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The practice might be common, but the unreasonable amount of time related to it isn't and shouldn't be.
And no one here has presented any facts about the "unreasonable amount of time" employees are regularly incurring. Citing a small handful of times where someone may have waited 10 to 20 minutes doesn't cut it when we're talking about a company that employs over 100,000 people.
 
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checking bags when leaving the store is a VERY COMMON practice in retail. It's part of the stores policies. Every retail store I worked in had this policy. Apple is no different than the others. Obviously the biggest whiners on this board are the ones that NEVER worked retail. The lawyers are in it for the money they would make off the employees. In every store I worked, and I have witnessed it at my local Apple Store as well, any employee, not just the manager can check your bag when you leave. It takes all of 10-30 seconds. It's not a big deal. All 3 Apple Stores in my area usually have 2-3 greeters at the front of the store and I've witnessed them checking bags of other co-workers leaving the store.

One store I worked at in the Chicago area, you actually had to empty your pockets as part of the bag check and pat yourself down as well. In the winter you also had to have your coat patted down. Even in the winter this took no longer than a few minutes. And these checks were done whenever you exited the store for any reason.

If you do not like the policy, you can always find another job, or simply not bring personal bags into the store. It's a CHOICE you make. It's your CHOICE to accept the job, therefore you accept the policy and it's your CHOICE to bring the bag into the store. Either don't bring the bag in or don't accept the job. Plain and simple.

You want them to pay you for the 1 or 2 minutes tops to do a bag check, then they should also deduct the 1 or 2 minutes each time you are not productively working such as gossiping about who is dating who or chit chatting with the co-worker about the "game" last night, or when you go in the backroom to check your texts or to call home to check on the kids or whatever. You want to split hairs over a bag check, an employer can also do the same for all the unproductive time you are wasting while they are paying you. It works both ways.
 
Is the Judge really serious about this? Avoid the problem by not bringing bags?

It's easy for the Judge to say... leave alone the gentlemen, how about ladies? On their days of necessity, they MUST bring bags with them to cover their personal/private cleanliness...

I'm not an Apple employee so I'm not gonna take any side here... I'm just saying the Judge's excuse to dismiss the case is plain stupid!!!
 
Sometimes that's just not feasible. If you've had a store full of customers all day and you have 8 employees leaving at the same time and one manager available to check the bags, some of the employees are probably going to have to wait.

We all deal with aspects of our jobs that are not ideal. The Apple Store employees can deal with this. If they're pressed for time after work, they have the option of leaving a bag in their car or with the person who will be picking them up from work.

If Apple had dedicated security that checked the bags, that is business as usual. When the workers have to wait for a manager to have free time to check their bags, that is a control freak manager who loves to micromanage. Why are Apple stores paying managers to do low level work like check bags?
 
You are NOT required to bring a bag, so why would it be on Apple's time?
No you are not required to bring a bag but Apple allows you to bring the bag, you should not be expected to stay there on your own time for a bag search if Apple allows you to bring it. What if they expected you to be there a lengthy amount of time before the bag search is completed? How much time should the person be expected to give up waiting for management to go thru the bag?
 
This is the kind of response, and the twisted logic it contains, that makes one wonder how our country will survive. This guy seems to be saying--like a ghost from the depression--if you don't like how we're exploiting you leave. Why, for example, do businesses think it's okay to require their employees to do anything off the clock? If it's so important to them to check bags, the why don't they do that before their employees clock out? Why does this guy believe that the simple act of bringing a purse, or a backpack to work is something pejorative? Millions of people bring these things to work every day in other fields, why is retail different? Why can't Apple or Amazon or any other huge company simply accommodate a simple lifestyle necessity that tens of millions of Americans employ every day? And why does this guy automatically believe that the other poster's child is doing something frivolous after work, just because she has a bag? This lack of logical thinking and jumping to conclusions is very sad.

So Apple's a bad retailer for using the same procedures in their stores that every other retailer does?

