Apple Retail Store Employee on Product Launches, Store Culture, and Customers

[satcomer]

I have had a real bad experience at a certain Apple Store, I refuse to buy Macs in person anymore! To make a long story short after getting an appointment I went in 7 minutes before the time allotted. I was there to get a Mac Pro and was told i could not because the person assigned to my appointment went home. When I inquired about getting the Mac Pro the "Manager" said I would have to go online and make another appointment. WTF?

I immediately went to a third party online seller that overtightened my Mac Pro, for no charge! They even called Me to make sure everything was up to shape! I just wish this outfit had a retail presence in my area!

Then I thought I would give them another chance when the iPhone 3GS was out of stock (about three weeks after it was first sold). Again they were out at the time of my "appointment"! IMHO this Apple Store(the first one opened outside of California) needs to be Shut Down ASAP!!! I even got that iPhone 3GS from the online Apple Store!\

Plus why in heck did Apple remove the checkout counters? I guess they don't want foot traffic sales.

 

[StoneyG]

Am I totally alone in "Not Getting" an Apple store.

I don't know how to describe it, but it just does not work for me. Perhaps I'm an older more cynical generation that cannot "suspend my belief" of what I'm being presented with.

Calling anyone in a shop a "Genius" is cringingly embarrassing to start with. Some other word, please but not "Genius"

To me it's all false, it's like a show at the theatre with actors saying lines, and you are looking at fake scenery that's painted to look nice from your side where you sit, but behind it's all ropes, wires, and switches, but you are not allowed to see that.

I just can't shake this feeling, I'm like a person going to see a show and it's all fake and just made up to look pretty for my "shopping experience"

I would much rather go to a warehouse and honestly buy the item I want in a brown box off a metal shelf, yes, ok, a display model is nice, but more than that I don't need or want.

I suppose simple and honest goes a long way with me, not this act that's put on.

I feel the same when I walked into a Levis store. Rather than a normal shop, which just sold many jeans, the levis store had giant logo's and all neat and tidy shelves, each shelf had like 3 pairs of each model of jeans on it.

Again it's all staged.

I have only been into two official Apple stores, only out of curiosity, but I could not help but raise a smile at the "show" that's being put on, and I could not accept it, and get into it, as it just felt a false and made up event.

Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?
I realise I am over thinking things, but I can't just turn my brain of and go along with it all.

Ditto sir, well put.

I know there are on here/out there who would throw in their, "yeah, but they're making loads of money, so it can't be that [disingenuous]" crap, but I don't care. The same can be said for music.

 

[pnehls]

Another interesting viewpoint.

http://crapplestore.blogspot.com/

I read almost every post from this website and it was truly a different side of the Apple Store I had not even thought of.

I always had the impression the Apple Store was pretty rigid about handouts, but apparently not. I base this off of my friend's personal experience there; where, he threw his own little hissy fit about a broken iPhone and was promptly thrown out by security.

Nonetheless, this website sheds light on some interesting facets of the Apple Store indeed...

 

[3282868]

Ditto sir, well put.

I know there are on here/out there who would throw in their, "yeah, but they're making loads of money, so it can't be that [disingenuous]" crap, but I don't care. The same can be said for music.

Agree on both counts. Some people like to be disillusioned, there exists an ignorance in bliss. A friend of mine decided on working for Apple part-time given the economy in NYC. I kept my mouth shut about my experience/experience of others. For the first three months he LOVED it. He would come back and talk about how amazing the store is, how much Apple spent on the windows, the marble came from the same quarry that was used for Grand Central, and on and on.

It was interesting, but sadly I could see the light dim after a few weeks. Soon he was hating it. The people complaining, the long hours on your feet, getting paid ~$15/hour in NYC to shill out iPod Nano's, iPhone's/iPad's/MacBooks to obnoxious UWS clients. While he doesn't dislike Apple products, he learned a lesson on corporations/retail - it's all about the money.

