Former Apple Store Employees Provide Amusing Glimpse Into Company's Retail Culture

[zorinlynx]

Everyone should work retail or fast food once in their life

When I worked in retail I was amazed at how many people would complain about me to management for the most trivial and often imagined slights. It didn't matter how respectful and helpful I tried to be, people still complained to management about everything.

I got many complaints because a product was out of stock (apparently I was supposed to fart it out right there?) and even one because I refused to help someone when I was already helping someone else.

This kind of blew my mind because I've never complained to management about an employee in my life, even when they didn't provide the best service. I just don't feel right about potentially ruining someone's livelihood over things that, in the end, don't really matter. Sometimes someone is just having a bad day.

It gave me perspective, and really taught me to be patient with retail employees because there are some real vindictive and ******* customers out there.

 

[sw1tcher]

How is this newsworthy?

It's newsworthy because it got you (and others) to read and comment on it.

 

[jasonklee]

"Also I think the Apple Watch is the dumbest thing ever."

I'd be embarrassed to attempt to sell anyone an Apple Watch. I'm sure I'm not the only one but when I see one of those dumb things strapped on someone's wrist, especially the steel version, I just shake my head and remind myself that I'm grateful for being one of those rare people with the right priorities in life.

 

[dannyyankou]

Everyone should work retail or fast food once in their life

Yeah, it should go hand in hand with school.

 

[mattopotamus]

Yeah, it should go hand in hand with school.

Petsmart all through high school and college. I am pet guru

 

[akadafni]

"Also I think the Apple Watch is the dumbest thing ever."

I'd be embarrassed to attempt to sell anyone an Apple Watch. I'm sure I'm not the only one but when I see one of those dumb things strapped on someone's wrist, especially the steel version, I just shake my head and remind myself that I'm grateful for being one of those rare people with the right priorities in life.

I don't think ARS employees work on commission. Most products sell themselves. You just have to help the customer decide which one is gonna meet their needs.

 

[dannyyankou]

Petsmart all through high school and college. I am pet guru

And you're also probably a better human being as a result. I'm a lot more courteous when I go to a store as a result of retail. If I take something off the shelf, I pull more forward.

 

[needsomecoffee]

Frayed cables requiring purchase of a new $129 power brick. Hard to believe having the cable permanently attached to the brick was not Tim's first, great decision to maximize profits (product mgr recommended detachable cable as best for consumer). As noted in the article, this issue translated into a huge windfall for Apple, was likely what endeared Tim to Steve, and lead us to where we are today. And no, we never abused our cables, but replaced nearly all of them at least once.

 

[PlainviewX]

"Also I think the Apple Watch is the dumbest thing ever."

I'd be embarrassed to attempt to sell anyone an Apple Watch. I'm sure I'm not the only one but when I see one of those dumb things strapped on someone's wrist, especially the steel version, I just shake my head and remind myself that I'm grateful for being one of those rare people with the right priorities in life.

Not buying an Apple watch somehow means you have better priorities than someone who bought one?

 

[SSDGUY]

'Yes, I absolutely can help you and I'd love to. The replacement is $199.'

Charging $199 to fix the glass on an iPhone screen is not called helping. It's called a ripping off the customer.

 

[44267547]

It's not true . I've done my time in Apple retail, and worked a few iPhone launches. The public would have known about the existence of lightening well before this mysterious casing event.

Then why would somebody go to all this trouble and lie about this? I guess I am confused.

 

[Buran]

Nah, just shows that they think their way is the only way. Heaven forbid someone not only choose to wear a watch (which is not as uncommon as many think) but one that they happen to like. Do we also have the wrong priorities if our watch is too big, the wrong color, too small, analog vs. digital, etc?

It's a wristwatch. And wristwatches are a very personal choice, just like other jewelry and clothing items are.

 

[Robert.Walter]

"Also I think the Apple Watch is the dumbest thing ever."

I'd be embarrassed to attempt to sell anyone an Apple Watch. I'm sure I'm not the only one but when I see one of those dumb things strapped on someone's wrist, especially the steel version, I just shake my head and remind myself that I'm grateful for being one of those rare people with the right priorities in life.

You may not be representative.

I have a friend and his wife. They both have busy jobs and a collection of Rolex-level watches cross-gifted over the years. He's the tech fan and she the old school phobe.

She bought him a stainless Apple Watch for his birthday a year ago. He wears it daily and the exotic watches are in a drawer.

A year later he bought her a gold sport model and she loves it because she can quickly check her messages; her other watches are in a drawer.

