Thoughts on Apple Store dress code policies?

[janey]

I don't particularly care.
I don't see how it makes any difference, because I actually like that they all have the standard Apple shirts on, but the rest of what they wear is an example of their own individuality (be it a skirt or jeans or just pants and a wacky hairdo..or..piercings and tats, who cares). I think if you have stricter dress codes you might end up with the cruft like the pieces of flair in the movie Office Space.

It's fun and makes everything feel more like Apple, if that makes any sense. Best Buy and all the rest have employees dressed exactly the same as each other and it's very boring and feels un-creative and un-individual. Wearing a suit or other formal businesswear in the middle of an Apple Store makes people look ridiculous (trust me, i've done this and it gave me a really weird feeling of wanting to go out and change into regular clothes).

Smoking...that's another thing. I don't dig smokers, but I know people are people and a lot of people smoke...I've seen the employees (like at the grove) walk over somewhere to a quiet corner outside where there aren't a lot of people and smoke for a bit. Not a big deal. They can't smoke in the store, which if they did, would be the only thing that would bug me.

Personally, I think piercings are cool. I don't see why they should make you think that a person is less professional or anything. Just that, a lot of them are required to NOT have like, certain piercings or go over a certain number of piercings on their visible bodies for jobs and stuff. Shrug.

 

[janey]

In the Glendale CA Apple store there was an employee I saw wearing a kilt. It was a beige plaid design. It actually looked quite cool with the black Apple shirt. He even had some kind of utility belt with it to hold his cell phone and iPod.

I can't tell you if he was wearing underware or not.

never seen anyone at glendale with a kilt on
maybe i should go there more often

 

[Clix Pix]

More and more this is not the case. Most Borders are moving to a dress code. Managers (and I speak from experience here) are required to wear business casual, meaning no t-shirts, jeans, etc. Slowly the regular store employees and supervisors are being transitioned to this as well. The overall idea is that store employees should stand out as being well dressed and clean, and the best way the company sees to do this is to impose a uniformity to what everyone wears.

OMG!!! Wow, times have changed....it has been quite a few years now since I worked at Borders, and it's been a while since I've even been in any of the stores so I had no idea that they were imposing a dress code now. Sheesh! I LOVED the casual funkiness of old-skool Borders.... it presented a sharp contrast to uptight B&N. Now, B&N seems to be relaxing its dress code and Borders is tightening theirs up.... how odd!

 

[p0intblank]

I'm very happy with the dress code. It shows you that Jobs wants the employees to have fun and be themselves. Or at least that's how I look at it...

 

[jaw04005]

I think it really depends on the location of the store. An Apple Store in New York or San Francisco attracts a wide variety of people. However, the Apple Stores that are purposely positioned in up-scale suburbs of major cities (like Saddle Creek or West County) are put there for a reason.

In those stores in particular, it may be in Apple's best interest to hire people who don't exhibit visible tattoos or piercings.

On the smoking, I don't think anyone wants to walk through a cloud of smoke to enter any storefront. Both the Apple and Pixar campuses are smoke-free.

 

[question fear]

OMG!!! Wow, times have changed....it has been quite a few years now since I worked at Borders, and it's been a while since I've even been in any of the stores so I had no idea that they were imposing a dress code now. Sheesh! I LOVED the casual funkiness of old-skool Borders.... it presented a sharp contrast to uptight B&N. Now, B&N seems to be relaxing its dress code and Borders is tightening theirs up.... how odd!

Borders is trying really hard to tighten up their stores and become more uniform overall...it's not a bad thing per se, and i am sure they will be successful over the long haul for it...but as someone who started prior to this transformation, and as someone who is leaving (9 days and counting), I don't want to really be there for it...Borders rewards cards are fantastic, but it has basically created a culture in the short-term where employees are starting to feel defined 90% by their collection rates...I am a little cynical, because the store I am in is struggling and I feel like a typical middle manager, wandering around and telling people they need to improve...anyhow.

 

[savar]

So... any thoughts?

I'm sure the tats/piercings are intended to convey apple "culture" -- an alternative, "think different" kind of buying experience. I imagine its a little off-putting to some conservative/older buyers, but my mom probably falls in that category and it doesn't deter her. As long as the salespeople are cordial and helpful that's what really matters.

You also can't really hold their lack of technical expertise against them. If they knew a lot about computers they wouldn't be salespeople. Sadly that's just the nature of technology.

Smoking near the front door is total BS though

 

[ReanimationLP]

Hmm...

I wonder if they'd get extra money for wearing a black turtleneck and blue jeans.