Working in Industrial Organizational Psychology, any major retailer ascertains the companies needs, develops a systemic approach in training their employee base, and instills a false sense of brotherhood through disingenuous concerns for their employees. Using terms like "Family Room", "Concierge", "Specialist" all make employees earning minimum wage feel empowered, thus creating a sense of importance. Creatives, Geniuses and middle/upper management are exceptions, but most Apple retail employees are given "titles" and thrown onto the "Family Room" floor to sell electronics. It's retail, but it's not magic.

Side note: Any one else realized the fact that we, the U.S., have become a country of consumers, with few producers? Apple, "Designed in California", but manufactured in China (by Foxconn). We're discussing working retail at minimum wage, some because they have no choice given our economy. Our education system is in the crapper, well behind other first world nations, people are broke and most cannot afford the $200,000+ for higher education to obtain better employment. So we're arguing over whether Apple is great or terrible to their employees, yet no one realizes that most American's are working minimum wage jobs in retail, waiting tables, bartending - all customer service jobs, and a lot for foreigners who visit as the dollar is so cheap. Sad days.

 

[Mattie Num Nums]

All you have to do is complain and ask for a CRU.

 

[JustinEvil]

I worked in two seperate Apple Retail Stores. (Transferred, one was one of those mini stores)

It really does feel like a cult sometimes. I remember over one holiday season I was feeling particularly disgruntled because on one of the employee iMac's in the back room they had a Ron Johnson(president of retail) pep speech playing on a loop.

There's a lot I could say about working at an apple retail store, but one of the biggest problems was the complete and utter lack of empathy, compassion, and common decency most of the managers conveyed. See, in apple retail, to move up from "Specialist"(your basic grunt job) to a "Genius" or "Personal Trainer" or even manager you have to go through apple's "Grow Your Own Position" program. You start training for the job, which consists of doing the work that job is meant to be doing, without getting paid for it.(you're supposed to get a raise, but they keep you in GYO and dangle the promotion in your face for months, or even years before they give you the promotion finally or tell you it's not going to happen) I know of a guy at my old store who was in the GYO program for months before I left Apple, and here it is several years later, and he still hasn't been made a manager. The management team at my old store with the exception of one of them was a disgusting collection of douche bags who were extremely fake, and would write people up and fire them or bogus reasons. Ah well, it got me through college and my co workers were pretty cool.

 

[Gators Fan]

Pushing MobileMe must be painful

Since my experience with MobileMe was so disastrous, and because I've heard many in-store customer complaints about it, I really think Apple retail employees should get all sorts of bonus points for signing someone up to the program. Seriously.

 

[CFreymarc]

Interesting but nothing too surprising. I think if the employees did have advanced information a lot more would leak, so makes sense.

A lot better than wearing a paper hat and flipping burgers. However, the pay rate and hours are not that much different.

 

[paulypants]

Sorry this is based on what? Yep thats right, your personal opinion.

No that was pretty accurate, when the iPhone was released it took priority over everything else, no matter what you had to make it work...not saying that's the right or wrong approach, but that's how it was.

 

[Pink∆Floyd]

Now this is interesting

 

[finnns2000]

Yeah, the good ol' Mac Specialist days...

BOY did I hate meeting "quota" for Applecare and other add-ons. It's hard to sell someone something you wouldn't even want yourself.

The first managers I had, around early '07, were the best. Laid back and very friendly. Then they "moved" all of them and brought in traditional "retail managers", destroying the atmosphere with their obsession with metrics and numbers. No care for the employees or the work environment. It was best with Apple guys... Don't miss it at all.

 

[3282868]

No that was pretty accurate, when the iPhone was released it took priority over everything else, no matter what you had to make it work...not saying that's the right or wrong approach, but that's how it was.

Yup. Apple took developers off Leopard in order to work on the iPhone. I believe Leopard was delayed because of this, and Lion's lack of developer beta's when every 10.X update had new developer beta's almost bi-weekly has been associated with Apple's lack of interest and more focus on iOS devices.

 

[PowerbookG31991]

I have a friend currently going through recruitment for Apple, I honestly think they are planning to stock up on employees for another launch....

 

[NedBookPro]

Hmm.

I'll just order my first MacBook (when the next gen comes out) from Apple Online Store. Just to avoid walking into the retail store and buying nothing but the hardware.

