apple store employees rude to funny looking me

[appleden]

I am a funny looking old guy. Several times I have gone to the apple stores and the employees have been rude to me.

Today, I went to a one to one class and when I looked up, a young female employee was making faces at me. She was standing with another employee. When they saw that I was looking at them, she continued to stand there and make faces. This continued for more than 5 minutes.

At the end of the one to one class the instructor (or whatever she was called) asked me if I would be more comfortable at another apple store.

She suggested the Fifth Avenue store.

I like apple products and will continue to buy them but I am upset by this incident especially since it is not the first time I have encountered rude juvenile behavior at the store. I know I do not fit their image but their immature behavior seems to be deliberate attempt to rid the store of people who do not fit in.

(i should also say that I own stock in apple.)

Have others encountered rude behavior at the apple stores which was directly related to how you look?

 

[iBlue]

That's horrible and from the sounds of things there's no excuse for it. Unless you are acting inappropriately or have absolutely no sense of hygiene there is no justifiable reason they should behave that way with you. Actually even then I think they should tread the waters carefully with assumptions. Think different(ly) indeed.

I'm sorry. I'm not even sure what to say.

 

[niuniu]

People are rude to me, my gf, my family and everyone I know come to think of it.

That's just the way a lot of people are unfortunately. If people try to put you down based on your looks or other superficial attribute then you have the upper hand, you know that they're insecure at the root of it all and need any little confidence boost they can garner.

Also: you post is funny in it's honesty

 

[Eraserhead]

If you really feel uncomfortable talk to their manager.

 

[arkitect]

Several times I have gone to the apple stores and the employees have been rude to me.
Have others encountered rude behavior at the apple stores which was directly related to how you look?

Excuse me for being a tad cynical, but as one old guy to another:

You collecting other people's stories about supposed rude behaviour at Apple stores will help… how exactly?

What you should have done is complain to the manager at the store.
Then write to Apple.

Otherwise you sound a bit like a reporter trying to grab material for an exposé.

Edit: I know I know I sound like the worst fanboi. Which I am not…

 

[iBlue]

I'm glad I'm not the only cynic, arkitect. I too wondered what the point of this was or if it was fishing or trolling in some capacity but I packed that in just in case it wasn't. Since you mention it though I do hope something more useful can come of this than collecting stories on the internet. A little talk with a manager or writing to Apple is sure to be more productive.

 

[tabasco70]

It's definitely not some sort of 'plan' to rid the store of anybody that doesn't fit.

It's just two employees that are immature and find the way you look amusing. It's rude of them, and as employees of Apple and therefore representatives of the company to customers, they should know better. But they apparently don't, so you could confront them or the manager.

And I really doubt your having stock in Apple matters in this story.

Your post sounds exactly like what you should right in a complaint to the store.

 

[appleden]

just upset

Excuse me for being a tad cynical, but as one old guy to another:

You collecting other people's stories about supposed rude behaviour at Apple stores will help… how exactly?

What you should have done is complain to the manager at the store.
Then write to Apple.

Otherwise you sound a bit like a reporter trying to grab material for an exposé.

No, I am not a reporter or looking for something.

I was just upset, and disappointed, and not even mad. I didn't go to the manager because that person might get fired. What's the point anyway. I am funny looking, and she is rude. Nothing would have been gained by complaining to anyone at the store.

It was just early in the morning and I posted my disappointment. It was bothering me. That's all. Boo Hoo.

oh, and there was no other issue. I was dressed nicely, and certainly clean.

 

[barkmonster]

Define funny looking. If you draw attention all the time, how do people in other establishments behave?

Let's have a photo and judge for ourselves. You couldn't possibly look as strange as this guy...

 

[appleden]

define funny looking

funny looking=I had an accident and have:
1. scars on my head, so I always wear a baseball cap
2. no eye lashes
3. a skin graft on my nose, which is not that noticeable but blends in with the weirdness
4. a mildly loose neck from an operation
5. a sad looking mouth, even tho I am not sad.

enough?

She was making sad faces to imitate my mouth.

 

[IBradMac]

funny looking=I had an accident and have:
1. scars on my head, so I always wear a baseball cap
2. no eye lashes
3. a skin graft on my nose, which is not that noticeable but blends in with the weirdness
4. a mildly loose neck from an operation
5. a sad looking mouth, even tho I am not sad.

enough?

She was making sad faces to imitate my mouth.

Dude, I would have definitely reported them, immediately. That is not right. In fact, if it were me I'd never visit that store again. Not cool.

 

[niuniu]

I agree with the poster above. If you are in any way scarred from an accident there is absolutely no excuse for someone to mock that. If I were in your position I would seek compensation from Apple or if that wasn't forthcoming I'd take it to the press and let Apple know that I was intending on going to the press during my initial complaint.

What an absolute scumbag whoever this is - lets see how she mocks one her own children if they are even scarred from an accident.

