from anything really.

The only time in my present line of work that I was physically exhausted was after a 20 hours shift (4 over the limit set by my union) to bring back online our main datacenter from a complete lights out. No breaks, constant typing, walking in and out of the datacenter to check cables/servers/disks and answering questions from management.

That's when I knew how much the NOC monkeys had an easy life, simply dispatching out problems and fixing the quickies. I wouldn't trade my sysadmin spot to go back though.

Seriously, a 12 hour day in an Apple store handing out boxes seems like a playground to me.

Ok we get it, you worked alot of hours in a single shift, you've said it many times in different posts, we get it. With that said, I work retail, I usually work 10 hour shifts, and on holiday weekends up to 16 hour shifts, of course working with clothes is a lot more messy than working in a stationary store like the Apple store.

On black friday its normal for retail workers to work 16-20 hour shifts here in california, but then again California law states that you cannot schedule someone over 8 hours without their consent.

 

[4nNtt]

There must have been a lot of employees out on launch day. On a normal day, there are a lot of employees in an Apple Store. They are not pushy, but I know a lot of people that don't like to go to the Apple Store for that reason. If you are just browsing, you often have a half dozen people asking if you need help within seconds of each other. This may just be a sign that Apple is starting to outgrow some of their retail stores. They can be pretty crowded.

 

[kildraik]

Free iPhone 4

My brother works at a store in the Kansas City (not mentioning which one), and got a free iPhone 4 a few days after launch as a reward for working almost 80 hours that week. Nice paycheck AND a nice bonus.

 

[alhedges]

With that said I agree that no one should be complaining about free money (~$80 after taxes since bonuses are taxed at the max rate), but I could understand an Apple employee wondering how are they only given such a small bonus when the company is making record profits.

Bonuses are *not* taxed at the highest rate. Bonuses are taxed at the rate of ordinary income. This means that most Apple Store employees will be taxed at around the rate of 10% for their bonus. (Assuming that they are single with no dependents). The effective tax rate for single employees making $26,000/year is 5.5% - meaning that they will pay 5.5% of the $26,000 in federal taxes. Less if they make less...

There are still state taxes that may be owed, and the 7.65% SS /Medicaid taxes must also be paid. But that's still less than 15%...

There are different rules that apply on withholding taxes for bonuses...sometimes a flat 25% is withheld, sometimes the normal withholding percentage applies, etc. But this money isn't taxed, and you will get it back (at the latest) when you file taxes.

 

[DMann]

Bonuses are *not* taxed at the highest rate. Bonuses are taxed at the rate of ordinary income. This means that most Apple Store employees will be taxed at around the rate of 10% for their bonus. (Assuming that they are single with no dependents). The effective tax rate for single employees making $26,000/year is 5.5% - meaning that they will pay 5.5% of the $26,000 in federal taxes. Less if they make less...

There are still state taxes that may be owed, and the 7.65% SS /Medicaid taxes must also be paid. But that's still less than 15%...

There are different rules that apply on withholding taxes for bonuses...sometimes a flat 25% is withheld, sometimes the normal withholding percentage applies, etc. But this money isn't taxed, and you will get it back (at the latest) when you file taxes.

You are quite correct here, the 5.5% Fed Tax rate would apply for anyone making $26,000 or less.

Not sure where this ~40% rate (in the US) was coming from.

 

[Gator24765]

earned wages that are set by said companies.




are you joking? you have a macbook and an iPhone 4 (according to your signature), both luxury Apple products and suddenly $150 means the world to you? i don't know about life in Detroit, but in the real world, $150 is a night out.

I have a macbook pro, evo 4g etc... $150 means the world to me.. i worked hard for that stuff

 

[seedster2]

Guess it's better than nothing in the retail sector. Should almost be obligatory considering the weirdos, fanboys and rude customers they have to pacify on launch day.

Still cant help to feel skeptical of their goodwill when they were able to provide free phones to employees when it first launched but now cant give them out once the product has a stranglehold on the market...

 

[TraceyS/FL]

Seriously, a 12 hour day in an Apple store handing out boxes seems like a playground to me.

Ha. You should try it for kicks.....

I went from being a system admin to working retail. The first few weeks kicks my butt (thanksgiving weekend was my first on the job). The thought of working at an apple store for 12+ hours on a product launch like the iPhone... You couldn't pay me enough!

But don't scoff at it, its not an easy job.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Working in that hectic mess for 12+ hours? You would probably be physically exhausted and require several days to recoup, not worth it.

Require several days to recoup from a 12 hour day? Hahaha. Wow. Do you work in a cushiony cloud for 4 hours a day or something? You almost have to, to be that soft.

 

[KarlOlsson]

? Re-read it, Then take a sec and respond using some sense...

Your post makes absolutely zero sense ya know that? So after taxes clear the employee ends up with $150, well how much were they suppose to get in the beginning? Well, let's say Apple says there were getting $300 bonus but after taxes it ends up a miniscule $150, when does it end? Again, you're just another person on here with that horrible ENTITLEMENT attitude and it's not welcome here. A person should be thankful they got a job and if their employer wants to give them as much as a stick of gum as a bonus that employee better damn well accept it with a smile as they should feel lucky to even have a job to get bonuses from. You have a lot of nerve talking about Self Entitlement Driven customers, they are the very ones with entitlement, they are PAYING Apple to pay employees. Customers pay to keep Apple in business.

Well, I understand what your saying, I get it, and believe me when I say I know retail, I've been with the same big box retailer for the past 15 years, started as a cashier making 4.50hr and am now a Store General Manager, My present employer would never say Here's a 150.00 bucks great job! oh wait a sec , well its really only 80 bucks sorry about that, I know it sounded great when we told ya but hey it was 150.00 , Any time over the past 15 years when associates got paid a Special bonus , My present employer has always paid out bonus to them as an after tax amount, i.e. 150.00 after tax ! Now my bonuses as a GM get paid out after tax of course. I just think its kinda DICK that apple knows this and be it a nice gesture , They could make a little better up front gesture and say hey guys job well done heres 150.00 bucks , after taxes.....

Thats all i was saying , And yes there are plenty of self righteous self centered self entitled ass hole customers that do spend money, but most of the time they just become more of a problem and as a manager you wish they would just leave take there money else were and stop waisting the companies time and money catering to there demands and just follow the rules like everyone else.

 

[DrDomVonDoom]

I hear a lot of whining, but common 12 hours isn't that long. I am a welder and I have worked damn near 20 hours, why? Because there's a job to do and you get your shot done. Maybe there's not enough of a incentive in a Apple Store to ****in' man up and take one for the team, but that's what it supposed to do. Most people are too ***** to go the extra mile. It's one ****ing day and only four extra hours. I remember when I was going to high school I would regularly take 2 shifts at this restraunt I worked at on the weekends because our night cook wouldn't show. **** in this economy people should be happy for extra hours and a bonus. I doubt those Apple Store clerks get their forty hour weeks. Try a 80 hour week. **** makes me sick hearing all this "only 150?!?" **** they have over 200 stores and what maybe 10-15 employees per store? That's a lot of cash. Don't forget their time and a half on the extra 4 hours. I bet there's plenty of apple store employees who are pretty happy come payday.

 

[finnns2000]

Working for Apple retail is hell. You should see the amount of money they make out of those stores. $150 doesn't seem so big once you see numbers.

Could never work there again, had my time in college.

 

[zorinlynx]

So true. A coworker of mine once won a TV at a company event. She ended up not taking the TV because the tax on it was more than what the TV was worth in the real world.

Can't they get around this by simply selling the person the TV for $1? I think I've heard of this sort of thing before.