Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts to depart in April, hands mantle to Deirdre O'Brien

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  • Reply 81 of 125
    She seems like she did a great job, oversaw the opening of some amazing flagship stores, and transitioned towards the future by making Apple stores a welcoming place for the community to interact and learn about Apple's products and how to use them to be creative.

    I always got the sense that Ahrendts took the job as a sort of coming home back to the US, a stepping stone to retirement. I'm not surprised she's stepping down. Not worried either, looks like Apple stores are on a positive and well-established track.


    Apple stores always were that. She didn’t do that. she just took an Apple Store that was already doing that and turned into a JC Penny lookalike that does that. Not a good thing. 
    edited February 2019
  • Reply 82 of 125
    6502 said:
    Putting the head of HR in charge of retail seems like another dumb idea. I've never met a smart HR person (only idiots go into HR as they can't do anything else). They're so dumb they think they're smart by asking interview questions like what animal you would be if you could be any animal. For anything semi-complicated, they always seek outside counsel as they can't make any decisions on their own. Bad move, Tim.
    HR ... acronym for Human Remains
  • Reply 83 of 125
    6502 said:
    Putting the head of HR in charge of retail seems like another dumb idea. I've never met a smart HR person (only idiots go into HR as they can't do anything else). They're so dumb they think they're smart by asking interview questions like what animal you would be if you could be any animal. For anything semi-complicated, they always seek outside counsel as they can't make any decisions on their own. Bad move, Tim.
    Humor aside, she may be chosen for a well defined (and extremely complex) task: recruit salesmen. Complete restructuration of the Stores by recruiting competent and dedicated sales personnel. A HR manager may be the best suited person to this task, supported by the direct involvement of TC.
    edited February 2019
  • Reply 84 of 125
    BittySon said:
    Overpaid but glad she's leaving. She seemed very bright, but the reality is she turned the best retail experience ever into the DMV and basically added nothing but logistical complication. The threat of her possibly becoming CEO has me breathing a sigh of relief as she was not a good fit.

    The new head of people and retail seems like an AWFUL idea as she is basically head of HR, and now magically a master of retail?

    What would be great is if Deidre is temporary and they convince Ron Johnson to come back. He was great at this role. Apple would be lucky to get him back.
    She turned the best retail experience into the DMV? How so? 

    And what was great about Ron Johnson other than he ran Apple retail when it was a much smaller company?
    Um he CREATED apple retail. When everyone said it would never work. Go google the articles of it's doom. He pulled it out of his mind and made it what it was. The highest $ per square foot retail ever.  So yea, there's that teeny tiny creation thing.

    As for DMV, go to a store today. You're a pinball. She added logistical complication and ruined and poisoned the retail experience. Before, you'd go to the genius bar and deal with your issues.

    Now you show up, you try to find where to check in, there is no genius bar. You ask one employee, they say, um no, im not the check in person, go over there, thats where the check in person is. You go over there and say I'd like to check in. Oh I'm not the check in person, but they are right there. Then you check in and they send you to table X,Y over there. Some people go to the wrong table. The geniuses come looking for where you should be, but the person is in the wrong spot, and now the genius goes to 2 or 3 tables finding the right person. In the mean time, people who have problems are interspersed throughout the store with their poison "my iDevice doesnt work" griping, poisoning the buying experience around others.

    Before, you just went to the bar, you and your problems were isolated and didnt poison others' purchasing experience, and you didnt pinball through the miserable DMV experience. I used to love just stopping by at apple stores when Ron was in charge. I cringe if I have to go there now.  So that's how it's the DMV.
    https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-stores-suffer-from-customer-complaints-long-wait-time-2018-3/
    I don’t know what store you go to. That’s never been my experience.
    It has been my experience in numerous Apple Stores in the last three or four years.  Dystopian retail experiment gone horribly wrong.  The organic hope you bump into someone who cares to help you thing isn’t fun.
    Again not the experience in any Apple store I’ve been to.
    patchythepirate
  • Reply 85 of 125
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,324member
    As an AAPL shareholder since 1999 (having never sold a single share), I must say that I never was a fan of Angela Ahrendts' hire to begin with. I was concerned her experience in "fashion" would transform my Apple tech into little more than name-brand goods (which is pretty much what the Apple Watch has been), and I certainly didn't approve of her hire in light of the compensation given to her.  During her tenure, I never saw anything noticeable that showed Apple was more than paid back for her work.  She seems to have played the roll of Dr. Feelgood, making Apple store employees somewhat more happy, but doing little else.  She made only subtle changes to Apple stores; but for the most part, those changes have not attracted more customers to Apple stores or left them more happy and satisfied than they were prior to Angela Ahrendts hire.  

