Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Retail Stores Seeing Significant Layoffs of Recent Hires?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Serves her right..
Source: http://www.apple.com/support/products/ipad.html
AppleCare said:
Either that, or her friend should have known better when recommending Applecare...
I disagree, most retail is performance based, so what you learn is how to manipulate people with cheap talking points to quickly make your sales quotas. You put on a fake smile and pretend to be sincere. How one acts outside of the retail environment isn't an indication of anything since he/she is not getting getting paid to put on a show, like on these forums.
What most training programs do is teach you which tactics/sales pitches have been most effective for that product line so that you have no reason not to meet the quotas that everyone else meets. I wouldn't wish retail upon anyone for it really teaches you just how cut-throat all these companies are, and just how little they actually care about their customers (and often times it says something about the employees too). But maybe retail in my country is different from yours.
I wouldn't be surprised. I got layed off by Apple last year in May. I worked for a company that handles tech support calls for other companies like Sony and DirecTV. They also had a contract with Apple for iPhone and iPod touch tech support. Apple decided to stop working with the company and laid off about 190 tech support agents. The highest pay for that work was $10 per hour. I heard all the jobs went overseas to another call center company.
But you were talking about an earlier comment.
I didn't see one on the account "tigress666". I only saw Anti-Lucifer, an account with a pretty close join date to tigress666.
Last edited:
I know it seems like that, but I think the reason you need an appointment for this particular item to purchase, is because they have to inspect your phone to make sure it's not damaged before issuing the warranty. I must say, though, the Applecare is wonderful for iPhones. I already had to use it, and got another iPhone 4S for $49, instead of the usual $199 for water damage.
I don't know about other stores, but the one on 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica seems well-staffed. There are always free employees there asking me if I need help while I'm checking out a new product.
----------
OK, I guess you're the expert on me.
----------
OK, I guess you're the expert on me.
Exactly, both those posts nailed it. Dixons group is one of the worst run retailers in the UK with utter disregard for their staff and customers, only profit. Also correct is that in order to have higher wagers, then there will be less staff in order to keep the profitability up and everyone knows that Apple love profit.
Uh, people can tell when you are putting on a fake smile. I hate going to places where you can tell the manager has told their employees, "Smile or else". And not all places have sales quotas (and trust me, having to make a sales quota is not something everyone can do. I don't work at a place like that cause I honestly wouldn't do well. I do better at the store I work at where they want us to be helpful and be known as a place you can come to get advice to find the right product and not be pushy but to find out what hte customer wants. I do that far better than trying to lie and focus them on one particular product. My store's focus is more on trying to keep repeat business by making the customer happy and want to stay loyal to us. Yes, in the end it's all about the money but it is an actual business tactic to at least care that the customer is happy).
And that kind of training will do ok to make some one a mediocre sales person, but a good salesperson will be able to read the person and not just stick to one script but figure out what that person is wanting. Which is a lot harder than just sticking to a tactic/script.
Depends on the company honestly. Yeah, you're right,they do want money in the end. But some actually have the far sight to want to keep the customer happy so they keep coming back (especially if they are selling low cost items that they make money by having people keep coming back, like grocery stores. It's very important to keep your customers there cause you make money by having repeat business, not just a one time sale). Ones that don't may do well in a good economy, but look at how Best Buy is doing now
(that could do well in a good economy by not giving a ***** about how the customer felt about them but now that they have competition price wise and the economy is bad and have burnt bridges by making sure people have a bad image of them anyways...).
porn for 2 minutes before being interrupted.Wrong. SJ was indeed responsible for hiring his great predecessor...not Browett, who arrived under Cook's helm - not to mention Browett's pathetic background as head of retail at Dixons.
Cook's lack of vision/great execution combo is absolutely evident by now - we are lucky we still have the so-called "five year pipeline" as laid down by SJ.
Last edited by a moderator:
It's interesting that amongst talk of wages, economic climates and what is or isn't fair, it has been brought up by many uk members - myself included, and largely missed by others, that the real issue here is with John Browett.
John Browett was CEO of Dixons Retail PLC, a chain of electronics stores that are about as far from the apple ethos as possible.
