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Apple Retail's Emphasis on Profits Continues, Tied to Operational Perspective of Cook and Browett
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Having worked at Apple Retail for 3 years and still visiting my store and keeping in touch with friends that still work there, I can say that the pressure on the Metrics is just as strong now, but does not seem to have increased. Yes there are many that have complained about very few hours, and it definitely seems odd, especially since they're still in the middle of their back to school promotions. Typically the short hours occurred for a few months after Christmas, but picked up by late March. As for the workshops being cut out, at least in the few stores in the Toronto Canada area that I know, that's not the case, they're still happening as frequently as before Browett took over.
Overall, I feel that the staff still does care about their customers, and are given the liberty to offer a good customer experience, the pressures of the Metrics are strong, but.....I know I am obviously biased about this..........I have to say, Apple Care and the One to One are no brainers, for many (not all), and for the price!
I REALLY hope this Browett guy isn't doing what he is accused of doing....trying to destroy the Retail experience! I love the Apple that Steve built, always will!
Having worked at Apple Retail for 3 years and still visiting my store and keeping in touch with friends that still work there, I can say that the pressure on the Metrics is just as strong now, but does not seem to have increased. Yes there are many that have complained about very few hours, and it definitely seems odd, especially since they're still in the middle of their back to school promotions. Typically the short hours occurred for a few months after Christmas, but picked up by late March. As for the workshops being cut out, at least in the few stores in the Toronto Canada area that I know, that's not the case, they're still happening as frequently as before Browett took over.
Overall, I feel that the staff still does care about their customers, and are given the liberty to offer a good customer experience, the pressures of the Metrics are strong, but.....I know I am obviously biased about this..........I have to say, Apple Care and the One to One are no brainers, for many (not all), and for the price!
I REALLY hope this Browett guy isn't doing what he is accused of doing....trying to destroy the Retail experience! I love the Apple that Steve built, always will!
I think the "bashers" are overreacting. I do expect more from Apple than other companies. Since Tim Cook took over, Apple has improved conditions for workers in Foxconn factories in China. They have improved shipping times and product availability. They have released a major update to their desktop/notebook operating system on time with significantly fewer release-date bugs than the last OS released while Steve Jobs was CEO. They successfully protected their intellectual property.
They have done a lot of things right in the past year.
Im not bashing, Apple, yes they are doing alot of things right. But all im saying in the future they have to keep innovating if they want to be the best for a long time, technology changes very fast. Heres hoping cos im looking foward to my new iphone
"In order to achieve what? More profit? What for? What good is it?
What do you believe life is for?"
Without "profit", the business will die. It is as essential to nourishing a business, as is food to nourishing one's body.
Without "profit", the business will not have the means with which to pay its employees, as eventually the business' treasury will be depleted (just as without food, the body will run out of strength). Sometimes it's necessary to lay off some employees, so that the remainder may still have jobs. (Aside, I once spent 14 months furloughed from my company. I toughed it out and got back.)
I was "a working man" all my life, a simple wage-earner (sometimes for the minimum wage). It took me quite a while to come to this understanding.
Suggestion:
Read Francisco D'Anconia's "Money Is The Root" passage from Rand's "Atlas Shrugged". She lays it out quite well:
http://capitalismmagazine.com/2002/08/franciscos-money-speech/
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"What's next? Mac Clones?"
I owned two of them by UMAX, both were fine Macs.
I'm in the minority in this forum in predicting that eventually we will see some kind of "licensing agreement" by Apple to 3rd-party computer manufacturers again, for either outright "clones", or, perhaps "Apple-Certified" motherboards which will run an "OS X for PC's" that Apple itself will sell for a premium price....
What do you believe life is for?"
Without "profit", the business will die. It is as essential to nourishing a business, as is food to nourishing one's body.
Without "profit", the business will not have the means with which to pay its employees, as eventually the business' treasury will be depleted (just as without food, the body will run out of strength). Sometimes it's necessary to lay off some employees, so that the remainder may still have jobs. (Aside, I once spent 14 months furloughed from my company. I toughed it out and got back.)
I was "a working man" all my life, a simple wage-earner (sometimes for the minimum wage). It took me quite a while to come to this understanding.
Suggestion:
Read Francisco D'Anconia's "Money Is The Root" passage from Rand's "Atlas Shrugged". She lays it out quite well:
http://capitalismmagazine.com/2002/08/franciscos-money-speech/
----------
"What's next? Mac Clones?"
I owned two of them by UMAX, both were fine Macs.
I'm in the minority in this forum in predicting that eventually we will see some kind of "licensing agreement" by Apple to 3rd-party computer manufacturers again, for either outright "clones", or, perhaps "Apple-Certified" motherboards which will run an "OS X for PC's" that Apple itself will sell for a premium price....