    It's good she made the decision to leave, but it stands as a dark spot on Tim Cook's record in terms of his ability to choose good people to benefit the company's bottom line.  She was paid handsomely, but what did she really do to benefit Apple product consumers?  And now she's being replaced by an Apple veteran employee who was obviously not capable enough to do the job before Angela was hired, since Tim Cook picked Angela rather than him, yet now he gets the job.  This doesn't look bright for Apple retail.  The only positive about this news is that an over-paid Apple executive who did little for the company is now gone.  Pay, even among Apple executives, should be commensurate with performance first, and past experience/successes second.
    kestral
  • Reply 86 of 125
    She was phenomenal with Burberry. As far as 75 million just to start working for Apple? I don’t know about that. 

    She seems like a nice person and all and probably a good manager? But she didn’t really improve anything as far as Apple’s retail efforts. 

    The Watch launch was a DISASTER. That was her rewriting the system and trying to fix what wasn’t broken. It just broke what was already fixed.

    Turning Apple stores from high tech museums into JC Penny mall store lookalikes? Not good. The old store was amazing when it launched. You couldn’t NOT walk in and spend time there. It was like a high tech art museum with pieces you could take home with you. Sure, it was getting somewhat dated some 15 years into the old design, but it was a timeless design. The remodel could have really become something special, but instead, she opted for what all the other mall stores look like. Kind of a downgrade in some ways. 

    So many layers added onto what was once simple and made it a bit more complex. 

    Hopefully Apple gets back to making complex things simple and not the other way around. 
    Apple stores look like JC Penney stores? WTF? In what possible way does this look like a JC Penney store?




    patchythepirateclaire1
  • Reply 87 of 125
    claire1claire1 Posts: 510unconfirmed, member
    Well you guys got what u wanted. Now time to go bi**h about the next retail chief.
    macxpress
  • Reply 88 of 125
    1st1st Posts: 443member
    hopefully, the apple store will be back to be an "walk in classroom" to learn the latest OS, the software, the hidden gem and short cuts like the old days.  the time you can chat with thechies about your problems at table (rather than take a number and handed over to "right specialist").  Good old days (when you can get a t-shirt for new store opening).  Hopefully, more substance in the glass box soon.  Best luck to the new chief (with best wishes to let apple store to be anything but another fashion outlet... ). I'll keep my fingers and legs all crossed.  
  • Reply 89 of 125
    claire1 said:
    Well you guys got what u wanted. Now time to go bi**h about the next retail chief.
    Well... Certainly many people here love or would love Mr. Selfridge and The Paradise TV series. But that five years experience may have shown that fashion retail and tech retail are significantly different.
    edited February 2019
  • Reply 90 of 125
    She was phenomenal with Burberry. As far as 75 million just to start working for Apple? I don’t know about that. 

    She seems like a nice person and all and probably a good manager? But she didn’t really improve anything as far as Apple’s retail efforts. 

    The Watch launch was a DISASTER. That was her rewriting the system and trying to fix what wasn’t broken. It just broke what was already fixed.

    Turning Apple stores from high tech museums into JC Penny mall store lookalikes? Not good. The old store was amazing when it launched. You couldn’t NOT walk in and spend time there. It was like a high tech art museum with pieces you could take home with you. Sure, it was getting somewhat dated some 15 years into the old design, but it was a timeless design. The remodel could have really become something special, but instead, she opted for what all the other mall stores look like. Kind of a downgrade in some ways. 

    So many layers added onto what was once simple and made it a bit more complex. 

    Hopefully Apple gets back to making complex things simple and not the other way around. 
    Apple stores look like JC Penney stores? WTF? In what possible way does this look like a JC Penney store?




    the bottom is just an entrance and is atypical. Their are also some new stores that kept the influence of the previous designs. But the main remodel plan looks like this:

    now go to your nearest JC Penny store. Or if you want to just compare the tress, go to your nearest kindergarten. 

    The wall textures, the tree pots, the colors, etc. It’s just not Apple. the tables are nearly the same and are cool. The ceiling is a nice evolution and the floor is pretty good. The but wall textures/color, the cabinetry, and the trees themselves and especially the containers. Yuck. 


    edited February 2019 christopher126
  • Reply 91 of 125
    Bobbybina1Bobbybina1 Posts: 3unconfirmed, member
    While the stores look nice and there seems to be more activities in the stores, the experience of getting service is a failure. I have sought on three separate occasions service for my iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. Each time I was frustrated with the process and wait times. Under Ron Johnson, the stores were a joy to obtain help at. Apple has lost a great asset when it changed the Genius Bar system. They should bring it back. I frankly don’t care to learn how to use iTunes, although that is important too. Getting help with ever more complicated systems is more important. Apple wanted to attract switchers. One of the reasons was service. Now that they no longer seem to target switchers, they gutted the service. That’s a step backward. I hope they bring a proper retail visionary to that position. The head of HR is, hopefully, a temporary measure. Steve Jobs is quoted as saying something to the effect that he has never met a head of HR that was not mediocre.
  • Reply 92 of 125
    She was phenomenal with Burberry. As far as 75 million just to start working for Apple? I don’t know about that. 

