When I walk into an Apple store (and even though i'm an older guy who they might not be able to relate to), the employees have always been very friendly and I'm always asked if I want any help (but not in an annoying way). Considering the pay, I'm sure there are some employees who don't know the details of the products as well as they should, but overall, I find the service to be quite good whereas in almost every other retail environment, I walk out either annoyed or aghast at how badly the employees are trained. In a big box electronics store, I don't want any of the employees anywhere near me.
I've worked in big box electronics stores for a decade now, on-and-off (took time off for school, came back when my parents, first mom then dad, got sick and I became a 12/7 nurse sharing time with the other parent).
That's basically how we run things: We will try to do our best to help a customer, and we realize when it's not working, it's frustrating, but remember: We're not paid exceptionally well for the effort we gotta put in. From training, to paperwork, to customer service skills, product knowledge, operations, it's a rather demanding job for the pay. It's better than Walmart or McDonalds, but it is not a paradise. Treat us with respect, and we'll do our best. Most of the time, that will be enough. Don't try to take advantage, don't try to demand extra. We don't have the power to give you a new one: if we could, we'd do it simply because it's easier. I suspect AS folks are in the same bin as us.
I worked for Apple in At Home iOS Support - exactly 6 weeks. There was training for 4 weeks and then I worked the phones for 2 weeks. And I could not handle it. Granted I was 57 years old and had never worked customer service, phone support or anything like that in my entire life, but I found the whole thing unbelievably stressful. I lost 20 pounds because I wasn't hungry, I couldn't sleep, I had gag relfex problems (a common stress symptom) and more. The trainig was great, but actually taking phone calls and dealing with the great unwashed was just a complete nightmare - for me. Umphasis on the "me". I had nightmares about the people who treated me bad and worried about
customers that I felt I was unable to help adequately days and weeks
after I took their calls. Other people in my class had no problems and were loving it. A couple of others quit or got fired, but most of them seemed okay. I did talk to one woman in my class the day I quit to let her know what I was doing. We had some common interests and both lived in Austin. I told her I was leaving and she said she understood. She had also been having similar problems to mine and had missed several days.
So what is the point? I have learned in life that every single person in the world is different from every other person in the world. Some of them can work Apple Retail/Support and like it. Others cannot. I don't really think there is much more to this and certainly the article doesn't expose anything earth shattering or unexpected. Some of us are mentally built to handle the pressure of dealing with crazy, angry people in person or on the phone in a high pressure corporate environment, the rest of us run and hide.
Comments
That's basically how we run things: We will try to do our best to help a customer, and we realize when it's not working, it's frustrating, but remember: We're not paid exceptionally well for the effort we gotta put in. From training, to paperwork, to customer service skills, product knowledge, operations, it's a rather demanding job for the pay. It's better than Walmart or McDonalds, but it is not a paradise. Treat us with respect, and we'll do our best. Most of the time, that will be enough. Don't try to take advantage, don't try to demand extra. We don't have the power to give you a new one: if we could, we'd do it simply because it's easier. I suspect AS folks are in the same bin as us.
So what is the point? I have learned in life that every single person in the world is different from every other person in the world. Some of them can work Apple Retail/Support and like it. Others cannot. I don't really think there is much more to this and certainly the article doesn't expose anything earth shattering or unexpected. Some of us are mentally built to handle the pressure of dealing with crazy, angry people in person or on the phone in a high pressure corporate environment, the rest of us run and hide.