I'm selling my AAPL before the iPhone 5 release. I can't see Apple creating anything really new in the next few years, which is fine except that there are investors who think that Apple can magically create a new product every year. Between the iPod release and the iPhone release, Apple did not make anything new. They already have a big enough product line anyway, so they should just improve their products until the tech exists for a new one.
Maybe I'll buy again after the bubble pops. People expecting major innovation, especially with Cook in charge (and even if Steve Jobs was in charge), are going to be disappointed.
Maybe I'll buy again after the bubble pops. People expecting major innovation, especially with Cook in charge (and even if Steve Jobs was in charge), are going to be disappointed.
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Remember when John Browett looked like this- https://www.macrumors.com/2012/04/2...chief-receives-stock-rights-worth-60-million/
I guess apple execs get mandatory makeovers hahahahahahaha!
I guess apple execs get mandatory makeovers hahahahahahaha!
Question for all the Steve idolizers: do you think he was wrong to recommend Cook replace him as CEO? Or do you think he was not in the right frame of mind when the decision was made? I'm curious who you think would have been a better replacement and why. Scott Fortstall? Phil Schiller? Someone from the outside? Inquiring minds want to know.
Well said, Its stuff like this that makes me wonder on the longevity of Apple this time. How can Steve passing take such a turn so fast. So we should now see less and less people at the stores ready to help in time less and less people buying. How stupid and short sighted.
They are the retail chain with more revenue per square foot and they are doing this ****?
Im really pissed!
Im really pissed!
Apple is on the march towards becoming MSFT.
As soon as Apple decides that bigger profits and fatter stock prices are more important than the customer experience, they are on a downward spiral towards eventual irrelevance.
Cook, stop screwing up Apple.... or, to put it more aptly killing the goose that lays golden eggs. As others have pointed out Apple enjoys fantastic profitability at its stores, out-performing retailers like Tiffany's... and yet, it's not enough... if they can just hawk more crap, cut more hours, put fewer associates on the floor they can make more $$.
Shameful Cook, Shameful.
As soon as Apple decides that bigger profits and fatter stock prices are more important than the customer experience, they are on a downward spiral towards eventual irrelevance.
Cook, stop screwing up Apple.... or, to put it more aptly killing the goose that lays golden eggs. As others have pointed out Apple enjoys fantastic profitability at its stores, out-performing retailers like Tiffany's... and yet, it's not enough... if they can just hawk more crap, cut more hours, put fewer associates on the floor they can make more $$.
Shameful Cook, Shameful.
I don't think Tim Cook quite gets it. Apple has gone from within weeks of bankruptcy 15 years ago, to being the worlds most valuable company, renowned for its impeccable customer service and is one of the worlds most trusted and recognisable brands.
The retail stores and Apple as a whole are making record profits - they do not need to change a damned thing, especially not something which will bring bad publicity and potentially taint their brand.
Cook - stop thinking like a bean counter, get out of the way and let Jony Ive do his thing.
The retail stores and Apple as a whole are making record profits - they do not need to change a damned thing, especially not something which will bring bad publicity and potentially taint their brand.
Cook - stop thinking like a bean counter, get out of the way and let Jony Ive do his thing.
The issue here isn't right or wrong. It is about Apple itself, its philosophy and why they have such hardcore loyal fans. Look at their previous ads, and now this. Something is clearly wrong.
To be quite honest one of the main reasons I buy Apple is because i'm confident that i'll be looked after if I have any issues.
If this is the road they are going down and their customer services becomes standard at best then that's one big reason to consider other vendors.
If this is the road they are going down and their customer services becomes standard at best then that's one big reason to consider other vendors.
hes a retail guy, just like the people at Bestbuy and any other big retailer. He's just not a customer experience guy, in general.
Haha, when I first saw that video I gave Ballmer a 50/50 chance of stroking out right there on the stage
Those ten years of unprecedented profitability correspond with massive investments in physical stores. Apple has made their retail experience just as trendy as their actual products.
Good, if they can alienate enough people from actually going to the stores, maybe going there will become a nice experience instead of the current cluster ***** of dodging loafers and free loaders and trying to get an employee to actually give you what you want instead of waiting on them to explain for the 1000th time something to someone who's not even there to buy anything and will just end up walking out empty handed.
Not to mention all the people using the products to browse the net, not to actually you know, check them out because they intend to buy.
Don't get me started on the Genius bar if you want to get items warrantied...
Not to mention all the people using the products to browse the net, not to actually you know, check them out because they intend to buy.
Don't get me started on the Genius bar if you want to get items warrantied...