Company: Apple
Date: 2012-07-07
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Confirmed

Great if you're young, single and a Type A personality
Pros: Great company, great products, fun co-workers, usually okay customers, decent pay for retail. Customers can really get to know you, which is good for some people, bad for others. I made lifelong friends while working there. Slight employee discount, which isn't better than the Student Discount they do once a year. It's easy to get caught up in living in the ever present hype of the Apple machine, which can be really fun and exciting. It's also nice to always meet new people every day. It's nice selling products that really live up to their promise.
Cons: Not a family friendly place to work. You're required to work one weekend day, meaning you never get a full weekend with your family, if you have one. The shifts range in start times. Great pay for retail, but in the grand scheme of things, and considering what Apple brings in, it's pretty low for what they expect from you. You're supposed to always be 'on' and be an encyclopedia of Apple knowledge, which is fine. Just know that going in. You're on stage before you even enter the store, in the break rooms, at lunch, and even when you're walking to your car. 

One big deal is that it's a very uncomfortable place to work, physically. It looks like a spaceship, and is about as ergonomic. The chairs for the tables are horrible, and the slate floors are murder for full time shifts. Even the break rooms are cramped, noisy, highly trafficked, and uncomfortable. 

They're also Draconian in their confusing point system for tardiness and absences. It's done in so many great employees. It seems to be MUCH more important than the quality of their staff. They'd rather have mediocre staff with perfect attendance than amazing people who are a little late now and then. Example: you get a point if you're more than three minutes late. You can be let go very easily. So if you live on flex-time, Apple isn't going to work out for you. You're only allowed to Think Different when you're not on the clock. 

There's also very few places to go in the company once you're in, which isn't bad for most people, but it's definitely not a way to go further with Apple beyond their retail structure.