IPP, Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard, Retail Disaster - I call BS....

[FrancoRumors]

I have ALL three on order.. the IPP is coming from ATT next and I am willing to wait just as I am for any of apples products. Yesterday I went to one of the two local apple stores to get a little more hands on time with the IPP and accessories and see if I could get lucky and score a pencil or keyboard early.

Is is just me or does it seem like everyone at apple retail is either completely ignorant.. or purposely lying about pencil and keyboard stock?? Depending on who I speak to I get a completely different answer every time. Some Apple associates say they haven't had any pencils since launch, some say they had some come in this morning but they sold out, one associate told my wife they were still "unpacking the shipment" and we should come back in two hours. Another guy said he wasn't sure so he walked into the back to check?? only to return empty handed.

My basic complaint is that the employees seem to be almost smug and annoyed that I am trying to purchase something and sort of seem like they are straight up lying. Ive been shopping at Apple for a long time and this is by far the worst it has ever been.Very few Apple associated have any knowledge about apple or product availability. I cant believe how many people told me to use the app to choose in store pick up for the apple pencil..

Anyone work at apple retail?

 

[Atomic Walrus]

I feel like the employees were not properly informed about what was going on, which led to them being really confused by the behavior of customers (constantly trying to buy a product in store that the employees have been led to believe is only available online). One told me that they had been completely taken by surprise when the iPP units showed up on Wednesday. Something was wrong, no idea what specifically.

I will say that I saw some odd behavior myself. Answering stock questions with uncertainty, like: "Do you have the Pencil in stock?" ... "I don't think so?" with no further comment.

 

[unknown23]

I went to two Apple stores who both directed me to order online saying that they don't sell them in stores. Today I checked two Best buys and found two pencils available in one of the stores. Still no luck finding a smart keyboard though.

 

[Kal-037]

Some employees are jerk-weeds plain and simple, while I believe many others honestly weren't properly trained or notified like reports said. Didn't someone post that Nov. 6th was the last day for training for Apple Store employees? Apparently that was useless... unless the goal was to train them to be jerks or clueless.

 

[CjonesHouston]

They should be a shamed of themselves. Terrible roll out. If Microsoft would have did this with the surface pro. It would be on CNN every night. One apple rep told me they never know what is on the truck when it comes in. So they can avoid loss of inventory from the employees. If you don't know what is coming in on your inventory truck. How could you know if something is missing. I feel sorry for the Apple Store employees. It isn't their faults. They obviously have to lie. It's the executives making mistakes at the top. That has decided to or cause these issues with in store and online stock. If I order my products on the 11th. You give me a delivery of December 15th but you still have enough stock for Best Buy ,staples and a few of your stores. First come first serve needs to be Apples model again. Not this Wille Wonka rollout.

 

[CjonesHouston]

I did a online order on the 13th for a apple pencil. With a December 20th ship date. On November 18th I go in a Apple Store an see 10 pencils on the shelves. I bought one and cancelled my online order. Why online preorder or order if you are going to stock stores before paying customers. Most people that go in a Apple Store don't purchase. They look and leave. Apple needs to take care of their customers first.

 

[aristobrat]

One apple rep told me they never know what is on the truck when it comes in. So they can avoid loss of inventory from the employees. If you don't know what is coming in on your inventory truck. How could you know if something is missing.

The Apple Store I worked at a few years ago was set for "auto replenishment". The system knew how many of each item was sent the store, how many had been sold so far, and how often the item sold. After a certain amount were sold, the system would automatically order more for the store. Nobody at the store manually placed any orders. FedEx delivered smaller stuff (the stuff you'd see hanging from the shelves, and sometimes slightly bigger stuff, like speakers) in generic reusable 12 gallon plastic totes. So yeah, when 5 totes would show up, none of the regular employees would have a clue what's in them until they were opened. One tote would usually have a bunch of different accessories in it. Never saw a tote full of just one thing. At my store, we'd take the totes out when it slowed down at night and restock the shelves with their contents.

Managers had the ability to peek into what's being sent to the store, though. At least at my store, they did.

 

[masotime]

I think that the supply chain did a very bad job with the Pencil / Smart Keyboard this time around. It's a pretty disappointing showing from Apple.

 

[CjonesHouston]

The Apple Store I worked at a few years ago was set for "auto replenishment". The system knew how many of each item was sent the store, how many had been sold so far, and how often the item sold. After a certain amount were sold, the system would automatically order more for the store. Nobody at the store manually placed any orders. FedEx delivered smaller stuff (the stuff you'd see hanging from the shelves, and sometimes slightly bigger stuff, like speakers) in generic reusable 12 gallon plastic totes. So yeah, when 5 totes would show up, none of the regular employees would have a clue what's in them until they were opened. One tote would usually have a bunch of different accessories in it. Never saw a tote full of just one thing. At my store, we'd take the totes out when it slowed down at night and restock the shelves with their contents.

Managers had the ability to peek into what's being sent to the store, though. At least at my store, they did.

Thank you.

 

[MH01]

I order online generally, as I have given up on the retail store. I found turning up to the stores and being told to try the next day a total waste of time. Seemed the staff were as clueless about stock as I was , and I was the customer.

Feel for the retail staff, but I can also relate that some of them are smug. Though most are great. Once I used to go retail all the time, now days for a new product, it's a waste of my time.

 

[AppleRobert]

Some employees are jerk-weeds plain and simple, while I believe many others honestly weren't properly trained or notified like reports said. Didn't someone post that Nov. 6th was the last day for training for Apple Store employees? Apparently that was useless... unless the goal was to train them to be jerks or clueless.

Go to any Apple store over the course of a few months. Bet you don't see that many of the same folks working there, I don't even know the requirements to be considered for employment but I bet I can guess.

Apple hangs unto the better ones, lots get weeded out quickly which is good because in some of my dealings I'm not sure how they got hired to begin with.

 

[lexususer]

The Apple Store I worked at a few years ago was set for "auto replenishment". The system knew how many of each item was sent the store, how many had been sold so far, and how often the item sold. After a certain amount were sold, the system would automatically order more for the store. Nobody at the store manually placed any orders. FedEx delivered smaller stuff (the stuff you'd see hanging from the shelves, and sometimes slightly bigger stuff, like speakers) in generic reusable 12 gallon plastic totes. So yeah, when 5 totes would show up, none of the regular employees would have a clue what's in them until they were opened. One tote would usually have a bunch of different accessories in it. Never saw a tote full of just one thing. At my store, we'd take the totes out when it slowed down at night and restock the shelves with their contents.

Managers had the ability to peek into what's being sent to the store, though. At least at my store, they did.

Good insight.. makes a little sense now

 

[jschu22]

Retail employees aren't nearly as bad as what's being suggested (or blantantly stated) here. They aren't very informed but clearly that's intended by Apple, maybe it's just simpler to do it this way while the product is new. In reality there isn't a comparable retailer out there that does bring their general staff up to date on each and every replenishment/product availability, even if it's a new product. Seems like it would be easy to do but it takes a significant amount of time to do that with size of staff Apple Stores have.

I'm not blindly defending Apple here because I've felt the frustration of trying unsuccessfully to purchase the latest and greatest many times before, I just think that we are victims of what's actually a pretty fast replenishment process but one that doesn't give much transparency and our own impatience. No other manufacturer replenishes quicker and that's without the kind of demand that Apple has.