Apple store employees: no commission, but what about add-on sales?

[VoodooDaddy]

So I went to my local Apple store last night (local = 45min away) to pick up a Macbook. I knew what I wanted so I didn't bother browsing around, just wanted to buy the Macbook and be on my way.

I walk in and see a sales girl in the middle of the store, not helping anyone else, so I said "I'd like to buy a Macbook."

She then asks which model and I tell her. Then she launches into the add-on spiel.

Salesgirl: "I'd recommend applecare with that, it extends the warranty to 3 yrs."

Me: "I understand I have up to a year to buy that right?"

SG: "Yes, but..."

Me: "I think I'll wait, but thanks."

SG: "right now we are offering a $100 rebate on a printer. We have a lot of nice printers to choose from, some starting at $99."

Me: "I just bought a new printer about 2 months ago so I don't need one" (its true)

SG: "well what about .mac?" then she proceeds to tell me all about what it can do and "if you buy today you save $30"

Me: "honestly, I don't know how often I'd use it."

SG: "but you can do [this and this and this]", repeating what she just told me

Me: "don't we get that for 60 days? I have it on my mini which I just got a couple weeks ago. I've messed with it a little bit, but not too much"

SG: "its really cool. You can do [3rd repeat here]."

Me: I think I'll pass today

SG: "but its $30 off. You only get the discount when you buy it with your Macbook"

Me: "I think just the Macbook and we are all set"

SG: "are yo sure?"

Me: "yes"

SG: "anything thing else you need?"

Me: "not today, thank you"

Finally she calls up the order for the Macbook on her walkie talkie. Thought that was amusing. Lol

Not surprisingly, about halfway through that sales pitch I was getting a little annoyed. What's the deal with the hard sell add ons? Do they make a bonus with all that?

My wife and I had a conversation about this on the way home. If they really wanted to lock people into buying something they should offer applecare for half price (or substantial savings, $100 off maybe) when you buy your hardware. Then once you leave the store it becomes full price if you choose to add it later. I'm quite sure I'll spring for the applecare before my year is up. I just don't see any need to buy it right when you get your computer.

 

[regre7]

But what if there's a day that you're not covered? You'd better buy it now!

I'm ordering online, so I won't have that problem. Fortunately, I've only had good experiences with my local (local = 3.5hrs away) Apple Store. Nice guy named Javier showed me a lot of cool stuff, never acted annoyed or like he had something better to do.

 

[WaveSurfer]

It's called metrics. Even though they aren't on commission, they are expected to "attach" things like .Mac, AppleCare, and ProCare to a certain percentage of sales. This is lightly enforced, but at the annual review, it weighs pretty heavily on performance results for the employee which impacts the kind of review they have and the kind of raise they get. It's not their fault really, it's just policy and the higher ups set the goals they are expected to attain.

 

[topgunn]

While I can't speak for Apple Store employees, I know that when I was working at CompUSA in high school, we got $100 for every extended warranty we sold but nothing for selling the actual computer. The idea was, people came to the store with the intention of buying the computer so selling one wasn't an accomplishment.

 

[MovieCutter]

While I can't speak for Apple Store employees, I know that when I was working at CompUSA in high school, we got $100 for every extended warranty we sold but nothing for selling the actual computer. The idea was, people came to the store with the intention of buying the computer so selling one wasn't an accomplishment.

So THAT'S why some of the salesmen come off as sleezy scumbags. No wonder I never shop at CompUSA...

 

[celebrian23]

Yes, I just recently bought a mbp and the guy was so annoying. .mac .mac .mac .mac .mac .mac was all he could talk about. I'm sure it's cool and all, but it's not worth the money for my simple needs. I, like you, came in knowing exactly whatt I wanted and I didn't want to play around

 

[7on]

From your transcript it sounded like you didn't know if you wanted .Mac or not. If you said starting off "No, I don't want .Mac" instead of your "well I don't think I'll use it" then she'd probably not go on.

 

[regre7]

He was probably trying to be polite.

 

[mortey]

I am weary of that myself.