Edit: actually which store did this happen at, and what was the description of the girl who was mocking you? I'd love to send them an email.

 

[akutad]

I would totally report the behavior to the manager. Perhaps get footage as proof. Does anyone know if they have cameras at the apple store as we don't have one in my city and I go to an authorized dealer. I'm shocked. Especially that another person was joining her in the scheme.

 

[iBlue]

That is way out of line. That needs reporting in some way.

 

[Abstract]

Report them. Do the world a favour and have them fired. Then perhaps decent people would get hired for the position. There are lots of other people, some of them very nice, who are just dying to get a retail job with Apple. It's not as if there's a shortage.

Whether you look different due to your particular circumstances, or whether someone smells bad and wear tattered clothes, they need to treat everyone as customers, and accordingly, treat everyone with respect.

The guy in the Apple store dressed in a suit may be unemployed, broke, and was walking home from a job interview that didn't go well. Someone dressed a bit too casually may actually have a decent job and the cash to blow on an Octo-core Mac Pro. Perhaps he's a bad dresser, and is on a vacation. It's not their job to say who is and isn't an important customer, especially not based on their appearance.


Now I suggest you do your best to complain, because you really would be doing others a favour.

You really should be far more angry than this. I'd be fuming.

 

[Bill Gates]

That is way out of line. That needs reporting in some way.

Seconded. It's one thing to be immature and make faces at someone in the public sphere, but as an employee at Apple, one represents the company. Immaturity cannot be tolerated. I think that if you were to have brought it up with the manager and not mentioned a specific person, you could have avoided someone being fired, and at the same time made sure that the manager was aware of the issue and could perhaps act on it. I had thought that by the time one reaches early adulthood this phase of immaturity had passed. I guess it still lingers for some.

 

[hexonxonx]

I'm not a stranger to having people pointing and laughing at me and I'm a geeky looking nerdy looking dork who is skinny with a huge nose and pizza face from years of acne as a kid. I've learned over the years to only go where I feel comfortable and if some people start treating me without respect, theres another store not too far away who will get my money.

This kind of thing happens to me allot even where I work and I'm a delivery driver. It happens from people of all ages.

I'm just wondering why you chose to bring this up? It can't just because it's an Apple store. Is it the fact that it is an Apple store that you feel even more bothered? Sure it shouldn't happen at all but it does and it happens anywhere to strange looking people everywhere. Likely this kind of thing has happened before to you at other places and even when you were young. Have you written about other occurances like this? I've always been treated with respect at the Apple store I go to.

 

[Abstract]

Forget about her getting fired or not. If she acts like that, why does she deserve to continue working in customer service? If she gets fired, another young, hip person gets the job. It's not like you're increasing the unemployment rate or anything. You're just culling the poor CS people, and keeping the stronger ones.

 

[hexonxonx]

The guy in the Apple store dressed in a suit may be unemployed, broke, and was walking home from a job interview that didn't go well. Someone dressed a bit too casually may actually have a decent job and the cash to blow on an Octo-core Mac Pro. Perhaps he's a bad dresser, and is on a vacation. It's not their job to say who is and isn't an important customer, especially not based on their appearance.

That's for sure. Last summer, I drove up to Boluder Colorado to buy a 8 core Mac Pro. I was wearing blue jeans and a black Gap t-shirt and old nikes with holes in them. I went up to Bloulder because the first store that I went to to buy the Mac Pro ignored me for over 30 minutes as I was there using the display model. I went into the Boluder store, was greeted imediately, told the guy I wanted the 8 core and was out of there in less then 10 minutes. It was probably the fastest $3,000 they ever made at that store.

 

[Beric]

That is way out of line. That needs reporting in some way.

QFT. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour.

 

[Marcus263]

Reporting them won't do much for your self-esteem. What you need to do is confront the girl and give her a head-butt... How you like my face now?!

 

[notjustjay]

I'm with the "report it" crowd. Unless these people knew you personally, the fact that they made fun of you suggests that they will also make fun of other people who they find equally "unusual", and is indicative of immaturity or a poor attitude.

If it's the first time, perhaps they genuinely didn't know that what they were doing was offensive, and a gentle talk from their manager could be all that's needed. Or, for all you know, this is the latest in a long series of incidents and the manager just needs one more complaint to finally put this person to rest. You never know. Either way, report it.

 

[themoonisdown09]

Three words: report it.

 

[charlesbronsen]

Three words: report it.

but , but that's two...

 

[jeremy h]

... juvenile behavior at the store. I know I do not fit their image but their immature behavior ...

I've got children aged 5 and 6, (I'd class them as juvenile and immature ) but even at that age both they and all their friends know that sort of thing is very wrong. (They might be curious about why people's faces can change and don't always look similar etc but that's different.)

I think you should take it further - at the moment there's plenty of decent and mature people who are looking for work...