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LOL.

Tip for what? Do you tip at Best Buy? Target?

Like everything else, don't fall for social pressure and tip $0.

They're in a nice comfortable mall, not sweaty road construction or flipping burgers, and I'm pretty sure they get more than minimum wage already. Overpaid unless they're near magically good; and they're good, but not THAT good.

Greedy bustards, but you know I don't mean the bird species.
 
Unions have to demand ridiculous things so they can have something to negotiate away. That's the game. They would ask for free massages, free meals, and 90% discounts, with the understanding that those are bargaining chips than can be traded for.

That's why unions are bad - their job is to literally poison the well so that they become indispensable to the process.

It's pathetic and they really are taking advantage of people that don't know any better.
 
Unions have to demand ridiculous things so they can have something to negotiate away. That's the game. They would ask for free massages, free meals, and 90% discounts, with the understanding that those are bargaining chips than can be traded for.

That's why unions are bad - their job is to literally poison the well so that they become indispensable to the process.

It's pathetic and they really are taking advantage of people that don't know any better.

That, and the unions tend to donate to parties or candidates to tilt the game further in their favor - without the consent of their members for part of the dues going to that use.

Corrupt, IMO.
 
So who should work retail jobs then, by your logic?
People who need supplemental pay should work there, whether that means students, seniors, or people wanting/needing a second job.

Getting a degree, 2 years or higher, should always be your goal, whether you are vocational school or university material. I understand that people have dreams, but backup plans are important because dreams rarely happen.

I watch a steady flow of people working at the retail store where I am now, and I see some who are 18-20 thinking that it's a good place to be. They don't notice that the people working there for 15-20 years are unhappy. Had I not had software development for 20+ years, I couldn't have imagined being in retail again.
 
getreal.jpg
 
My wife got her M.S. in Business and then set about to look for jobs.

One of the offers she received was for some related management salaried position at a local target. Pay was "so so" but the hours included the potential of nights and weekends.

Part of the consideration on whether to take the job was the fact that, even though her position would be a "real job", the employer was still a retailer...with all of the baggage that comes with that.

In the end, she decided to decline the offer and hold out for something better. It was not long before she got an offer from a bank, at almost twice the pay and normal office hours.

Fast forward some 15 years...she upgraded her original bank job to an assistant VP job at another bank, and now works at an IT company at more than twice then pay of her original bank job and almost 5x the pay from her job before she finished grad school.

Pretty sure that if she had taken the Target job, her situation today would not be so rosy.

The point: for the VAST MAJORITY of people, retail is a dead-end, time-limited job. Trying to make a career out it it is a bad idea for most. You should have an exit strategy.
 
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Tipping culture in the USA is obscene.

34 weeks I assume is commensurate to term of employment upon being sacked, but it’s still high for severance.

Bereavement for friends is necessary

Bereavement for pets is necessary - and hear me out on this because I think there’s some ignorance related to “it’s just a dog / cat / other”

I get it’s difficult for some people who don’t love animals / or who may have kids and think it’s drastically different, but science says it’s not.

You can Google for more information, andim sure there will be many who don’t believe it, but here are some starter links



Probably throwing some accelerant on the fire, there are many people who care an awful lot more about the life of their pet than some care about the life of their child. Procreation doesn't instantly provide unconditional love, just like some people wjth animals never develop a bond.
 
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Tipping culture in the USA is obscene.

34 weeks I assume is commensurate to term of employment upon being sacked, but it’s still high for severance.

Bereavement for friends is necessary

Bereavement for pets is necessary - and hear me out on this because I think there’s some ignorance related to “it’s just a dog / cat / other”

I get it’s difficult for some people who don’t love animals / or who may have kids and think it’s drastically different, but science says it’s not.

You can Google for more information, andim sure there will be many who don’t believe it, but here are some starter links



Probably throwing some accelerant on the fire, there are many people who care an awful lot more about the life of their pet than some care about the life of their child. Procreation doesn't instantly provide unconditional love, just like some people wjth animals never develop a bond.

If you want to take time off because your pet died, you can use your regular PTO or take time off unpaid. You don't need some special category of leave.

I say this as someone who twice had to put down his 14-16 year old dog, and wept uncontrollably when doing so.
 
Apple already pays them well above retail norms. They can’t jump ship and work for a direct competitor because they don’t offer stores nationwide or in the same scale. 10% increase in pay equals a 10% increase in prices to consumers. Apple has a simple formula. 90% of what they sell makes at least 30-35% gross profit margin. Any product or service that doesn’t or negatively impacts that is eliminated. The stores currently serve a purpose. If the become a drag their structure will change or they will become a casualty.
 
I have always thought of tips as a form of reverse blackmail.

What, is the waiter going to spit in my food if he knows I am not going to tip him?

Or the Apple Store employee will refuse to take in my phone for servicing unless I tip him?

Or maybe this can work another way. Say my iPad Smart Keyboard normally wouldn't quality for a replacement, but I might be able to convince the Store Genius to look the other way with a twenty or fifty? It's still cheaper than buying a replacement.

Tipping as a culture is utterly illogical however I think about it.
 
They should request % of sales item. But tips? Not a restaurant!
The problem is they are not a sales organization. They would inherit quotas and other pressures that go with performance based pay structures. It would also diminish the Apple Store customer experience because employees would be responsible for increasing sales to justify their commission.
 
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You are 100% correct. I'm all for this, apart from the tipping. The union should be negotiating for commission on sold hardware, as other retailers do.