    She seems like a nice person and all and probably a good manager? But she didn’t really improve anything as far as Apple’s retail efforts. 

    The Watch launch was a DISASTER. That was her rewriting the system and trying to fix what wasn’t broken. It just broke what was already fixed.

    Turning Apple stores from high tech museums into JC Penny mall store lookalikes? Not good. The old store was amazing when it launched. You couldn’t NOT walk in and spend time there. It was like a high tech art museum with pieces you could take home with you. Sure, it was getting somewhat dated some 15 years into the old design, but it was a timeless design. The remodel could have really become something special, but instead, she opted for what all the other mall stores look like. Kind of a downgrade in some ways. 

    So many layers added onto what was once simple and made it a bit more complex. 

    Hopefully Apple gets back to making complex things simple and not the other way around. 
    Apple stores look like JC Penney stores? WTF? In what possible way does this look like a JC Penney store?




    the bottom is just an entrance and is atypical. Their are also some new stores that kept the influence of the previous designs. But the main remodel plan looks like this:

    now go to your nearest JC Penny store. Or if you want to just compare the tress, go to your nearest kindergarten. 

    The wall textures, the tree pots, the colors, etc. It’s just not Apple. the tables are nearly the same and are cool. The ceiling is a nice evolution and the floor is pretty good. The but wall textures/color, the cabinetry, and the trees themselves and especially the containers. Yuck. 


    I think the addition of trees was a mistake. It’s “gilding the lily.”
  • Reply 93 of 125
    She was phenomenal with Burberry. As far as 75 million just to start working for Apple? I don’t know about that. 

    She seems like a nice person and all and probably a good manager? But she didn’t really improve anything as far as Apple’s retail efforts. 

    The Watch launch was a DISASTER. That was her rewriting the system and trying to fix what wasn’t broken. It just broke what was already fixed.

    Turning Apple stores from high tech museums into JC Penny mall store lookalikes? Not good. The old store was amazing when it launched. You couldn’t NOT walk in and spend time there. It was like a high tech art museum with pieces you could take home with you. Sure, it was getting somewhat dated some 15 years into the old design, but it was a timeless design. The remodel could have really become something special, but instead, she opted for what all the other mall stores look like. Kind of a downgrade in some ways. 

    So many layers added onto what was once simple and made it a bit more complex. 

    Hopefully Apple gets back to making complex things simple and not the other way around. 
    Apple stores look like JC Penney stores? WTF? In what possible way does this look like a JC Penney store?




    the bottom is just an entrance and is atypical. Their are also some new stores that kept the influence of the previous designs. But the main remodel plan looks like this:

    now go to your nearest JC Penny store. Or if you want to just compare the tress, go to your nearest kindergarten. 

    The wall textures, the tree pots, the colors, etc. It’s just not Apple. the tables are nearly the same and are cool. The ceiling is a nice evolution and the floor is pretty good. The but wall textures/color, the cabinetry, and the trees themselves and especially the containers. Yuck. 


    I think the addition of trees was a mistake. It’s “gilding the lily.”
    The trees do ‘feel’ a bit forced. However, I think the positives outweigh that feeling (which probably only a few aesthetic ascetics even sense). The positives being noise reduction, creating a warmer environment, and the sentimental value of the trees being indoors. 
    pscooter63claire1
  • Reply 94 of 125
    ksecksec Posts: 1,569member
    I think getting rid of Genius Bar was the worst thing ever. But I am not entirely sure that was her decision. Jonny was involved in the Retail Remake as well. She is probably one of the best retail person, the problem is she had no experience in Tech. And tech industry is different to all other Retails. 

    BTW, Apple exec team are one of the lowest paid across all industry. So I don't think she is overpaid at all. Or you could argue every single exec on earth are overpaid.
    edited February 2019
  • Reply 95 of 125
    1st said:
    the time you can chat with thechies about your problems at table (rather than take a number and handed over to "right specialist").  
    And another poster was lamenting the loss of taking a number... Can’t both be right!

    I also have had that bad experience of struggling to find the right place within a store, but it’s not a recent thing.

    Busier stores (my experience is the London ones) suffer from just having so many visitors, and Apple seem to be very keen on preventing the build ups of queues (anathema to me, as a Brit!) within their stores.
  • Reply 96 of 125
    During her tenure the Apple Store nearest me was transformed from the best retail experience available into a confusing, crowded and unpleasant destination. The merchandising aspect has been a step backward. Here's to Apple Store 3.0.
    SpamSandwichnht
  • Reply 97 of 125
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    ksec said:
    I think getting rid of Genius Bar was the worst thing ever. But I am not entirely sure that was her decision. Jonny was involved in the Retail Remake as well. She is probably one of the best retail person, the problem is she had no experience in Tech. And tech industry is different to all other Retails. 

