Anyone Here Work at the Apple Retail Store? - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

FanIn80 · 07-15-2009, 09:15 PM

...or know anyone who works there?

I'm trying to get some information on the "Career Seminar" thing they do there.

KTrain · 07-15-2009, 09:19 PM

A friend went through the process of getting the job when they opened up the store in Market Mall. I guess it was quite the production and ended up taking a couple months of training. That could have been because it was a brand new store though.

He ended up finding another job shortly before the store opened.

Hemi-Cuda · 07-15-2009, 11:50 PM

i HATE the Apple store, i have never been in a more pretentious environment in my life. my first and only experience with this place has been this last week since my iPod Classic bit the dust and it's under warranty. first i drive there figuring i can just have them replace it or swap out the hard drive, but no, they say i have to have an appointment and there is no more room for that day (Monday). seriously, i need an appointment at a retail store just so some lacky can plug my ipod in and say "yep, it's broken"? then to top it off the girl i was talking to gave me her business card with the website to book an appointment at (they don't allow you to book them in store or over the phone), which is fine until i read her "Concierge" title. honeslty Apple, concierge? good lord

so i made the appointment and yesterday drive all the way down there again (from Chestermere, no quick trip) and just as i thought, it took the girl behind the counter all of 30 seconds to plug the thing into her macbook and say "yep, it's broke, let's swap it out". boy, that was so worth making an appointment on a ######edly designed webpage that only lets you book an appointment 1 or 2 days at the most in advance. but wait, no they don't have any in stock, so now i have to drive there AGAIN on Thursday to pick up a new one and wade through that ridiculously crowded store to get to the back counter where some ######bag "Concierge" is giving a "seminar" on how much better Macs are than PC's

sorry for the rant on your thread here, but the timing couldn't be better (or worse, i guess). i've always hated most anything Apple, and after visiting that smug filled store it's turning into a deep loathing, i felt like i was in that South Park episode where everyone was driving Prius's. i wish there was a worthwhile alternative to the iPod, i felt so dirty buying it in the first place but to get the features that i wanted there was nothing else available

burn_this_city · 07-15-2009, 11:55 PM

I hated it too. I went when it first opened and was thoroughly disappointed that i drove across the city for nothing.

FanIn80 · 07-16-2009, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KTrain

A friend went through the process of getting the job when they opened up the store in Market Mall. I guess it was quite the production and ended up taking a couple months of training. That could have been because it was a brand new store though.

He ended up finding another job shortly before the store opened.

Awesome. Thanks for the info. I keep hearing it's quite the ordeal. I've been invited to some kind of a seminar there on Sunday.

nickerjones · 07-16-2009, 08:07 AM

although i do love apple and the apple store , i still have some complaints about the store. When i first bought my latest macbook, i told him i wanted a mac but i needed to have windows for one program i have at work. He went on and on about bootcamp ..... I said and what happens if i have problems etc. The sales guys said "no problem, just bring it in and we will help ya get what you want done." I buy the macbook and then proceed to buy a 200$ copy of windows. It wont install!!! SO i take it to apple and they say they arent allowed to help with anything windows and they really arent even trained on how bootcamp actually works. I started a huge ruckus and said well here is my computer just give me my 2500$ cash back right now .... They ended up taking me in the back and working on the laptop until windows was working right ...

Hemi-Cuda · 07-17-2009, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickerjones

although i do love apple and the apple store , i still have some complaints about the store. When i first bought my latest macbook, i told him i wanted a mac but i needed to have windows for one program i have at work. He went on and on about bootcamp ..... I said and what happens if i have problems etc. The sales guys said "no problem, just bring it in and we will help ya get what you want done." I buy the macbook and then proceed to buy a 200$ copy of windows. It wont install!!! SO i take it to apple and they say they arent allowed to help with anything windows and they really arent even trained on how bootcamp actually works. I started a huge ruckus and said well here is my computer just give me my 2500$ cash back right now .... They ended up taking me in the back and working on the laptop until windows was working right ...

jesus, $2500 for a laptop that's not even built for games. and yet Apple has the gall to try and get the Microsoft value ads pulled, because they're finally an actual alternative to those smarmy Mac vs. PC ads

llama64 · 07-17-2009, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

jesus, $2500 for a laptop that's not even built for games. and yet Apple has the gall to try and get the Microsoft value ads pulled, because they're finally an actual alternative to those smarmy Mac vs. PC ads

My laptop cost me 2200$ and can play games just fine. I think you mean OS X is not "built" for games - but everything I want to play has an OS X version out. Not that you'll care - your loathing for Apple is apparently beyond reason.

Back on subject, I've bought all my Apple products from the Market Mall Apple store. Each time I've gone in, I've known what I wanted before I set foot in the door. Each time I've been given the sales man approach which I delightfully crushed. The people working there are sales staff with a marginal knowledge of how to use Macs and how to answer the basic questions. If you're expecting anything beyond what you'd find in any other technology store, you're going to be disappointed.

llama64 · 07-17-2009, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickerjones

although i do love apple and the apple store , i still have some complaints about the store. When i first bought my latest macbook, i told him i wanted a mac but i needed to have windows for one program i have at work. He went on and on about bootcamp ..... I said and what happens if i have problems etc. The sales guys said "no problem, just bring it in and we will help ya get what you want done." I buy the macbook and then proceed to buy a 200$ copy of windows. It wont install!!! SO i take it to apple and they say they arent allowed to help with anything windows and they really arent even trained on how bootcamp actually works. I started a huge ruckus and said well here is my computer just give me my 2500$ cash back right now .... They ended up taking me in the back and working on the laptop until windows was working right ...

