Apple Store Worker Says Staff Routinely Get Death Threats From Customers

[diipii]

Business Insider UK this morning published a detailed interview with someone claiming to be a UK Apple retail employee which provides an intriguing insight into what it's like to work in an Apple Store.

The interview is unusual because every Apple staffer signs a confidentiality agreement on their first day in the job, which apparently prevents them from speaking publicly or announcing their new employment on social media, and even bans them from taking a selfie wearing their Apple T-shirt.

According to the veteran staffer - who remained anonymous in fear that Apple would pursue a legal action against them - Apple pays about £8 per hour in the UK (around $11.70) and staff receive no bonus incentives for sales, leaving many unable to afford the products they sell.

The worker claims that although positions in the company's stores are highly prized, Apple doesn't promote internally in the UK either, and that staff are prevented from transferring from part-time to full-time employment as a matter of policy.

"We had between five and eight store managers during my time at the store, of varying kinds," says the staffer. "Only one of them had started at Apple, the rest had been recruited from elsewhere - from, say, Dixons or HMV."
According to the worker, Apple Store staff routinely face death threats from unhappy customers, and receive no benefit if they manage to sell an enterprise contract to a business customer worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

There are some advantages to working at an Apple Store though, says the employee. Staff get a generous discount on Apple products, a 15% discount on AAPL shares, and occasional direct access to CEO Tim Cook.

Apple declined to comment when contacted by Business Insider. The in-depth interview - which also reveals what happens if you come to work carrying a Samsung phone - can be read in full here.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple Store Worker Says Staff Routinely Get Death Threats From Customers

This is not an honorable or a pretty picture. There is a reckoning coming to the Appleverse.

 

[69650]

£8/hr is disgusting for such a wealthy company. It's barely above the minimum wage. You could earn more stacking shelves in a supermarket. Shame on you Apple. Your employees deserve better. They're the people who make the sales and generate your obscene profits. I feel ashamed to be an an Apple customer sometimes.

 

[Piggie]

What the hell is this about. Find a good job.

So in your ideal world there would be no Apple stores?
You want "ALL" these people to "find a good job" which means no Apple stores on the high street.
Just to confirm, this is what you want?

Personally I don't mind as I've only once stepped inside one, just for a laugh to see how embarrassing it was (fake) so I'm easy either way, just wished to be sure I understood that's what you want.

 

[997440]

Totally agreed, but, I think those kind of jobs although dressed up as "an opportunity" from day dot, do nothing to help anyone progress or feel good. Apple certainly try to make you feel you are being given a fantastic gift by them by being employed at the store...then, when you sell £20,000 worth of MacBooks in a week, they moan at you because you didn't sell enough AppleCare or accessories. I almost threw the Christmas present I got one year from them in the nearest public bin on my way home. It was an Apple Blanket made of cheap fleece

That's an inherent difficulty in large corporations. The distance, between the they and the I, clouds accurate measurement.

Thank heavens I now run my own business where my hard work and experience is put to good use.

Congrats and best wishes for your success.

 

[x86isslow]

I don't get why anyone would desire sales incentives.

It sucks for employees and customers, because it promotes pushy sale tactics and punishes those that actually help the customer make the best choice. (And it only offers a short-term benefit to the company compared to employees who can focus on promoting the product without pushing for a sale.)

Sure, ask for better pay. You help the company make money. But don't ask to be exploited.

you should know that they still have sales goals, just all stick and no carrot. When I worked sales there, we had to push AppleCare, Mobile Me, 1:1 training and ProCare and get customer business information so that the smb team could make cold calls - or else our jobs were at risk. We'd get harassed by management about our "metrics" and if the numbers didn't improve, we could be let go. So ya commissions suck, but I'll take a carrot over a stick any day.

 

[drewyboy]

One thing to remember is that Apple's entire philosophy around the Store is to not pressure customers into buying an Apple product every time they walk into the store, so it makes sense why they aren't incentivizing employees to sell to customers.

That would turn it into a Best Buy: every time I walk into the store, I'd have 3 people offering to show me a lot of products i'm not interested in that are all out of my price range, which would cause me to not go back to the store in a while.

The promotion issues are rather annoying.

Best Buy isn't commission either BUT their sales are in their performance feedback loop.

