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Unless you’re one of those people who actively tries not to own Apple devices, chances are you’ve owned at least one in your lifetime – and that means you’ve probably had to deal with the Apple Store and their employees in some capacity.
We see them at such a vulnerable time, too – our phone or iPad or (heaven forbid) our computer isn’t working and we need them to work a miracle.
So, you might not have had time to think about everything you don’t know about what goes on behind the scenes, but these 11 secrets are pretty darn interesting.
11. They’ll geek out over your vintage device.
Image Credit: Apple Museum
Store employee Eric remembers a “lady who brought in an Apple IIe. I used that in middle school.”
Anything that hasn’t been manufactured in over 5 years is considered “vintage,” and anything that has been discontinued for 7 years or more is considered “obsolete.”
You won’t be able to get parts for those devices, but employees will still check them out and see if they can get them working again.
It’s way more interesting than replacing the screen on yet another iPhone 6.
10. They hate when you forget your password.
Image Credit: Ed Uthman, MD
Not knowing your Apple ID or password will delay them being able to help with your problem, says Ben, an employee from Minnesota.
“People say to you, ‘Figure out my password,’ but if I could figure out your password, what would be the point of having one?'”
There are some things you shouldn’t ever forget, and this is one of them.
9. They’ve seen a lot of naked people.
Image Credit: iStock
If you don’t want things to be seen, don’t leave them on your laptop or phone or tablet, says employee James.
“Sometimes you have to transfer people’s photos and all the pictures show up on the screen as you do it. I’ve seen whatever you can imagine.”
8. The store computers aren’t for personal business.
Image Credit: Georges Seguin
Apparently people think they are, though, according to Eric.
“People would make phone calls or they’d change the wallpapers. They’d have video chats with friends on Skype for two hours. One guy would come in and write music for his so-called album on one of the computers.”
7. It’s not easy to get their job.
Image Credit: Maebmij
Most people get their gigs because of referrals, Ben says.
“The closest way to guarantee an interview is to know someone and be referred by someone. Apple takes those very seriously. They’ll pay employees a referral bonus if they hire someone you refer, like an extra $500 or $1000. If it’s a corporate employee it might be several thousand.”
That’s quite an incentive, wouldn’t you say?
6. They can tell when you’re lying.
Image Credit: iStock
James, who has worked almost every retail job in the store over the course of 5 years, says that “lying is never a good idea at the Apple Store.”
“We know you’re lying, and we have a lot of control to bend the rules to make things work for you, but if we know you’re lying we aren’t going to bend rules.”
Basically, don’t make them touch a toilet phone without warning.
5. Clapping is part of the gig.
Enthusiasm and morale are a big part of the job – new employees are “clapped in,” which means everyone claps when they arrive, and they keep it up for “almost an uncomfortably long time.”
Ben says “it’s a show of support to get new hires excited about the job. And departing employees are ‘clapped out.'”
4. They can be passive-aggressive.
Image Credit: iStock
If you’re a jerk, you’re not going to get the best service they can offer, says Bruce, a specialist at an Indiana store.
“If you act like a huge jerk people will go out of their way to put as many roadblocks as possible in the way. They’ll walk into the back to ‘see what they can do,’ but really they’ll just sit back there and make you wait.”
It might not be professional, but it’s true.
3. Their headquarters has a special moniker.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The Cupertino headquarters is known as the Mothership. Senior staff, creatives, and other execs are flown there for all-expenses-paid training.
2. Most often it’s user error.
Image Credit: Calerusnak
Ben says what we all suspect:
“The vast majority of the time, the biggest problem is user error. They’ve done something wrong, or they don’t know how to use the device.”
It’s what we’ve suspected all along.
1. They won’t correct you.
Image Credit: iStock
If you call it an iWatch or an iTouch, guess what? It’s fine.
No one wants to embarrass a customer, or seem rude. And, like Eric says, “trying to correct it is a fruitless effort.”
I can tell you, 100%, this is not a job I would want.
Have you worked in an Apple Store? Tell us more secrets in the comments!
