Apple Retail Employees Alleged to be Treated as 'Criminals' in Bag Check Lawsuit

[johnnyturbouk]

I don't mind it either, but I think two things should happen.

1. They should be compensated for it. They shouldn't have to do the search off the clock. Especially since it apparently takes a long time for the check to happen.

2. They should do it privately away from other employees and customers.

Agreed, the checking should form part of their contractually agreed hours, as in essence, it is an integral component of their job, strange as it sounds; if checking employees is company policy, then this should be part of the agreed hours.

I, for example, am contractually oblige to work 8am to 8pm on the intensive care, i come in 0730 to get changed into scrubs, i am not compensating for the time taking to change my clothes in to appropriate work clothes. Furthermore, at the end of the day, there is a ICU handover with the incoming night team, this is not compensated for either.

 

[getNextEvent]

Yup, a bunch of whining millenials getting minimum wage trying to assert their so-called rights and then biting the very hand that feeds them. The attorney should argue that the employees are at fault for bringing bags to work in the first place. I'm sure zero to none of the males that work at the story have bags to check; thus it is a clearly optional thing brought on by the employees choosing to have bags. It is not like they are patting down the employees and waving metal detection wands all over their body.
Finally, seems like the greater good wins out here: Apple has a right to ensure their inventory is not stolen and that is protected by the consititution and state and local laws; since when was it criminal offense to cause someone embarassment or humiliation?

 

[prasand]

Perhaps, Apple could make better use of RFID to prevent theft and streamline the entire process.

Considering, passive tags can be read up to 2,000 feet (600m), and UHF with anticollision can process hundreds (possibly thousands) of tags simultaneously. In all cases with items being in a bag the tags can be read, because anti collision can read even 10 tags stacked on top of one another directly, without the space of products between them. -- They can put discrete directional antennas over exits (or in the strip on the floor, where putting it over the door cannot be done discretely (like say the exit is glass)) and be done with the whole insecurity.

 

[duncansby]

Is this a US-thing perhaps? When my girlfriend used to work in high-end retail she never had her bags searched. We live in the UK. I don't think we do drugs/urine tests either (which I always thought was a little invasive. I wouldn't work anywhere that demanded I gave them urine samples).

I worked in Boots 10 years ago, and we had to do random bag and locker searches even then.

 

[Mums]

It has been a long time since I worked in retail, but I can assure you that even way back then (and not at an apple store) this was usual and customary practice. I thought the only questionable practice was that the employee had to clock out before the check and at time had to wait for a long time before they could leave. If they were to rule against Apple here I could see two implications -- first it would reach beyond apple to all retail companies that have similar practices and second I could see that they would not allow employees to bring in any bag or purse to work. Not sure that is the desired effect, but could easily be the outcome.

So what if it's "usual and customary practice"? The charges are that it's demeaning - and it is.

 

[zen]

I worked in retail in New Zealand, and nightly bag checks were mandatory - we all lined up at the door on the way out. It's a standard part of a retail job - because, sadly, the biggest shoplifters are the employees.

 

[stiligFox]

So what? Walgreens did it when I worked there, so did OfficeMax. My Whole Foods that I work at now doesn't, which I was really surprised about at first. It's a pretty normal procedure for retail stores. And that's not even considering the value of Apple items, and how easy they are to fit into a bag! Sadly it would be nice if it wasn't necessary, but it's amazing how many employees try to get away with stealing things. It's the few that ruined it for the rest of us...

 

[ChrisA]

And let's face it... if you have nothing to hide, what's the problem... Apple should be clear that bag checks is part of the job - that way if you don't want it, then don't work there...

By the sounds of it the people are suing for the time it took, not the fact it was happening... i would turn round and say "ok my great knowledgable people..." (who are not always that knowledgable -- I've seen people turn to other customers for answers instead...ive even had people come ask me instead...lol) "...we will pay you back for the time it took to search your bags - the whole 2mins each time - but all those extra bonuses, discounts, presents, gift cards we give you will stop... this will teach you for being so god darn ungrateful people...go work for Mcdonalds and then tell me if you feel more valued there than here."[/QUOTE]

If you treat your employees like they that will find better places to work. Then what is left are the ones who can't find better jobs. Employers can only get away with such treatment during a recession but now they may have to compete to keep their best people.

