Company: Apple
Date: 2013-06-17
Overall rating: 5/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

Great company to work for, with very limited upward mobility
Pros: It is a great work environment with a great team. You get to sell incredible products to other people that are passionate about them, and you aren't paid on commission. This allows brutal honesty, and also a high level of trust between sales person and the customer. Apple really emphasizes the customer experience, and wants to treat every customer as if they were in a 5 star hotel.
Cons: The store was always incredibly busy, and frequently understaffed. It was a generally stressful environment, but being that the team was so close, it really wasn't that bad. The worst part about this job is that they force feed you the Apple Kool Aid, which in and of itself I am not opposed to. I love Apple, I love their ideals, and I love their products. However, the unfortunate consequence is that every person there is basically a die hard Apple employee, and many of them believe if you stay long enough you will move high up in the food chain. After 2-3 years, you realize you won't. I had some friends that were around 4-5 years in my store, and they were incredible people...fantastic with customers, knowledgable about every aspect of the business, and constant over performers. However, at some point they realized...wow, there really isn't anywhere to go. Apple frequently hires store managers from other chains (like Gap, Starbucks, Banana Republic), and infrequently promote directly within. It is a great place to work, but there is a VERY large ceiling there that is virtually impossible to break through without leaving and working elsewhere for experience first.