    BTW, Apple exec team are one of the lowest paid across all industry. So I don't think she is overpaid at all. Or you could argue every single exec on earth are overpaid.
    Why yes. Yes I do. They are all overpaid. They should earn no more than the President.
    6502
  • Reply 98 of 125
    BittySon said:
    Overpaid but glad she's leaving. She seemed very bright, but the reality is she turned the best retail experience ever into the DMV and basically added nothing but logistical complication. The threat of her possibly becoming CEO has me breathing a sigh of relief as she was not a good fit.

    The new head of people and retail seems like an AWFUL idea as she is basically head of HR, and now magically a master of retail?

    What would be great is if Deidre is temporary and they convince Ron Johnson to come back. He was great at this role. Apple would be lucky to get him back.
    She turned the best retail experience into the DMV? How so? 

    And what was great about Ron Johnson other than he ran Apple retail when it was a much smaller company?
    Um he CREATED apple retail. When everyone said it would never work. Go google the articles of it's doom. He pulled it out of his mind and made it what it was. The highest $ per square foot retail ever.  So yea, there's that teeny tiny creation thing.

    As for DMV, go to a store today. You're a pinball. She added logistical complication and ruined and poisoned the retail experience. Before, you'd go to the genius bar and deal with your issues.

    Now you show up, you try to find where to check in, there is no genius bar. You ask one employee, they say, um no, im not the check in person, go over there, thats where the check in person is. You go over there and say I'd like to check in. Oh I'm not the check in person, but they are right there. Then you check in and they send you to table X,Y over there. Some people go to the wrong table. The geniuses come looking for where you should be, but the person is in the wrong spot, and now the genius goes to 2 or 3 tables finding the right person. In the mean time, people who have problems are interspersed throughout the store with their poison "my iDevice doesnt work" griping, poisoning the buying experience around others.

    Before, you just went to the bar, you and your problems were isolated and didnt poison others' purchasing experience, and you didnt pinball through the miserable DMV experience. I used to love just stopping by at apple stores when Ron was in charge. I cringe if I have to go there now.  So that's how it's the DMV.
    https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-stores-suffer-from-customer-complaints-long-wait-time-2018-3/
    I don’t know what store you go to. That’s never been my experience.
    It has been my experience in numerous Apple Stores in the last three or four years.  Dystopian retail experiment gone horribly wrong.  The organic hope you bump into someone who cares to help you thing isn’t fun.
    Well it’s unfortunate you had that experience, mine have been nothing but positive.
    patchythepirateAppleExposed
  • Reply 99 of 125
    claire1 said:
    Well you guys got what u wanted. Now time to go bi**h about the next retail chief.
    Yep, in no time people will be complaining about the new retail chief and projecting things they don’t like about Apple on her. 
    AppleExposed
  • Reply 100 of 125
    She was phenomenal with Burberry. As far as 75 million just to start working for Apple? I don’t know about that. 

    She seems like a nice person and all and probably a good manager? But she didn’t really improve anything as far as Apple’s retail efforts. 

    The Watch launch was a DISASTER. That was her rewriting the system and trying to fix what wasn’t broken. It just broke what was already fixed.

    Turning Apple stores from high tech museums into JC Penny mall store lookalikes? Not good. The old store was amazing when it launched. You couldn’t NOT walk in and spend time there. It was like a high tech art museum with pieces you could take home with you. Sure, it was getting somewhat dated some 15 years into the old design, but it was a timeless design. The remodel could have really become something special, but instead, she opted for what all the other mall stores look like. Kind of a downgrade in some ways. 

    So many layers added onto what was once simple and made it a bit more complex. 

    Hopefully Apple gets back to making complex things simple and not the other way around. 
    Apple stores look like JC Penney stores? WTF? In what possible way does this look like a JC Penney store?




    the bottom is just an entrance and is atypical. Their are also some new stores that kept the influence of the previous designs. But the main remodel plan looks like this:

    now go to your nearest JC Penny store. Or if you want to just compare the tress, go to your nearest kindergarten. 

    The wall textures, the tree pots, the colors, etc. It’s just not Apple. the tables are nearly the same and are cool. The ceiling is a nice evolution and the floor is pretty good. The but wall textures/color, the cabinetry, and the trees themselves and especially the containers. Yuck. 


    You might not like it but it’s nothing like a JC Penney store. And to say it’s not Apple? What is Apple? Personally I think the previous store designs were stale and these are much more refreshing. I wish my stores (which are mostly mall stores) had the new design.
    patchythepirateAppleExposedclaire1
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