So let me get this right... they told you that you could run Windows (Vista?) in boot camp so you took it home and tried to install it yourself? When you couldn't get it done, you take it back to the Apple store and ask them to install a competitor's product (something beyond the scope of their training) because you couldn't figure it out on your own.

Despite being against their policy, they still took you into the back and got everything working? Sounds to me like they went above and beyond to satisfy a disgruntled customer. Isn't that a good thing?

(off topic - if you want to simply run Windows easily, get a copy of VM Ware Fusion for 90$. Simpler and easier then this boot camp idea, unless you actually want full performance of your hardware - ie games).

Antithesis · 07-17-2009, 08:01 AM

^^ I think the focus of his issue was that they said if there were problems they'd fix it for him by getting Windows working and when he took it in they said no can do. I'd be angry too if a store told me something like that ... but in this specific case a bit suspicious of someone at an Apple store that told me they'd help me install Windows on a MacBook!

nickerjones · 07-17-2009, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antithesis

^^ I think the focus of his issue was that they said if there were problems they'd fix it for him by getting Windows working and when he took it in they said no can do. I'd be angry too if a store told me something like that ... but in this specific case a bit suspicious of someone at an Apple store that told me they'd help me install Windows on a MacBook!

Correct, I was happy they helped me. I was pissed that they told me they would do everything to help me when i was buying it and then when i had to try to get help i had to get irate and threaten a return just to get them to do what they told me they would do.

bomber317 · 07-17-2009, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llama64

So let me get this right... they told you that you could run Windows (Vista?) in boot camp so you took it home and tried to install it yourself? When you couldn't get it done, you take it back to the Apple store and ask them to install a competitor's product (something beyond the scope of their training) because you couldn't figure it out on your own.

Despite being against their policy, they still took you into the back and got everything working? Sounds to me like they went above and beyond to satisfy a disgruntled customer. Isn't that a good thing?

(off topic - if you want to simply run Windows easily, get a copy of VM Ware Fusion for 90$. Simpler and easier then this boot camp idea, unless you actually want full performance of your hardware - ie games).

He went to the store looking and asking for advice hence the bootcamp suggestion by the employee with assurances for aid if he needed. Which he did, and then didn't get until a threat of a return.

Your defense of the apple store is almost as extreme as Hemi-cuda's loathing of apple.

FanIn80 · 07-17-2009, 08:25 AM

Well this has been a lovely thread.

awildermode · 07-17-2009, 08:33 AM

i really want one of those name tags lanyard things that the apple store employee wears.

FanIn80 · 07-17-2009, 08:47 AM

Yes, because we all know how cool the people who work at every other retail store on the planet look in their name tags.

Hey, it's a job.

My personal interest in working there is the other side of Apple. Since I'm going to school to get a degree in programming, why not work part time at the Apple Store and take advantage of internal resources to supliment my education? Things like internal courses and training etc. Who knows... Maybe in 3 years, I'll be able to apply to an internal posting for entry-level programmers in Cupertino.

The point, though, is that I want a relatively brainless job while I'm going to school, but why waste 3 years working somewhere with no benefit to my future? Apple Retail might sound pretentious to some, but sounds pretty smart to me.

llama64 · 07-17-2009, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antithesis

^^ I think the focus of his issue was that they said if there were problems they'd fix it for him by getting Windows working and when he took it in they said no can do. I'd be angry too if a store told me something like that ... but in this specific case a bit suspicious of someone at an Apple store that told me they'd help me install Windows on a MacBook!

Fair enough.

For the record, I'm not defending the Apple store. I've found most of the people in there to be about as helpful as the average Futureshop employee (no offense if you work there - just my experience).

They aren't techies. They are salespeople. Expect to be promised one thing and sold another. This is no different then any other electronics store - so I don't really get why people jump all over it like it's something new.

Hell, I recently wandered in there asking for a screwdriver that could remove the bloody pegs from my Macbook Pro's hard drive (I bought a bigger one at Memory Express). No one in that store had a clue what I was talking about.

So wandered 50 feet to The Source, asked the clerk there if they sold electronic screwdriver sets. She found what I needed in seconds.

I don't defend Apple because I'm a zealot. I challenge preconceived notions that their products can't do things, such as play games. I am typing on a Pro right now and I know full well the capabilities of what my machine can and can't do.

Bertuzzied · 07-17-2009, 09:07 AM

I've been to the apple store at market mall twice to get my wife's iphone fixed. While waiting i figured i'd jump on the net on a macbook they have on display.

WTF is wrong with the apple OS? all i wanted was to browse the internet. It has like 200 icons on the bottom. which one is the web browser?

I haven't really used Vista but windows XP sure kicks the apple os's ass.
and it's llama too.

FanIn80 · 07-17-2009, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

I've been to the apple store at market mall twice to get my wife's iphone fixed. While waiting i figured i'd jump on the net on a macbook they have on display.

WTF is wrong with the apple OS? all i wanted was to browse the internet. It has like 200 icons on the bottom. which one is the web browser?

I haven't really used Vista but windows XP sure kicks the apple os's ass.
and it's llama too.

Huh? The operating system sucks because you don't know what the icon for the web browser looks like?

Bertuzzied · 07-17-2009, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Huh? The operating system sucks because you don't know what the icon for the web browser looks like?

yeah! and where the hell is that calculator button?

FanIn80 · 07-17-2009, 09:18 AM

Oh you're being sarcastic. Whew.