Company: Apple
Date: 2008-08-22
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: current

Why would you even think you want to work at Apple?
Pros: The stock option package is decent and benefits for full time employees are generous. Discounts exist, but aren't all that great given what you have to put up with as an employee.
Cons: The retail environment is unruly. There is never a break in the day and management rarely supports your mental well-being by helping to breaks. Once you become a key member of the team (full time and are a leader in your department) or you have a particularly well-based exceptional knowledge-base, the questions never stop rolling in. Your role becomes much more similar to that of an Assistant Manager, who also get badgered quite a bit, but without the pay. Management has no problem assigning more responsibility but never compensates for it either in the way of a raise or in the form of preference for day off or scheduling requests. Lastly, there is no commission structure in place. Given the huge disparity in work ethic (which translates to sales), some kind of commission structure would make the mayhem worth it, but there isn't. There is nothing to reward me for working at a grueling pace all day to try and keep customers happy—I make the same as a peer who has figured out just how much work they need to get done to look busy and fly under the radar. Even a half of a percent commission would add up really quickly for me, particularly on days when I break 20k in sales. $100 in commission in a single day would double my salary. Management and corporate doesn't see to care about who sells their computers. To them, we are a renewable resource; once we burn out and leave, they'll get someone else to do it—and don't forget it's a privilege to work for Apple. What a joke!