The CrApple Store

    Unless you've been living under a rock, you know most Apple and non-Apple sites forums and blogs twitted this week about the blog of a former Apple employee. Unfortunately for legal reasons and the danger of putting the jobs of those who have no choice of still working there at risk, our fellow blogger has shut down the site, it is not certain who the current owner is and there's yet no activity.

    But, no need to worry, The iPhone Fever indexed all the funny, sad, vulgar posts and hillarious videos and has restored them to their former "glory"! (btw, did you know Apple forbids the word "the"?).

    So check this tab out for old and new (that's right, I said new!) stories about The CrApple Store and see how the employees at Foxconn in China aren't the only ones suffering. If you plan to work for Apple, or know somebody that might, share these posts with them before it's too late.

The story of the original CrAppleStore.blogspot.com blogger:

   "Chances are you've found your way here because you've googled something like 'working in Apple retail is fucking shit'. I hope so anyway. For those about to leave their soul at home and start work in an Apple Store, read this blog before seriously considering staying more than a month. For those already trapped, enjoy.
   It began with a list of reasons why working for Apple Retail is fucking shit, and just spiraled out of control. I couldn't keep it inside anymore, and so have decided to share the hate with the rest of the world."

There are 3 categories of posts:

• Standard posts - day-to-day with Apple, rants
• NetPromoaner - real stories of other employees
• Apple Retail Stories - a little about jerk customers

Midnight repairs

Here's probably what the Specialists are up to...

    For a start, someone needs to tell some dickhead at Apple that 'same day' repairs and 'within 24 hours' ARE NOT THE SAME FUCKING THING. If you dropped your computer off at lunchtime on a Thursday to be told it will be ready and repaired on the same day, too fucking right you're gonna expect it to be ready on Thursday evening. If Apple can get it ready for you Friday morning, they consider that 'same day'!! It's fucking laughable! What fucking planet are they on. Friday is not Thursday, thus not SAME DAY. Stupid. Cunts.

In order to get these topcases switched over by the next morning, you may find that as a Genius, you need to be repairing until midnight. After a long day of swapping phones, I can say they last thing I wanted to do was start repairing computers. I'd probably spend 2 hours replacing a screen on a unibody white MacBook and give the manager some bullshit story about how "the DFI ribbon-micro cable is really difficult to fit on this model", whist thinking "I'm secretly lolling in your face right now"

Seriously though, who wants to spend their life repairing shit computers until midnight? You're not gonna get in until 1, asleep 'til 2, and if you're on a clopen, then you're fucked mate.

Net Promoaner Part 18

Check out how dread this one is:

"3 years ago, I had been late twice within a 90 day period - which you know means if you're late or call off FOR ANY REASON within the 90 day period for two more times, you're fired. No considerations. I had a miscarriage, and guess what? It counted against me. Even with me bringing in the paperwork. It was humiliating to deal with management and HR not caring, while dealing with the emotional trauma of losing a child. A week later, I was fired as Genius Admin, and given a job as "Phone Concierge." The Admin position was given to a strapping young lad who, obviously, wasn't planning on getting pregnant any time soon.

3 months later, I became pregnant again, and was very ill during my first trimester. Some mornings, I could not get out of bed. They began counting this against me, and had me do FMLA through Matrix, so they legally couldn't fire me. I continued to get comments from the managers about me "dealing with it" and "not letting it get to me." The managers even denied my maternity leave for my last month of pregnancy - until I called HR on them.

Luckily, I was smart enough to let them pay my maternity leave for 5 months after I had my daughter, and I quit and never looked back. Coming from pre-iPhone Apple Retail, I am incredibly disappointed on where the company has gone. Thank you for your blog."

Thanks Jill, and thanks for sharing.

Core Training

As if you'd get that much literature nowdays

    The lies start at Core Training. I should have known when strangers cheered and whooped me as I walked in. They'll tell you things that you will find to be not true, and they'll also miss out things that will quickly rear their prospective ugly heads. Let's start with what you'll be told:

Apple is an amazing place to work.

There are tremendous growth opportunities.

You will be first to touch the products.

---

Here's some things that they won't say:

     In order to make the job permanent, you will need to hit 2 out of 3 attaches. Otherwise you can fuck off. We don't want people that won't help me get my fat bonus.

If you are here wanting to be a Family Room Specialist, you will be a bitch and do all the jobs instore, including being shouted out and called a liar on the Genius Bar, and also teach people who paid to learn from a trainer on subjects you know nothing about.

We will treat you like shit.

Apple Retail Stories: The most ridiculous cases of life enrichment

Jenny has her little story to tell:

"This guy comes (obviously with no appointment, and on a Saturday) with a broken first gen iPod touch. The Concierge/LOF/AQM/bar-bitch points out the HUGE queue of people waiting and explains that unfortunately he cannot be seen today, as all these people have appointments and are waiting ahead of him. Causing a massive scene, the manager skips over to see what all the fuss is about. He complains that the screen has cracked on his 3/4 year old iPod, (the iPod is battered), the battery is terrible, and he can't use Skype to call people. So yep, you've guessed it, manager gives him an iPhone 4. I swear I nearly walked out."


That truly is a disgusting story. But it's OK 'cos he'll go and tell all his friends what a fabulous life enriching time he had at the Apple store! Or will he go home laughing tell other scum that he knows that you can go in and be a prick and walk out with a free iPhone? I just can't decide...