I bought my MBP13 over the phone from apple. Quick, easy, the apple dude was first rate, and it got delivered to my door within 2 days.

You can't get any better than that for service. It was my first experience with apple, and I was raving about it to anyone who cared to listen. I look back on it and it still impresses me, and I haven't had any service even come close to that experience since.

 

[RollTide1017]

I have had a real bad experience at a certain Apple Store, I refuse to buy Macs in person anymore! To make a long story short after getting an appointment I went in 7 minutes before the time allotted. I was there to get a Mac Pro and was told i could not because the person assigned to my appointment went home. When I inquired about getting the Mac Pro the "Manager" said I would have to go online and make another appointment. WTF?

Wait, you have to make an appointment just to by something? I knew you had to make an appointment for repair service but, just to buy something seem a little ridiculous.

This thread is very interesting though. I love hearing all the stories. Brings back memories from when I worked in retail (not an Apple Store). I'll never work in retail again unless it is a last resort. I'm so glad to have an IT job now and a cubicle to sit in instead of being yelled at while standing behind a cash register. Do not miss those days.

 

[Thunderbird]

"The power of Apple compels you..."
"The power of Apple compels you..."
"The power of Steve Jobs himself compels you..."

 

[zenio]

.

In the end, it was an awful experience. Sure, retail is retail, however Apple changed from a computer company to an Inc. electronics company, and OS X and Desktop systems such as the affordable PowerMac's were replaced with overpriced, overpowered and infrequently updated/behind the tech Mac Pro Xeon server systems. This meant professionals who use Mac's for their work that supported Apple in the 90's who couldn't afford Mac Pro's and iMac's used to use mobile processors had to go else where. This coupled with the huge boom in the iPhone and iOS meant big bucks for Apple in supplying large quantity/low quality products while leaving OS X users behind. The last time I worked at Apple, we had t-shirts that promoted Leopard, "A New Mac for your Mac". Then those were replaced with iPhone *****, now nada.

Kudos for an excellent post.

You've articulated the very transition I've witnessed.

One in which Apple has succumbed to the typical big mainstream corporate greed, deception, and abandonment of ethics.

Where it's all about the money above everything else.

People are stepped on and used.

Resources formerly applied to R&D are funneled into marketing campaigns, and doing the next right thing, goes out the window.

Sad but oh, so true.

Watching Apple become a vastly different entity, generating headline after headline, like the young Hollywood Brats, is a surreal experience.

Never did I expect anything like this, from the once admirable Cupertino computer company known for caring about three things in near equal proportions.

World Class Products, Customers & Profit, in that order.

 

[zenio]

I bought my MBP13 over the phone from apple. Quick, easy, the apple dude was first rate, and it got delivered to my door within 2 days.

You can't get any better than that for service. It was my first experience with apple, and I was raving about it to anyone who cared to listen. I look back on it and it still impresses me, and I haven't had any service even come close to that experience since.

I do agree that Apple is capable of providing excellent customer service, since I've experienced it more than once.

That said, I've had even better experiences each year when I buy a new car. Typically an M series BMW or AMG-MBZ, when one pays for the best, it's reflected in how you are treated.

Fortunately neither of those companies are reducing quality like Apple is. If anything their JD Power results are misleading, as they are far and away the most complex and technically sophisticated mass produced cars on the planet.

 

[aloshka]

I don't think apple needs to do sales. Maybe I speak for myself, but i don't go into an apple store and get convinced by an apple employee to buy something. I've already done my research and there to check out, or just buy. I'll ask advice, but I don't want them turning into a constant "buy applecare, buy mobile me, buy buy buy" otherwise I will avoid them and just buy online.

 

[imakesense]

Oh my. What a group of complainers.

Apple cares about their customers. All of you guys quit or left because you were unhappy. However there are a tremendous amount of people who are promoted or immensely happy doing what they love for a company who stands behind their innovative products. You guys read Mac rumors while disagreeing with what the company now stands for!? What's the point?

