Company: Apple
Date: 2011-01-03
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: current

I love my team, they are the reason I come to work everyday
Pros: Many of our customers are die hard Apple fans, like myself, and it's rewarding to interact with and assist them when their device gives them difficulty.  I have the freedom to come up with out of the box solutions for each customer and the corporate culture supports the idea of free, but properly given, feedback.  There is never any shortage of opportunities to hone my critical thinking skills, and management supports solutions I come up with for customer problems.  My team are the reason I come to work everyday, and from the management to the newest Specialist, I feel we all pull together to get the job done.  It is very satisfying to feel a part of that.  Our products are exciting and innovative, and I never feel anything but proud to say I work for Apple.  There are many positions in this global company and theoretically unlimited potential for growth.
Cons: The salary is just ridiculous.  I have been there 2.5 years and I still make only 10.30 and new Specialists right off the street make more than that.  There is no system to compensate for time worked in other more demanding areas - a dollar more an hour, *something* - and the pervasive philosophy seems to be an elitist 'people would do more than you for even less', that makes employees feel devalued.  The fact is, customers routinely say that the service is the reason they choose Apple.  There would *be* no brand without the people, and yet we are overworked, underpaid, and treated as chattel much of the time as evidenced by policies from upper management.  Our store management never has good communication, this is a symptom of the draconian ways of dealing with things from the top down - you get one chance to violate Apple confidentiality, this is it.  Of course Retail had evening and weekend and Holiday hours, but we aren't compensated for it like the corporate employees would.  Yet we are in the trenches everyday.  This affects morale.  Sometimes more than others.  Turnover is high.  I don't even bother to learn the names of the new specialists for several weeks after they are hired when it's obvious they are going to make it.  Working for Apple is like dog years of employment, yet corporate makes no distinction.  Routinely, we are given a congratulations or a pat on the back, but really what we all need is money!