Is this TRUE? Apple Employee's treated awful?

[hiimamac]

http://consumerist.com/384443/7-confessions-of-an-apple-macintosh-specialist

I have a friend (g/f sister) and she says she has been there forever and says new people from the outside get the manager positions, that showing up on time, never being late doesn't mean c rap.

Maybe I should post the other things.

She also said there are a few trying to get FULL TIME but apple only has a few full time and like 60 part time to keep from having to pay insurance? As well as most of the store is very high school clicks if your not in, you won't get past a specialist position. Isn't that basis for a lawsuit?

Read some of the other comments on the thread posted about and other mac people should chime in if they have ever worked there.

FWIW, she also said she makes a bit more than minium wage and that where she gets her coffee, they make around $4.00 more per hour.

WOW and these dudes and dudettes at apple know way more about computer than your average best buy computer (other) store.

If thats true thats amazing as she said she alone has made apple more than 1 MILLION in sales since January and get this, zero commission, and because she isn't the #1 in selling apple care, she doesn't get what the others do, a piece of paper saying good job. Holy crap. Is that $*****ty or what!

 

[EricNau]

Every Apple employee I've talked to has thoroughly enjoyed their job.

There will undoubtedly always be at least one disgruntled employee with any company.

 

[mkrishnan]

So if it's such a bad situation, what keeps her working there? It sounds like she believes she has better options -- why doesn't she pursue them?

 

[CanadaRAM]

<working retail at Apple isn't a golden experience>

.... and the point is?

Apple, like many companies, pays a wage at the entry level of the service industry scale, and hires mostly part time employees. This has advantages to the employer in minimizing overtime, holiday and befits expenses. Also in general, an employer will pay the lowest wage that is necessary to attract workers of sufficient quality, with an acceptable rate of turnover. Apple probably relies on the geek cool factor (along with clean and pleasant working conditions with little physical labour) to attract employees at a low hourly rate. Which would you rather have, employee discount on a MacBook Pro or employee discount on Starbeans Dark Roast?

Also, any workplace has a culture, and cliques that form. There's no law against that -- and no law that says an employee is entitled to a promotion or a raise. As long as the employer does not discriminate on the basis of gender, religion, race and a few other criteria that vary from place to place, they can promote whomever they want.

"Being fair to people" is not enshrined in law. Face it - the RW is unfair and it sucks. Develop skills to deal with it, or a disgruntled life awaits you.

 

[nineteentwelve]

When I worked for Apple here in the UK, I never got treated badly. Nobody did. In fact, it was one of the best places I've worked. Everybody got on really well, like family TBH. She must have had a bad experience.

As for skimping when it comes to part time staff, well that's just business. If they can find a way to save money, then they will. Wouldn't you if you ran your own business. As for the AppleCare, everybody in the retail sector has targets to meet. If you don't meet them, you don't get rewarded. It's that simple.

 

[Sun Baked]

It is fully retail, and it wouldn't be unusual for manager with previous experience to be hired straight into those spots.

Walmart tends to hire from within, and they are always in trouble with various groups because these managers lack experience -- and don't know federal and state rules.

If you don't know the rules, you can do some very naughty things to meet you sales goals, hourly goals, and how you manage the employees. It isn't that they are intentionally being bad, they don't know what they are doing and the consequences of their actions.