So you want the store to pay your daughter more than the others who work there because she made plans after work which have absolutely nothing to do with the store's function or her job.

Why does your kid deserve more money because she chose to bring a personal bag into a retail workplace? Is she a princess or somehow special? Should everyone else ALSO stay on the clock and be forced to hang out to accommodate your daughter's time waiting because SHE decided that she just HAD to bring in her bag to accommodate HER plans?

Or even worse, why should your daughter basically get to stop working before the others on the shift and NOT do the work the entire time she is scheduled? Why should everyone else have to work their shifts end-to-end while your kid gets to stand in a line and NOT work for the 15-20 minutes? Oh yeah. Because it's a party or something and it's just that important.

No. You can either deal with it, or get another job. Same as everyone else in that industry. You don't need to bring that purse to work. Use your pocket, and if it's too much to handle, get a different job.
 
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No you are not required to bring a bag but Apple allows you to bring the bag, you should not be expected to stay there on your own time for a bag search if Apple allows you to bring it. What if they expected you to be there a lengthy amount of time before the bag search is completed? How much time should the person be expected to give up waiting for management to go thru the bag?

You are not required to bring a bag into the store. Since they allow you to bring a bag into the store YOU therefore agree to the check upon leaving. When do YOU take responsibility for your own actions. You bring the bag in, you accept the fact that you may have to wait a few minutes, or however long it takes, for it to be checked upon leaving.
 
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You are not required to bring a bag into the store. Since they allow you to bring a bag into the store YOU therefore agree to the check upon leaving. When do YOU take responsibility for your own actions. You bring the bag in, you accept the fact that you may have to wait a few minutes, or however long it takes, for it to be checked upon leaving.
I guess we just disagree, I do understand your point but just think that it should be Apples responsibility to make sure they do this on their time since they allow the employee to bring such item to work. Either way I guess the employee can seek employment elsewhere if they don't like giving up the time for the search.
 
Absolute ********, Apple! Very disappointed in this. Makes me think Apple is a lousy employer for their retail staff.



Which isn't realistic. People lead busy lives. It's not always possible to avoid bringing personal effects with you to work. Sometimes you have things to do after work and have to bring personal effects with you.

If an employer wants to make a bag search part of the routine, then they need to make sure it's done within the parameters of the employee's shift. Outside of that, they are infringing on the employee's personal time. My daughter worked at a very large retailer (who shall remain unnamed) while going to college and they would often times keep her 15-20 minutes after work unpaid waiting for a manager to get a free minute to check her bag before leaving. Expecting that of people is reasonable, but not compensating them for their time is not.

I hope the attorneys representing the employees have other ways to attack this. It's wrong and should be corrected.
Well now, the alternative is to not bother the people with very busy lives and let them rob Apple Stores all they want. After all, Apple has all the money in the world and the employees should be able to take as much as they want and sell it to their friends. Perhaps the truck drivers should just drive it to the employees homes directly and help unload it into their garages.
 
I don't get paid to go through the security protocol when I arrive and leave work. Guess I should sue like these whiney Apple workers. Boo Freaking Hoo.
 
I am sure on a judge's salary you can afford to eat out every day for lunch. But the low paid Apple store workers can't afford to do this and have to bring their lunch in a bag. Those overpaid judges just fail to understand this.

And before you ask, some people do not drive and use public transport to get to their job . . . or park their car in a place where it's not fiesable to run to it just to get your bag for your lunch.

What if you're a bodybuilder and can't eat the slop they sell in the mall food court? Oh wait, you don't see many of them working at Apple anyways...
 
Basically, if you've always been a bottom wrung employee, you're going to side with the Apple employees, if you're a manager or heaven forbid, own your own company, you're going to side with the judge and Apple.
 
Good. They should have acted like progressive adults and proposed a different system to Apple, such as surrender upon arrival, etc. with an employee fridge for their foods. Use democracy, not this "Sue, Sue, Sue!" bull$&@#. It's passive and dishonourable to one of the best retail environments globally. Sheesh.
 