Perhaps if you are really annoyed you should indulge them in their offers and then when they go get you say, "Oh i'm sorry. I can't. Forgot I didn't have enough money ^_^"

 

[Acehigh]

SG: "well what about .mac?" then she proceeds to tell me all about what it can do and "if you buy today you save $30"

I notice they really like to push .mac, its almost all profit. Probably most people who buy it never use it. Most people have their own email address already. Dont really need a website or idisk but they buy it anyways.


does anybody know if they get bonuses on how many .mac account they sell. When i brought a Macbook Pro the guy told me i can buy it and sell it.

 

[AvSRoCkCO1067]

So THAT'S why some of the salesmen come off as sleezy scumbags. No wonder I never shop at CompUSA...

Yeah, I work at Sears - don't get me wrong, some of the extended service plans are actually used (we do service one product about every 2 seconds throughout the U.S., and I replace broken merchandise that's covered all the time)...but if we don't push those extended service plans, we're screwed (re: fired).

 

[medea]

That is what the retail business is like, they do that everywhere not just at the apple stores. Especially if the store has their own card, jeez. No I don't want to save 10% today by signing up for a 20 percent interest card just to pay for this $10 pack of shirts.

Anyways, that is why I like to shop online for most things except groceries and clothes.

 

[7on]

That is what the retail business is like, they do that everywhere not just at the apple stores. Especially if the store has their own card, jeez. No I don't want to save 10% today by signing up for a 20 percent interest card just to pay for this $10 pack of shirts.

Anyways, that is why I like to shop online for most things except groceries and clothes.

You can buy groceries at amazon.com now

 

[Flyinace2000]

No commisions

They do not get paid commission. But they do track .mac, APP, and Procare sales. If the store makes their quota everyone gets a bonus.

 

[intrepkid21]

FYI, telling them that you already have .mac (even if you don't) is the easiest way to get them off your back

 

[ReanimationLP]

Trust me, us retail employees hate having to hawk the addons just as much as the customers hate having to listen to it.

Take Things Remembered Rewards Clubs for example. I F***ING HATE SELLING THOSE. Its such a hard sell, but if I dont sell them, then I can lose my job, and if I dont make my numbers, I have to listen to my district manager for hours on end, and hes a real a**hole.

 

[applerocks]

FYI, telling them that you already have .mac (even if you don't) is the easiest way to get them off your back

No, they told me it would be cheaper since I could renew for $70

applerocks

 

[i4k20c]

Yeah,
just go with it, it's their job, if you kindly cut them off, and just say, i know you have to ask but i'm all set with just the macbook.. they should leave you alone..

i work in retail, and like the person said, i hate asking just as much as the customers hate hearing it.. but i don't make the rules, i just follow the managers and district managers want..

 

[jjohnson87]

n/a

 

[Pistol Pete]

It's called metrics. Even though they aren't on commission, they are expected to "attach" things like .Mac, AppleCare, and ProCare to a certain percentage of sales. This is lightly enforced, but at the annual review, it weighs pretty heavily on performance results for the employee which impacts the kind of review they have and the kind of raise they get. It's not their fault really, it's just policy and the higher ups set the goals they are expected to attain.

exactly... dont hate the retail sales...its their job.

 

[EricNau]

I just bought my MacBook over the phone and had a similar experience.

him: I strongly suggest you add more RAM
me: na, I can't afford it at the moment, and when I can I'll add it myself
him: when you do, you'll have to buy a matched pair, which will cost more than upgrading now
me: no thankyou

him: how about more HDD space?
me: no, I have a 250 GB HDD at home and haven't even used 60 GB on that
him: OK

him: how about AppleCare?
me: I have a year, don't I?
him: well, yes, but you only get 90 days of tech support
me: I won't be needing it.

 

[California]

Apple needs to get with the times. The internet has sped up the education factor for consumers. This isn't just Apple retailers, it is every retailer.

I heard in China they have things called buying clubs where strangers meet online who want to buy a certain product. Then ten of them who want to buy the same item -- say a macbook or whatever -- go in and harrass the retailer for a group discount. Each of them gets a discount.

This is just the tip of the iceberg for retailers. U.S. Consumers are smart and the internet has made them smarter.

