Company: Apple
Date: 2012-11-20
Overall rating: 5/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

More than you would expect from a retail experience.
Pros: Working in Apple Retail allowed me to have a flexible schedule so I could focus on my studies during college. I met a ton of people from all over the world, all walks of life, and really just was able to engage with individuals about their technology that I would otherwise not have the opportunity to meet. I learned quite a lot about Apple technology, computers and enterprise set ups in general, and was trained thoroughly on the technologies I was expected to support. I had fun co-workers and they helped to support one another in their customer encounters, as well as educate. Overall I had a positive learning experience there; and while some days the interactions were not top notch, or I had to deal with an irate client, I eventually learned a great deal of patience, empathy and humility from my peers.
Cons: In any retail environment, you run the risk of being micro-managed by a supervisor who doesn't quite understand the scope of your daily activities; nor is attentive to employee needs. Sometimes the management fails to set clear or sustainable expectations. In my time at Apple Retail specifically, I found that we would be so engrossed in the tasks at hand that I wasn't getting adequate breaks, or some days, would end up having to miss lunch altogether on an 8-9 hour shift. Working a desk job, this would not always be an issue. But when you are on your feet for hours a day...