Well seeing how well it went for the British the last two times.
actually the second time went better for the brits and canadians then it did for you lot
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John Browett, Apple's New Head of Retail, Sends Introductory Email to Store Employees
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actually the second time went better for the brits and canadians then it did for you lot
Although I'm not a big fan of Dixons, I agree with giving him a chance. I can't see why people would get so angry about someone they really know very little about. Who knows how well he works with the team or what ideas he has? Nobody. He could've hated being at Dixons for all we know.
it's just funny how a welcome letter to retail staff devolves into discussions of Best Buy, Fry's, Costco and how horrible a decision making team is at Apple.
The experts sitting at home/cubicle who seem to feel more knowledgable at long term strategy than the folks at Apple, must assume this was simply not thought through and on one ever looked at a Dixon's store, which is more a statement about them than Apple. But, everybody has an opinion.
$12million a year and you'd be sweet talking too! Here's how his salary compares to the top 10 jobs of 2012 according to US News and World Report:
Computer Programer, Salary Range: $40,820-$114,180
Computer Systems Anylst, Salary Range: $48,360-$119,070
Web Developer Salary Range: $43,190-$119,940
Database Administrator Salary Range: $41,570-$115,660
Software Developer Salary Range: $54,360-$87,790
Apple did make visits to Dixons retail stores as part of the recruitment process - I read an article when he was appointed that stated this backed up with comments from Apple staff. For the record, they were impressed with the new store designs they saw though I'm not sure which store(s) it was they went to.
Though I still think the skill set Apple wanted was nothing to do with the store management and the front end of retail. I reckon they were more interested in his skills at managing a multi-national IT retail business and working with razor thin margins (and the inherent operational skills). When viewed like that it makes a lot more sense - Apple need to expand more internationally and they are very focussed on efficient operations.
Not sure which Frys you have been in, but the one in Burbank has a monster warehouse location and carries almost any product you could want, electronic or otherwise. I've bought a lot of things from them cheaper than same product on Amazon or any of a ton of tech sites I go on.
But I am baffled how a corporate decision in hiring pulls out of the woodwork tons of experts in hiring. I assume they think nobody in Apple investigated or visited Dixon's at all, and that, somehow, they have found a flaw in a major corporate hire. Just amazes me and proves why a democratic approach is not the way to run a business, certainly not one with the track record of the big A.
I know more about Dixons, Currys, and PC World than Tim Cook, yes.
Tim Cook has never been ripped off as a consumer in any of these stores. These stores don't exist in the US, nor do their awful policies and abysmal customer service.
And Tim Cook is not Steve Jobs, he will make mistakes that Steve would not. I'd be astounded if Browett was hand picked by Steve before he passed.
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And I just googled best uk electronics retailer and Best Buy was first and Dixon's third.
And I just googled best uk electronics retailer and Best Buy was first and Dixon's third.
So did I, Dixons wasn't on the first or the second page...weird
Not sure you understand how recruitment works at that level. Apple will most likely of used a head hunting agency to identify possible candidates, a short list will have been drawn up and everyone on it investigated and researched fully. People think the salary Browett is getting is obscene, they'd probably have kittens if they knew how much the recruiting agency would have got paid for his appointment.
By the time the process got to Tim Cook he would have been fully aware of every pertinent fact regarding Browett, including the poor reputation of the Dixons Group. He would have known everything relevant that you claim to know and a lot more besides.
Of course, the appointment might not work out but claiming it was done almost on a whim without all the relevant information being considered is just wrong.
Probably differences in US and UK versions.
Attachments
I'm glad I'm not the only one picking up on this vibe. Personally, I believe any manager being placed into such a high-level position with a company like Apple would have a very hard time selling oneself as being suitable for such a career move. Seeing as Browett is coming from a company that, from appearances, makes CompUSA look like Tiffany's, this doesn't bode well. Though my inner-fanboy wants to believe otherwise, I'm unfortunately left with no other option but to say "best of luck". He's really, really going to need it.
He'll have to sort out the pay, first. They're happy to add more responsibilities to your role (that goes for pretty much all of retail, but Apple's very good at this) while offering really poor pay, and I know this from Genius Bar experience. There are also some really difficult constraints that the Geniuses/FRSs have to work with, so bear that in mind. I wouldn't be surprised if half those Geniuses you're disappointed with just can't be assed anymore and are just hoping to transfer to a job that pays far better.
Although I don't think the pay will be sorted as there's so many people wanting to work for Apple, so Apple doesn't really need to entice them.
Could go a long way to explaining why everyone Stateside think those in the UK are being unfair to this guy. Let's hope you don't come round to our way of thinking.
Bear in mind that Dixons (which owns Curry's and PC World) rebranded all its UK stores as "Currys digital" and only use Dixons for online sales and (I think) Tax-free airport shops.
I boycotted Dixons Retail Group stores for several years after bad experiences and poor customer service, and even now only buy from them if there is no viable alternative.
Blind faith in anything is stupid.
Dixons sucked, they are hated throughout the country and have no style. Basically the opposite in ethos to Apple.
Crazy move, and all the [geek] Brits are in shock at this news.
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Good luck trying to find a Dixons store in the UK
I also find it hard to believe that Apple is employing the guy who ran the Dixons stores to run their retail stores. For years I've known Dixons as the worst electronics shop in existence. The staff are generally rude, unhelpful and most of all have no idea what they are trying to sell you (other than an extended warranty.) The shops are poorly stocked, badly arranged, cluttered and sell last generation products at the current generation prices. Why Tim Cook selected this guy I have no idea.
Blind faith in anything is stupid.
Dixons sucked, they are hated throughout the country and have no style. Basically the opposite in ethos to Apple.
Crazy move, and all the [geek] Brits are in shock at this news.
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Good luck trying to find a Dixons store in the UK
It has nothing to do with blind faith. It has everything to do with a bunch of Internet tough guys who think they know better than Tim Cook and his people who worked on this hire.
Well then I'm not so scared... I much prefer Fry's to Best Buy. I dunno, the description I hear sounds more like Best Buy honestly (who I will not give a dime to).
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Uh... what? Fry's sells all of those things too honestly (they have a much wider range of stuff they carry, including computer parts for making your own computer... hard to find these days since Compusa went away).
And it doesn't matter if Best Buy employees don't work on commission, they still act like they do. And you do realize that stores (including Apple cause I've heard of some Apple managers at least doing it this way) have other ways of encouraging their employees to be pushy, like not giving hours if you don't sell enough of something. So they can make them be just as obnoxious as commissioned people but they can make the claim that they aren't on commission. Even the pet store I work at does it a little (they don't take away hours but they sure do push us to push some of our services).
And Fry's at least doesn't treat me like I'm trying to scam them if I dare return something or try to use an extended warranty I paid for. And give me all sorts of lies. F Best Buy.
And I'm sure Steve Jobs made mistakes Cook would not... what's your point?
(and yes, Steve Jobs is not perfect and you better be glad he caved in to some stuff that he was stubbern about, like not allowing itunes on Windows or not wanting third party apps on the iphone. The iPhone would never have taken off if they didn't allow that and Windows still has majority people using it therefore he would significantly cut the audience for the iPhone and other stuff depending on iTunes if he didn't allow it to be put on Windows. And if you think most people would go get a mac just to use a phone, you're kidding yourself. They'll just find a different phone).
Good luck trying to find a Dixons store in the UK
DSG - Dixons Store Group, includes Currys, Curry.digital and PC World, just using Dixons as shorthand. Mr Browett worked for DSG.