Tim Cook reduced Apple's Federal Government Employees Purchase Plan to almost nothing

[Waxhead138]

I work for a large financial institution. Same thing: What little discount was offered is now gone. Same terms with Apple Pay if you finance.

Part of my job travel involves going to some military bases nationwide. Every time I've ever walked in a Navy or Marine Exchange, the military discount is just about as sad on Apple products. Either nothing, or so low it's insulting.

 

[dmccloud]

I believe they check the email address for academic affiliation. For VA discount ID.ME is used which has verified veteran status via uploaded documents such as the DD-214.

They don't check the email address, especially since the parent of a child in school (who is too young to sign up on their own) can sign up themselves. You just enter the name of the school and anticipated graduation/promotion date.

 

[sunman42]

"Approximately sixty percent of all federal workers do not have a college degree."

Don’t know where they got that figure. Maybe from 1928? A more current figure (~ 48%) can be found here: https://www.fedsmith.com/2021/05/10/characteristics-of-federal-employees/ . And I suspect a good fraction of the ~ 30% who have no college may include part-ti e or temporary workers.

 

[JTK Awesome]

I don’t think those discounts are actually a good deal anyway, they just seemed like it.
Better off buying on sale from B&H using MacRumors buying guide.

A recent example of your point - the current Magic Trackpad in white.

Apple Retail:
$129, free shipping takes 3 bus. days

Apple for Fed Gov employees:
$116, free shipping takes 3 bus. days

Amazon.com:
$112, free shipping same-day

Will Apple stores (both on-line and brick’n’mortar) get the axe? Apple can’t seem to compete with itself. Maybe Apple stores become like European new car dealerships, where the ”store“ exists for demo’s + service and repair, and not for sales.

 

[macsound1]

A recent example of your point - the current Magic Trackpad in white.

Apple Retail:
$129, free shipping takes 3 bus. days

Apple for Fed Gov employees:
$116, free shipping takes 3 bus. days

Amazon.com:
$112, free shipping same-day

Will Apple stores (both on-line and brick’n’mortar) get the axe? Apple can’t seem to compete with itself. Maybe Apple stores become like European new car dealerships, where the ”store“ exists for demo’s + service and repair, and not for sales.

Tons of people shop in Apple retail stores.
I think the biggest selling point of them is the staff know and understand the product.
If you visit bestbuy, costco, or some online retailer, they usually have just enough knowledge to completely confuse the customer, then convince them to purchase whatever is going to get them the best commission or fulfill their daily quota.

Apple stores are also great places to learn. They have classes, the devices actually work, you can try on headphones and apple watches, make calls on the phones, etc. A retail experience like no other, honestly.

 

[satcomer]

I work for a large financial institution. Same thing: What little discount was offered is now gone. Same terms with Apple Pay if you finance.

Part of my job travel involves going to some military bases nationwide. Every time I've ever walked in a Navy or Marine Exchange, the military discount is just about as sad on Apple products. Either nothing, or so low it's insulting.

I was in Army in the 90s and station in Okinawa Japan and in the tech shop for year old Mac charged me almost the full retail amount on the local Air Force Exchange back in 97!

 

[rhett7660]

I'm retired now, but it used to be that we were prohibited from using our positions as a Federal Government employees to obtain something an ordinary member of the public could not obtain. Unless one was purchasing off a legitimate Government contract. For example, the Fed Gov't has contracts for airfares and hotel accommodation that provide good rates. And one is supposed to show travel orders to obtain those rates. But it was prohibited to walk up to the airline or hotel, show your Gov't ID and ask for the Gov't rate. The argument for this was that it was an avenue for bribery. A hypothetical example of this might be a Fed employee and a contractor who's preparing to submit a contract proposal, and they make an arrangement that the Fed employee gets a free trip to the Caribbean if he gives the contractor proprietary information belonging to a competitor.
With respect to the comment below about veterans, if the veteran isn't a Fed employee, then it's OK.

I think you are mixing the two.

There are plenty of locations, hotels being one of them, that offer Federal Government employees discounts on their hotel stay, whether it is for business or not. The wife is currently employed with the Feds, and we use this all the time. The Federal Government also, throughout the year, will offer discounts on software (office 365) via the old HUP program and now the MWDP. This is offered throughout the year at different times. ATT, Verizon, and a slew of other companies offer Federal Employee discounts.

What you are using as an example is not what the OP is discussing. Apple offers goods and services via the government portal where there were discounted items. Same thing as a student discount. You provide your current ID and you are able to purchase items, usually at a small discount.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Between 2020 (prior Mac purchases) and now, that discount has evaporated to almost nothing.

Tim's a bean counter. Every decision he's made to date serves one and only one goal, and that is to cut costs and maximize profits to make the company look good to shareholders. That's really all that's left of it now.

 

[sunman42]

I think you are mixing the two.

There are plenty of locations, hotels being one of them, that offer Federal Government employees discounts on their hotel stay, whether it is for business or not. The wife is currently employed with the Feds, and we use this all the time. The Federal Government also, throughout the year, will offer discounts on software (office 365) via the old HUP program and now the MWDP. This is offered throughout the year at different times. ATT, Verizon, and a slew of other companies offer Federal Employee discounts.

What you are using as an example is not what the OP is discussing. Apple offers goods and services via the government portal where there were discounted items. Same thing as a student discount. You provide your current ID and you are able to purchase items, usually at a small discount.

When I was still traveling as a federal employee, there were many states/locations where you had to produce your travel orders to get a discount, as well as your government ID, which we were strictly forbidden from taking on work trips, unless we’d be visiting another facility of the same agency. 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, overseas Territories, and everyone does it differently.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

I bought my first Mac with the federal employee discount, an M1 Mac Mini. I never would've become a Mac user if it wasn't for that discount

Oh well, I got access to the Veterans Discount now thanks to my family's legacy with the US Air Force, which is as much as the Education Discount, so I don't need the government discount anymore. So EAT IT TIM!

 

[McScooby]

I'd mentioned this in another thread, everything was reduced; Refurbs, Company discount schemes (so much so there's only a discount on accessories & the iMac with something stupid like 3% off, even memory & storage is back to standard price with everything else at full price) all at the same time as ramping prices.
Can't help but think this'll come back to haunt 'em.
Record profits are one thing, but price gouging is another.

 

[Bacong]

Same thing for my state government job as well. I can get a better discount buying equipment via our agreements with Verizon or AT&T.

PS, I like your avatar, great show.

not the best Lee Pace show tho

 

[rhett7660]

When I was still traveling as a federal employee, there were many states/locations where you had to produce your travel orders to get a discount, as well as your government ID, which we were strictly forbidden from taking on work trips, unless we’d be visiting another facility of the same agency. 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, overseas Territories, and everyone does it differently.

That must have been a very long time ago as we have been doing this for a very long time. Heck, you can now even go to hotel sites etc and they will ask if you have a Fed ID for a discount.