Folks, I realise you don't understand unions and EBA negotiations, but this is how it starts. We are fairly used to it in Australia so stop dramatising it! They WILL negotiate from high, usually down to a balanced EBA. Fair for the staff and employer. Unions have changed the workplace in Australia, in that they have managed to provide for fair pay, fair hours, pay for overtime, Annual leave, Personal leave rights etc.

Do you guys realise that the US is the only country in the "free" world without Annual Leave entitlements??
Maybe this has been covered already - and by the way I agree wjth a lot of what you've said, most people get annual leave in the USA and it has been balanced by employee demand (and yes THE BIG BAD capitalism)

While I appreciate that most other countries don’t prefer or appreciate the benefits of this design and there can be some pitfalls, our views outside of the USA come from a place that doesn't understand the culture, as with a great many things about the USA.

As someone who was born and lives in the UK, but spent more than half of their life in the USA, it's too easy to conflate cultures because of a common language, and impossible to understand the system without immersion, in my opinion. Immersion isn't working for an American company for a few years either. This can be applied to any statement that involves the sentiment of "why can't America just..." or "can you believe people in the USA ..."
 
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They should negotiate for commission instead. I’m not tipping the guy that grabs my iPad out of the back room.
You would end up paying the commission anyway, as it would be added to the price upfront to maintain targeted profit margins.
 


Employees at the unionized Towson, Maryland Apple Store are this week negotiating with Apple for new benefits, and have asked for higher pay, tips, and changes to leave policies, reports Bloomberg.

towson-maryland-apple-store.jpg

Employee representatives have requested raises of up to 10 percent and they want Apple to implement a tipping system that would provide customers with the option to offer 3%, 5%, or custom tips when checking out with an in-store credit card transaction. "This will allow thankful patrons the ability to express gratitude for a job well done without any obligations," the union said. Tip money would be split among employees based on hours worked.

The union is requesting double pay for employees who work more than eight hours per day or 40 hours a week, along with more pay for employees working overtime on weekends. Employees also want higher pay over a larger number of holidays, a $1 an hour increase for workers who become first-aid certified, up to 34 weeks of severance pay for layoffs, extended paid bereavement leave up to 45 days per year, with pets and close friends to be included under the allowed time off, and expanded vacation pay.

The union said that "these are initial proposals" and that it realizes that this "is a negotiation." Apple's Towson, Maryland store unionized last summer, and it is one of two unionized retail locations.

Article Link: Unionized Maryland Apple Store Workers Request 10% Raise and Option to Accept Customer Tips
Give me a break! 45 days bereavement pay to include pets and close friends? 34 weeks severance pay? Unions serve a certain purpose but this is way over the top. Seems more like. Apple is dealing with some petulant children throwing a tantrum. I consider moving the store if the union can’t act as responsible adults.
 
Personally, I'd rather see all Apple Stores eliminated than unionized.
That's what the union will do, if more stores become unionized, apple will open fewer and fewer stores and existing stores will get shut down as apple moves to lower cost sales channels. (I know you know this already.)
 
Give me a break! 45 days bereavement pay to include pets and close friends? 34 weeks severance pay? Unions serve a certain purpose but this is way over the top. Seems more like. Apple is dealing with some petulant children throwing a tantrum. I consider moving the store if the union can’t act as responsible adults.

I have a career job with a major regional employer. It offers 3 days of "bereavement" leave, which doesn't include friends and pets.

If you want more than it offers, you can take PTO.
 
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People who need supplemental pay should work there, whether that means students, seniors, or people wanting/needing a second job.

Getting a degree, 2 years or higher, should always be your goal, whether you are vocational school or university material. I understand that people have dreams, but backup plans are important because dreams rarely happen.

I watch a steady flow of people working at the retail store where I am now, and I see some who are 18-20 thinking that it's a good place to be. They don't notice that the people working there for 15-20 years are unhappy. Had I not had software development for 20+ years, I couldn't have imagined being in retail again.

Unless someone has the people skills and the attention to detail to go for management, or it's their own family-owned business, I don't think ANYONE capable of more should stay in retail for a lifetime (although in some of the milder environments, I imagine some folks actually like it; but change a store shift or section manager, and that can go downhill fast). An Apple store is civilized compared to most retail...but a busy Walmart, most of the people that work there look like zombies after a few years. Except for some few better positions*, retail will just use people up. That doesn't mean they should get paid more for being a victim, it means they should take the initiative to pursue whatever training they can afford to up their skills and move on. (and to be fair, even Walmart offers some educational assistance, at least if a sign I saw wasn't misleading)

* Apple store _way_ better than e.g. Best Buy; like Target is way better than Walmart. I recall going early to a Target to get a newly released CD, and the electronics folks were finishing a meeting to make sure they all could talk sensibly about the latest media and game releases. I can't imagine that in Walmart; nobody there except maybe sporting goods, automotive (if they have a garage at that store) or jewelry ever seemed to have that much of a clue. It can't feel good to be reminded multiple times a day that you're just an expendable carbon-based work unit with low expectations.
 
The problem is they are not a sales organization. They would inherit quotas and other pressures that go with performance based pay structures. It would also diminish the Apple Store customer experience because employees would be responsible for increasing sales to justify their commission.

One reason I'm likelier to answer Apple surveys than most; if they're actually rewarding based on customer satisfaction (which IS profitable with repeat business), I'd just as soon encourage that.
 
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