 

[MarkusL]

... every Apple staffer signs a confidentiality agreement on their first day in the job, which apparently prevents them from speaking publicly or announcing their new employment on social media ...

Lol wut? In what jurisdiction is that enforceable? Is it only an issue in the Apple stores in North Korea?

 

[drewyboy]

£8/hr is disgusting for such a wealthy company. It's barely above the minimum wage. You could earn more stacking shelves in a supermarket. Shame on you Apple. Your employees deserve better. They're the people who make the sales and generate your obscene profits. I feel ashamed to be an an Apple customer sometimes.

Yet they have a large supply of people that desire to work there. Simple economics of supply and demand.

 

[Mactendo]

As Tim said it's all about diversity. Tim gets millions, Apple Store employees get minimum wage and death threats.

 

[Precision Gem]

£8/hr is disgusting for such a wealthy company. It's barely above the minimum wage. You could earn more stacking shelves in a supermarket. Shame on you Apple. Your employees deserve better. They're the people who make the sales and generate your obscene profits. I feel ashamed to be an an Apple customer sometimes.

I bet you are the same one that complains that the Apple Watch cost too much. Would like the sales people to make more and add the extra cost on to the products?
Not sure how things are in the UK but in the colonies People are free to look for a different job.

 

[wigby]

For years Apple could coast. Mac OS X trounced Windows technically, for years the MacBook Pro shamed the high-end Windows machines. The iPhone was great, the iPad created a whole new class of product.

But now it's time to think platform agnostic and forget any fanboy 'Apple love' you built up over 5, 10, 20, 30 or whatever years as Apple's getting worse and worse.

Windows 10 is bearable. Ubuntu is now very pleasant to use. Dell's XPS range is, OS choice aside, just plain better than Apples' offerings. There are plenty of great Xeon workstations, Apple gives you a crazily overpriced trashcan and doesn't update it. Apple stores are just McRetail. Why are we surprised that it sucks to work there?

What does their product quality have to do with the working conditions? By your logic, McDonalds used to make great hamburgers so they could coats on it and it was a great place to work for. Then Burger King and Wendy's came along and now suddenly McDobalds is terrible to work for?
[doublepost=1464522248][/doublepost]

Of course Apple has every right to pay their retail staff just as poor as their Chinese factory workers..... It just flies in the face of the Apple promotion machine that constantly projects a magical company that just cares about being a good corporate citizen out to save the world and looking cool doing it......

I don't know, they make about 8 billion dollars profit a quarter, the management consists of a bunch of multi millionaires, would it kill them to set an example and pay everyone well and maybe make only 7 billion a quarter.

I'm sure it would feel just as good.....

Ok, ducking for incoming

How much is paying someone "well" to you? I can guarantee everyone has a different number. That's why there free market system works. Those who find the price or salary fair will work and those who do not look elsewhere. When too many people complain, things change or companies go under. This is an interview with 1 of some 80000 Apple Store employees around the world so we're only seeing the smallest fraction of the whole picture.
[doublepost=1464522663][/doublepost]

I'm sure it's not the worst job in the world. In fact this person says it's not bad for a retail job and pays better than most.

But it sux if staff are cut out of promotion and advancement opportunities. Are the higher level staff worried that some of the base staff are better? Is Tim Cook worried that someone could rise from the ranks of genius to CEO? Does this ruffle their innate superiority complex?

I think many people are missing the fact that this person was a university student working at an Apple Store near a large university. Why would Apple ever advance employees like this? Even if they were the best store salesperson, they would never advance to store manager because they would just leave as soon as they graduate or find a better paying job. There are plenty of Apple stores not located near universities and you will see older employees that do advance through the ranks to managers. But it's hard to blame Apple for not spending time and resources on part time workers that have no desire to make a career in retail.
[doublepost=1464522829][/doublepost]

Apple is nothing if not brilliant at the game of influence.

They've built the highest grossing, wealthiest company in the world via the great story they peddle.

Staffing the stores with poorly paid employees willing to work for, what is in many cases, less than they could easily earn elsewhere.

All because Apple's expertise is getting people to do what Apple wants them to.

So are you criticizing Apple for just doing what every other company does but doing it better? Show me this magical company that overpays employees and everyone is happy working at their jobs.