I remember working at McDonald's as a teenager. The place was so bad many times employees did not even bother to tell the boss they had quit. Just one day they did not show up for their shift. Managers would then scrabble to call some one who could come in. In any case if a bag search is part of the job then it needs to be done on the clock.

Do you really want the Apple stores staffed with people who all would like very much to leave and are there because the manager begged them to come in. and then they work a month and then quit.

 

[frankdogg]

Last time I was at Louis Vutton, employees had their bags searched anytime they left the store even if it was a break. But that's here in SoCal though.

I never worked there btw. It's what i saw sitting there miserably waiting for my wife and mother to be done.

 

[stiligFox]

You should be compensated for anytime you spend doing something the company requested. You are responsible for getting yourself to work. Once you are there, if you need to count drawers, open up, setup, unpack, stow stuff away or anything else, it should be done on the clock and you should be paid you hourly wage for doing that. I hear all the time that people are expected to show up 10 minutes before their shift to count a drawer's cash and then when their shift starts on the hour is when they start getting paid. This employee to employer charity needs to be stopped.

At least here in Texas, it's against the law to do any work related things off the clock - and can result in a law suit. Where I've work, sure they said you need to be at your station at the hour you're scheduled, but you're allowed to punch in a few minutes early to get ready for it.

 

[Muscle Master]

Fact of the matter is... if you wanna search my stuff which might take 5-10 mins. of my life Fine!, then your damn sure gonna pay me for it. Hope the lawsuit sticks

Lot a people fail to realize company policies be damned... I have rights

Glad I'm Union

 

[Muscle Master]

You should be compensated for anytime you spend doing something the company requested. You are responsible for getting yourself to work. Once you are there, if you need to count drawers, open up, setup, unpack, stow stuff away or anything else, it should be done on the clock and you should be paid you hourly wage for doing that. I hear all the time that people are expected to show up 10 minutes before their shift to count a drawer's cash and then when their shift starts on the hour is when they start getting paid. This employee to employer charity needs to be stopped.

Agree 110%... Pay me or it won't be done!!!

 

[KdParker]

You are missing the point as well, but you are right on one thing and that is that it is off topic, but I'm not the one that dragged Apartheid into this in the first place.

By the way Apartheid means "separate" and it's not nearly as evil as slavery, still evil but not nearly as evil. You cannot compare Slavery with Apartheid, very different evils.

Some would disagree, but is still waaaay off topic.

 

[Kajje]

Is this a US-thing perhaps? When my girlfriend used to work in high-end retail she never had her bags searched. We live in the UK. I don't think we do drugs/urine tests either (which I always thought was a little invasive. I wouldn't work anywhere that demanded I gave them urine samples).

It's not a US-thing. I see this practices everywhere in Asia. I regularly visit plants in China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh. Caucasians always skip the queue while hundreds of locals have to queue up like chickens to get their bags AND often their body searched for God knows what.

The first one that want to search me better has a good reason to do so. I don't know what I would do in such case, but chances are, either he or me goes down.

 

[Bentleym]

Bestbuy does this every time an employee leaves the building. If I cared about being searched on my way out I wouldn't bring a bag with me to work. This isn't an unusual occurrence, especially at electronics stores.
Employee theft hurts everyone, not just the company.

 

[PsychoLogicXen]

Simple solution:

• Apples provides--at no cost to employees--clear plastic tote bags to use when coming to work
• Lengthy bag searches will be reduced to five seconds of peering through its contents without having to touch any of it
• Employees embarrassed/worried about coworkers or managers seeing certain personal items (e.g. drugs, condoms, etc.), should leave them in the car/at home

 

[iConnected]

So, let me get this straight. Any person off the street can just waltz in, grab something off the shelf and walk out under the premise they checked themselves out (and they are trusted to do so) but Apple is searching their own employees? Seems backwards to me.