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Employers argue that they are paying for your time (hourly workers), not the job done. This is why you are not allowed to surf the net and play video games if you are caught up on all your work. The US Supreme Court has weighed in on that one too.

If the employer (Apple, Amazon, Wal-Mart, whoever), wants to keep me around for whatever reason, they need to pay for that time. Once they stop paying me, I should be free to go. If my employer wants to do a bag check, it should be on their dime.

Now a quick 3-5 minute deal, I can probably stand. 15 minutes makes it to the timecard.

Yes, I am aware that the SCOTUS has ruled otherwise. They also ruled Plessy vs. Ferguson (saying segregation in schools is okay) and were wrong then, too. Given how they are being treated by Wall Street (how much does your wife make, Judge Thomas, or would you like to comment on the ridiculously overpriced weekend you took courtesy of the Koch Brothers?), it isn't surprising that no billionaire gets left behind.

No, your daughter isn't a princess because she gets paid for her bag check, or because she get paid at least minimum wage, or because she gets overtime if she works more than 40 hours in a week. This should be the expectation of every hourly worker.

Its bad enough that wages are so freaking stagnant for workers while corporate profits soar, but to nickel and dime folks making $10/hour while making billions a quarter is just rampant greed.
 
Pretty ridiculous that people think this is a suable "offense." I worked in retail a long time ago and was offended by the bag search, I just thought it was stupid to hire people you didn't trust, but I'd never think Oh my god, I must sue - what would I even get $1?

If employees want compensated for this, be prepared to not be compensated for bathroom breaks. Or downtime. Or anything else that isn't 100% work.

Careful what you wish for.

Exactly! How many people really work 8 hrs "Nonstop?" I would say each day is probably 5 or 6 hours of real work and 2 hours doing stuff like lunch, walking and bathroom breaks, etc.
 
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I love how so many people's solutions to this argument is "don't bring a bag."

As if telling all women not to bring their purse to work was reasonable. Hey, ladies, just clutch a few tampons/pads during your periods! Diabetics, open-carry your needles and insulin! And, of course, any other reason to have a bag is entirely unreasonable!

We apparently live in a country where the meaning of the word "compromise" is to shove your fingers in your ears and yell.

Sad.
 
I work for T-Mobile which doesn't search my stuff, but I understand why Apple searches ppl's things. They most likely have employees that have stolen things in the past and this is there way to make sure it doesn't happen again. If the few break the rules it hurts everyone. Ppl need to stop crying and deal with it. Like others are saying. If you don't like it find a different Job. Apple can't make you stay and work for them. If they would of won this, I would of laughed at those employees when Apple didn't give anyone any raises for a few years to recop the lost. Apple would of found away to get the money back.
 
I love how so many people's solutions to this argument is "don't bring a bag."

As if telling all women not to bring their purse to work was reasonable. Hey, ladies, just clutch a few tampons/pads during your periods! Diabetics, open-carry your needles and insulin! And, of course, any other reason to have a bag is entirely unreasonable!

We apparently live in a country where the meaning of the word "compromise" is to shove your fingers in your ears and yell.

Sad.

Or, what about cycling to work.

When:
It's hot I need to change my clothes otherwise people complain I smell.
It rains I need a rain jacket and pants.
My bike has a flat I need tools and new tubes.
It's wintertime I need gloves.

I DO need a bag!

Cycling to my job is also good for my employer, I don't get sick as many times as my co-workers so my employer saves money.
 
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You know, unlike other stores Apple stores are loaded with small, high-value items.

A klepto at a Wal-Mart could make out with some groceries and maybe a coffee. A klepto at an Apple Store could make thousands a day...and they have!
 
Judge ruled correctly.

Employee A) She finished her job on 6:00pm and didn't bring a bag. She earned $200.
Employee B) She finished her job on 6:00pm but brought a huge backpack. She earned $220 because she lined up for 20 min.
Employee C) She finished her job on 6:00pm and didn't bring a bag but worked hard for 20 minutes more. She earned $220.

This isn't fair.
 
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