 

[brianvictor7]

That's because Tim doesn't have a clue about technology. Figures they have a CEO who doesn't know a thing about the products the company sells.

To be honest, I have never had the impression that he doesn't understand the products. I think the real issue is that he has too much of the operations officer mindset: something a lot of people have pointed out. Doesn't make for the most visionary of CEO's. I am not saying he is a bad CEO: he is a good one, but merely good isn't what Apple bills itself. It is supposed to be a premium company: a cut above the rest. They are supposed to be the ones leading quality and innovation. Apple's great message in the past was that they believed in the challenging status quo. Now they feel like they are stuck in a status quo. They are the ones who are supposed to think different than the rest. Perhaps there is only so much innovation to be had on a 5 inch piece of metal and glass, but I still can't help noticing useful features Apple has missed out on or bungled on its iPhone, but which its competition has gotten right.

 

[wigby]

I buy all my macs on line , only way I can get them customised

Personally I hate apple stores

That's the point of the stores though. They don't care about selling product nearly as much as selling services like Apple Care and most importantly, selling the experience of support so customers will feel good about bringing their computers in for service or replacement. They have the online store and other sales channels for product sales. Apple stores might be worthless to you until you have a problem or need a hands on answer to a question.
[doublepost=1464523674][/doublepost]

£8/hr is disgusting for such a wealthy company. It's barely above the minimum wage. You could earn more stacking shelves in a supermarket. Shame on you Apple. Your employees deserve better. They're the people who make the sales and generate your obscene profits. I feel ashamed to be an an Apple customer sometimes.

Why aren't you ashamed of all those Apple retail employees taking these low paying jobs? They could be raking in the cash elsewhere...oh that's right, retail has a high turnover for mostly part time staff and Apple offers a war comparable to any other major retailer. Seriously, the only way to force Apple to raise their wages is to not apply to work there. Otherwise, hear people are sending a clear message to Apple that they are happy and paid well. Right?
[doublepost=1464523969][/doublepost]

Lol wut? In what jurisdiction is that enforceable? Is it only an issue in the Apple stores in North Korea?

Have you never had a job or signed a contract? How old are you? When real money is on the line, adults are expected to have responsibility and adhere to contracts. They signed it so its enforceable anywhere contracts are upheld and enforced. I believe that is in every known country on the planet with possible exception of North Korea ;-)

 

[xlii]

Having trouble believing any of the positives or negatives mentioned in this story. Discount on AAPL shares? I don't even think that's legal in the states but maybe legal in the UK. Sure death threats happen but no, they are not typical and say more about the way that particular Apple staff member handles issues than about the customer making the threat.

However all of the NDA stuff sounds right and make sense. I'm sure other secretive companies have the same policies. All the non commission sales stuff sounds right too.

And I've seen many Apple staff using non Apple phones. They seem fine working there and that's what it comes down to - the stores wouldn't be as successful as they are and have so many employees working there and trying to get hired if half of these problems were real.

It's an esop... Employee stock ownership program here in the states. Dec had one. Compaq and Hewitt Packard had one... Very common.
[doublepost=1464524343][/doublepost]Funny how people here think store employees should not get commission or a bonus when they do something outstanding. But Tim Cook and the rest of upper management have no problem rewarding themselves million of dollars in bonuses when the company has a good quarter.

 

[Sheza]

Only in America

The article is *literally* about the UK Apple Store employee.

 

[MarkusL]

Have you never had a job or signed a contract? How old are you? When real money is on the line, adults are expected to have responsibility and adhere to contracts. They signed it so its enforceable anywhere contracts are upheld and enforced. I believe that is in every known country on the planet with possible exception of North Korea ;-)

I'm 38 and I have signed plenty of contracts, thank you very much. How old are you if you think "it's written in the contract and it was signed" automatically means it's enforceable? In civilized countries people have rights that can't be signed away. Although I have had several jobs I have never encountered a contract that says I can't update my LinkedIn profile with the new job. Probably because none of my employers wanted to be laughed out of court and look silly.

 

[Kabeyun]

Just read the entire interview. Interesting. Not saying it isn't tough to work in an Apple Store, but the interviewer's bias is completely transparent.

And to save anyone the time, nothing happens when you walk into an Apple Store with a Samsung product.