Anyone who has had the misfortune to experience their retail strategy can see it as clear as day. I for one was surprised when I saw that he was hired, and feared that this would be the sort of thing that we would see as he began to implement his retail strategy at apple.
John Browett was CEO of Dixons Retail PLC, a chain of electronics stores that are about as far from the apple ethos as possible.
Anyone who has had the misfortune to experience their retail strategy can see it as clear as day. I for one was surprised when I saw that he was hired, and feared that this would be the sort of thing that we would see as he began to implement his retail strategy at apple.
Well, i do agree with you. But who says you have to get a mortgage? If you don't you can easily live by those 12$/hour.
Two comments or so above from that comment you replied to, you obviously missed it.
I think you are spot on about the whole retail job thing. I run my own Mac repair business entirely independent of Apple. This allows me to decide how i deal with customers. As i have no vested interest in selling Apple stuff, i am free to be openly critical of Apple when i feel it is justified. I don't have to stick to company scripts and deny that i have ever seen a particular problem before. I can be honest and say that it is a common problem and Apple have pretty much ignored it. I can also make use of used parts and replace individual components that Apple don't offer officially. By doing so, i indirectly affect people's relationship with Apple. They get a cheaper-than-Apple repair to their older equipment and it satisfies the customer that they get their value from buying the premium product in the first place. I feel that this boosts their loyalty to Apple and also means that they will come back to me in the future.
Having seen lots of the Apple Retail Training stuff, i am 100% sure that i could never work in such a robot-like fashion. On the few occasions i have had to go to an Apple Store, i have always felt that i was far more knowledgable than the 'Genius' that was attempting to help.
Don't be ridiculous. Apple has an incredibly successful retail presence, so they can afford whatever staffing levels they require. The issue here comes down to what they really need. They may have misinterpreted their own requirements or hired "permanent" staff when they should have hired temporary staff. You really have no point or credibility on this one.
Edit: I'm a little groggy today. Did I misinterpret sarcasm?
Last edited by a moderator:
Not all places have sales quotas but most do. Even Apple has performance based reviews that do factor in quotas. You won't get fired for missing them, nor will you get paid more for more sales, but without meeting the quotas your prospects for advancement are severely diminished. But yes, there are a few exceptional places out there (I also disagree it's easy to spot the fake smiles, but hey perhaps some of us are just better at role playing).
Granted, but what happens when you don't have a perfect product for those consumers? Few if any places that I know will just recommend going to another store. They'll try to sell some "suitable" replacement.
Depends on the company honestly. Yeah, you're right,they do want money in the end. But some actually have the far sight to want to keep the customer happy so they keep coming back (especially if they are selling low cost items that they make money by having people keep coming back, like grocery stores. It's very important to keep your customers there cause you make money by having repeat business, not just a one time sale). Ones that don't may do well in a good economy, but look at how Best Buy is doing now
Yeah it really depends on the company. I was impressed last time I was in the Apple store. I had been waiting quite a long time just to a genius to tighten the screws on my MBP since the previous time I was in they messed it up. So this time one of the sales staff noticed I was getting a little irritated waiting as long as I was, so he decided to come chat with me and just make jokes to make the wait more pleasant. It's not like the store wasn't busy and he wasn't needed elsewhere, he was just well tuned into the customer's moods in the store. Very perceptive.
These days going to college isn't enough. A little empathy goes a long way.
http://www.businessweek.com/article...rads-find-retail-a-meager-route-to-job-market
I've currently been through three Apple Hiring Events and haven't even gotten an interview from any of them. I've been dying to work in Apple Retail for a long long time and it'll break my heart if this Browett dude screws it all up.
Oh, I see. I never said that retail is easy. I'm saying that it isn't a skilled job. I can understand it being hard work to deal with customers all day and sit in a busy retail store. Although I've never seen an Apple Retail Store poorly staffed, they're usually very crowded and noisy.
This is so true. Just following the tech blogs related to Apple, and the forums on this site often gives one so very detailed information regarding the products and how to problem solve issues. But I guess it is to expect too much that Genius' be up-to-date on all the interweb happenings...