Get over yourselves. This is life! Complainers rejoice and find each other online. People don't search for "I love working at xx" just like people don't google "MacBook pro battery life incredible!" they google "MacBook pro battery defect". Doesn't mean all that exists are defects or unhappy people.....

 

[mrtekkid]

Oh my. What a group of complainers.

Apple cares about their customers. All of you guys quit or left because you were unhappy. However there are a tremendous amount of people who are promoted or immensely happy doing what they love for a company who stands behind their innovative products. You guys read Mac rumors while disagreeing with what the company now stands for!? What's the point?

Get over yourselves. This is life! Complainers rejoice and find each other online. People don't search for "I love working at xx" just like people don't google "MacBook pro battery life incredible!" they google "MacBook pro battery defect". Doesn't mean all that exists are defects or unhappy people.....

Amen. I have a friend who is going through the process of being hired and he's only spoken wonders of the people he's met from the Specialists in the Red Zone to the Management who he's talked sports with after leaving the interview.

This small group of complainers is in the minority for sure.

 

[Michael CM1]

I think that every single person should spend some time working in retail (whether it's at Apple or McDonald's, it really doesn't matter). You learn a lot about dealing with annoying and demanding customers and hopefully the experience helps you not to be one

I worked in a hardware retail store (Canadian Tire) one summer a few years ago. The sense of entitlement some people had was just ridiculous. They expect you to be complete product experts whilst simultaneously looking down on you because you make minimum wage instead of earning the mega bucks as a business executive like them. Hey guess what? You can't have it both ways. Overall it was fun though, I learned a lot, and find myself having a lot more sympathy for store workers now than I used to (and, conversely, I can tell the difference between someone who's trying but having difficulty versus someone who really should know better).

Amen. I was lucky in high school and college because I mostly worked for Chick-fil-A. We had to deal with crappy customers, but I don't think there were as many. I think that's probably because you get less riff-raff when your cheapest entree is about $2.50 at the time, instead of the 80-cent or so hamburgers at most other fast food places. Same thing with working at a Waffle House versus some fancy restaurant.

I think the worst expression ever invented is "the customer is always right." No, customers are not always right. You shouldn't ALWAYS assume you're being scammed, but you should know that it can happen. When your spider sense tells you that you're dealing with one of those self-important people, call in the cavalry!

I've had plenty of problems with various places, and I have never turned into one of *those* people. The best thing you can do is be polite but firm and not think you're better than someone else. If you have a grievance and it doesn't get solved, fill out some formal complaint and then take your business elsewhere. If it's something major, then you might have a case with the BBB. Enterprise Rent-A-Car found some dent the size of an ant on the hood of a car I rented after an accident this time last year. They charged me $500 for a deductible and then I think they may have sent some back. I did nothing to get a dent put on there. Do you think I will EVER go to Enterprise again? No. But acting like a child wouldn't have done anything except maybe given me some temporary satisfaction. Oh, that event was on my birthday last year. Nice.

Frequent places that treat you fair and well. Don't frequent places that don't. The best way to communicate is financially. When it's a chain and one store does much better than the other, management will get it. I go out of my way to hit this certain McDonald's on my way home most of the time when I stop somewhere. Their people are much nicer and actually talk to you instead of acting like robots.

 

[Dr McKay]

And people like me who Facebook Rape the people who forget to sign out.

 

[GoKyu]

sounds like you are still not over it that you didn't qualify for the job ... maybe it's an attitude problem rather than the looks.

Nope, I promise I'm ok with it. At least at my current retail job, we can make extra money with commissions. Now that I know Apple doesn't pay commissions, yet still expects you to meet an arbitrary goal, I won't be applying again. There's just no extra incentive. Getting a good discount on a Mac once a year isn't enough to lure me back.

 

[Amory]

Ugh. Never seen that site before, so I checked it out.

What a bunch of whiny low-lifes. Get a new job if you don't like working at an apple store, criminey.

Amen.

I read some of those blogs and sure, some sound bad, but I am sure there is another side to those stories.

I work for AppleCare and I know it's not the same things as the Apple Store, but I have to say that it is the best job I have EVER had by FAR.