I was in an Apple store last night because I wanted them to put the brand new, unopened stick of Kingston ram I had bought when I purchased an iMac at the university store a few months ago. They wouldn't put it in the machine for me because it was not "apple branded".

Well they aced themselves out of thirty bucks.

While they were figuring all of this out, I looked around the brand new store in Sherman Oaks CA. Flourescent lighting -- too bright and chases people away. It was like trying to do work in a display cabinet -- the whole place was white. No place to sit down inconspicuously.

They hold classes there for the uninformed that I wanted my parents to take. But no Macs for hands-on usage for the students to learn on? Plus because there is no place to sit down and relax because the whole store is lit up like an art performance piece, no one wants to be there and hang out. You feel like YOU are on display. Very discomforting. (But I guess in this day and age, an actual old time retail customer is a cultural artifact that needs to be on display like a piece of art!)

That store at least just felt like a little overlit cubbyhole where you stupidly throw your money down their retailing piehole. I love macs but people want comfort and value for their money. Apple, like every other retailer in the world, needs to be ahead of the curve. With google at our fingertips, who the hell would not do a bit of homework on .mac and other Apple add ons before they went to the retail store? Not me. Not anyone I know. Consumers are smart. Apple needs to be smarter.

 

[mortey]

Ok..i worked at an apple store for over 6 months and the pressure to attach things such as .mac procare and apple care is much more than light. Depending on the manager at the time you are forced to add these to a sale at all costs. The amount of attachments each employee gets for each sale is monitored on a white board in the back. The attachment rate factors heavily into how many hours you will get and the amount of value you hold to the store as an employee. I have always told people please just be patient and listen to the sales pitches but if you are not intersted politely turn them down. Most of the people I worked with would stop at there if it continues please try to be extra patient as the sales person is under a great amount of pressure. I dont know if this helps but I figure I had personal experience on the subject that I could share

That's really good to know but also somewhat disheartning. I work at Borders Books and Music and we have pressure to give customers our free membership card and even though it is free I still find myself struggling to ask every single person if they want one. Just seems like if they want one, they should ask. I know why companis do it though

 

[EricNau]

Apple needs to get with the times. The internet has sped up the education factor for consumers. This isn't just Apple retailers, it is every retailer.

[...]

While they were figuring all of this out, I looked around the brand new store in Sherman Oaks CA. Flourescent lighting -- too bright and chases people away. It was like trying to do work in a display cabinet -- the whole place was white. No place to sit down inconspicuously.

They hold classes there for the uninformed that I wanted my parents to take. But no Macs for hands-on usage for the students to learn on? Plus because there is no place to sit down and relax because the whole store is lit up like an art performance piece, no one wants to be there and hang out. You feel like YOU are on display. Very discomforting. (But I guess in this day and age, an actual old time retail customer is a cultural artifact that needs to be on display like a piece of art!)

That store at least just felt like a little overlit cubbyhole where you stupidly throw your money down their retailing piehole. I love macs but people want comfort and value for their money. Apple, like every other retailer in the world, needs to be ahead of the curve. With google at our fingertips, who the hell would not do a bit of homework on .mac and other Apple add ons before they went to the retail store? Not me. Not anyone I know. Consumers are smart. Apple needs to be smarter.

Considering Apple is one of the best retailers in the world in terms of business per square foot, perhaps they know something that you don't. That look & feel that makes you uncomfortable is exactly what attracts people into Apple stores.

 

[zap2]

What you do is, walk in go up to the sales person, sound as if you know TONS about Apple say

"I would like a 1.66Ghz Core Duo Intel Mac Mini with 1Gb of RAM with 20'' Apple Cinema Display" and they will go and get it for you. They might ask a little about AppleCare or .Mac but if you know what you talking about(or sound like it)i think they pressure you less as you seem to know what you want.

(the 1.66Ghz Core Duo intel Mac Mini with 1Gb of RAM is just an example but the point of that was say some specs with details it a "strong" voice.)

So you'd say "MacBook Pro 15'' 2.0Ghz Intel Core Duo 1Gb of RAM"(in a strong demanding , but not mean voice,) NOT "MacBook Pro 2.0Ghz 1Gb memory" (in a weak *I have no idea what i want* kind of voice)


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