When was was last time you could just "grab" an iPhone / iPod Touch / MacBook / MacBook Pro / Apple Watch etc "off the shelf" in an Apple Store?

Employees have direct access to high value stock items. Customers don't.

 

[camnchar]

Checking the bags doesn't bother me so much as not getting paid for their time while doing it. Apple, it's not like you're hurting for money. Keep these people on the clock if you're going to force them to do something that's in your benefit, not theirs.

 

[0098386]

How? If you can walkout with unlocked iPhones, headphones, etc then why would you not expect to have your bag searched before you leave.

While most employees wouldn't steal, there are those that would.

Maybe it's a cultural thing? I dunno. Like I said earlier my partner used to work in high-end fashion retail and a friend works in a high-end electrical/audio store and neither have been searched.

Stealing an Apple product would be difficult given their ability to be tracked.

 

[0098386]

Is retail different in the US. In Canada customers are often humiliated on the way in and out of big box stores. They check bags ,compare receipts to goods and generally treat you like a criminal. I always refuse to return to stores like that. Being an employee treated like a crook is almost as bad.

I've never had that done to me! What a sorry state of affairs this is.

 

[jpgr15]

When was was last time you could just "grab" an iPhone / iPod Touch / MacBook / MacBook Pro / Apple Watch etc "off the shelf" in an Apple Store?

Employees have direct access to high value stock items. Customers don't.

Pft. The employees have more access to different items, sure, but the accessories on the shelves are often fairly expensive themselves. Money is money. It adds up.

 

[Zelmung]

I rarely comment but here's my two cents...

I definitely understand their plight and blame Apple for not being more creative and thinking outside the box about this. There is a simple solution to this and it is already being used. Instead of subjecting workers (who you should be trusting) to bag checks, why not install a policy of requiring any bags that are brought to the back be clear or see thru.

A friend of mine is a pharmacist and having bookbags or even a purse is prohibited since they could easily steal bottles of drugs. However, they are allowed to bring clear totes to work. It allows for security cameras to see inside her bag and she isn't subjected to searches before she leaves work.

Think smarter, Apple...

Um, for those who think bag checks are a breach on privacy and don’t want the contents of their carrying bag disclosed at each closing shift, how is carrying a transparent bag any less invasive?

 

[palmfox]

As a former employee, I think this lawsuit is without merit. The bag check was 5-10 seconds at best. If I didn't bring a bag in (Apple supplied everything I needed to work at the store), then there was no bag check at all. If you don't want to be searched, don't bring a bag. The only time I brought in a bag, was when I was actually going to buy something at the store, and needed something to carry it in, that didn't scream Apple!
I expected a bag check at those times.

The managers spend most of their time out on the floor where they belong, handling customer issues. If they had to retreat to the back room each time someone left for their 15 minute break, or their lunch, then they would be less effective doing what their main job is. As you walk out the door, the manager does a quick check of your bag. They don't empty the bag, and don't dig through all your personal belongings.

To the person who suggested that customers can just walk out by saying they paid for an item, there is wording on the electronic receipt that says that you may be asked to show the receipt. Also, the only items that can be paid for with Apple Pay is non -serialized items. These items, for the most part, have less value than the items which are available to the employees.

Again, if you don't like being searched, DON'T bring a bag.

 

[horsebattery]

Um, for those who think bag checks are a breach on privacy and don’t want the contents of their carrying bag disclosed at each closing shift, how is carrying a transparent bag any less invasive?

I think you misunderstand. The policy is already in place for employees; the issue is its implementation, and whether it is over the line. The transparent bag suggestion would be one way to supplement or facilitate checks.

 

[bbfc]

This seems so bizarre, just so this is right in my head; Apple managers check their employees bags? That's horrible.

I work in retail and we do bag, pocket and locker checks every so often. It's part of profit protection. Most retailers operate a similar policy.