I suggested to him half a year ago that he should sell his Rolex watches and free up capital; he demurred saying they had sentimental value.

A couple of weeks ago, he mentioned they both realized they had (seen their future with) little use for the Rolex watches and were now thinking about selling them.

My 83yo mom went the first day to look at them, she ordered a couple of days later. Her killer apps are Apple Pay and being able to call for help if she falls. Mom had a Rolex knockoff, that's been populating a drawer for better than a year.

 

[Waxhead138]

The stories about phone repair / replacements: I bet 100% true. People do the most ignorant / interesting things. I worked for VZW for almost 8 years....and on two different occasions, we had customers come in with Motorola Startacs (waaaay back now lol) in their toddlers mouths.....literally letting thier kids use them as pacifiers. Saliva in a charging port tends to fry a phone. In both cases the customer said the phone was broke and couldn't understand why. In both cases customers left hella pissed when we wouldn't replace the phone free of charge.

Another used to come in, a regular, who was eternally drunk. He would leave a plastic 5th of rotgut vodka at the door....come into use the demo phones to arrange rides and yell at his girlfriend. These stories go on and on.

 

[nt5672]

. . . . . It gave me perspective, and really taught me to be patient with retail employees because there are some real vindictive and ******* customers out there.

What is even worse is that some of them vote. Imagine how they screw up those thoughts.

 

[Col4bin]

I do appreciate anecdotal accounts from current or former Apple or Apple Store employees willing to forego any NDAs and sworn secrecy—especially as it peels back at least a thin layer of veneer offering a glimpse into Apple's tightly veiled inner workings. As a fan of Apple and its products, it's interesting.

 

[mattopotamus]

"Also I think the Apple Watch is the dumbest thing ever."

I'd be embarrassed to attempt to sell anyone an Apple Watch. I'm sure I'm not the only one but when I see one of those dumb things strapped on someone's wrist, especially the steel version, I just shake my head and remind myself that I'm grateful for being one of those rare people with the right priorities in life.

I left my apple watch at home the other day, and I felt like a moron checking my phone all day for messages. So much easier selecting what notifications I actually want to receive and having those be the only thing that alerts me.

 

[Robert.Walter]

"Also I think the Apple Watch is the dumbest thing ever."

I'd be embarrassed to attempt to sell anyone an Apple Watch. I'm sure I'm not the only one but when I see one of those dumb things strapped on someone's wrist, especially the steel version, I just shake my head and remind myself that I'm grateful for being one of those rare people with the right priorities in life.

You sound like more of a snob than some folks make out Apple fans to be. (Or else you work for Swatch group.)

 

[Asarien]

Middle two 'stories' =

You OBVIOUSLY have never worked a day in the service industry in your entire life.

 

[Waxhead138]

Yep, people can be so bitterly ignorant about processes and exceptionally rude to retail staff.

Carry a smile in with you and be courteous. You'd be surprised how helpful people want to be when you treat them like a human being.

Couldn't have said it better. You can spot throughout life, in about 10 seconds, people who never had to work retail or food service by how badly they treat service workers.

 

[canadianreader]

In general I had a good experience with the Apple Store staff. One thing that I do not like is the wait time to pay and not knowing where to pay once I waited for about 15 minutes to pay.

 

[PlainviewX]

You OBVIOUSLY have never worked a day in the service industry in your entire life.

Only for the past 20+ years.

 

[Waxhead138]

lol.... E.T fluid...


Your move Sherlock. I wonder why the secrecy of names ..... it's not like they would get fired... Their just stories, we have no idea if their true or not anyway.

My bet would be true. Odd things happen in retail.

 

[Zaft]

Ah retail... I remember a while back I worked at Radio Shack. Someone came in trying to return an iPod touch with a totally destroyed screen, he tells me it came like this out the box... Yet he returns it 1 day before the 30 day policy and has music on it lol.

 

[jml1982]

I went yesterday into the Apple Store in Grand Central station and the genius who was helping me was useless. My apple watch kept locking on my wrist after I put the passcode in. He repeatedly told me, yes that's how it works, and he wouldn't let me get a word in at first. I had to call other geniuses over who actually were wearing the watch to demonstrate to him that this was an issue! Then all he said was, oh, well it must be a setting you have turned on. Luckily one of the other guys said, no it's not. When it's on the wrist it should stay unlocked. It took an hour... They used to have incredible service, but you can feel it going down, which, unfortunately, seems like the company in general. It's not that they don't make some very nice products still, it's just the quality all around is on the down word trend. When was the last time anyone updated their software and didn't have some major bugs in the first few releases...