 

[Deuce on the Clock]

I would love to answer any and all questions about working at an Apple store. It would blow the consumers mind about the "culture" the past few years and mentality towards the customer. Smoke and mirrors.Worked at many for over 13 years and when SJ died and Johnson left everything fell apart.

 

[niun]

I'm 38 and I have signed plenty of contracts, thank you very much. How old are you if you think "it's written in the contract and it was signed" automatically means it's enforceable? In civilized countries people have rights that can't be signed away. Although I have had several jobs I have never encountered a contract that says I can't update my LinkedIn profile with the new job. Probably because none of my employers wanted to be laughed out of court and look silly.

It does say in the article that technically you are not supposed to write on Facebook that you work for Apple. I've never seen that enforced.
[doublepost=1464529984][/doublepost]

I would love to answer any and all questions about working at an Apple store. It would blow the consumers mind about the "culture" the past few years and mentality towards the customer. Smoke and mirrors.Worked at many for over 13 years and when SJ died and Johnson left everything fell apart.

Not just in retail.

 

[springsup]

I was dismayed to read that as well. I worked for a bank and found out the hard way after making multiple bids for jobs at HQ or managerial positions that it was my bank's policy to never promote from within, but to acquire employees laterally by poaching from other banks or other retailers.

I had a college degree and a very successful work record. I did initially apply for an HQ job straight out of college but was told at the time I needed to put in time at a branch and gain direct customer service experience. I did so, only to find they don't promote from within. I left as soon as I learned this. It's fine to have that policy, as strange as it is, but the ethical thing would be to be upfront about it and not keep your employees hanging.

This is not the first time I've read of Apple doing this. I find it odd but I think it's their way of ensuring all of their retail staff is fairly young and malleable and less likely to be a drain on the health insurance costs.

LOL it's so cute that you think like that.

Apple pays National Insurance contributions for their employees, which depends on how much they earn and how big the employer is. The employees also contribute. That pays for their healthcare, state pension, etc. It doesn't depend on their age. No employer in the UK needs to worry about employing an older person because they might drain health insurance funds!

What kind of backwards country do you live in, North Korea/ Zimbabwe?

 

[applepuree]

It does say in the article that technically you are not supposed to write on Facebook that you work for Apple. I've never seen that enforced.

I have. I had the business manager call me and tell me to remove a FB post where I mentioned I had had a stressful day at work.

I have been at Apple for 8 years, and am still at the same pace as day one. Promotion ? Forget it. bonus, christmas parties, even happy birthday....forget it.

 

[niun]

I have. I had the business manager call me and tell me to remove a FB post where I mentioned I had had a stressful day at work.

I have been at Apple for 8 years, and am still at the same pace as day one. Promotion ? Forget it. bonus, christmas parties, even happy birthday....forget it.

That's different. Mentioning you work for a company and posting something negative about the company are two different things.
But yeah, Apple take it very seriously.

 

[5105973]

LOL it's so cute that you think like that.

Apple pays National Insurance contributions for their employees, which depends on how much they earn and how big the employer is. The employees also contribute. That pays for their healthcare, state pension, etc. It doesn't depend on their age. No employer in the UK needs to worry about employing an older person because they might drain health insurance funds!

What kind of backwards country do you live in, North Korea/ Zimbabwe?

I have no idea how it works in the UK. In the US where I reside it is not unheard of for companies to try and minimize the need for employees to take health related leave by trying to maintain a young, healthy workforce.

Boy you sure read a lot of crap into a simple post and are extremely rude and patronizing when you could have explained it to me in a civil manner. And I would have thanked you for explaining it to me, as I have done with other members who corrected misperceptions for me in a polite and adult fashion.

 

[997440]

LOL it's so cute that you think like that.

Apple pays National Insurance contributions for their employees, which depends on how much they earn and how big the employer is. The employees also contribute. That pays for their healthcare, state pension, etc. It doesn't depend on their age. No employer in the UK needs to worry about employing an older person because they might drain health insurance funds!

What kind of backwards country do you live in, North Korea/ Zimbabwe?

Judging by the quality of her posts that I've seen, she does really choose to think. That quality includes intelligence and manners. Have a great day.

 

[73b]

The in-depth interview - which also reveals what happens if you come to work carrying a Samsung phone - can be read in full here.

You wouldn't show up to your job at McDonald's eating a whopper.