As More Apple Retail Workers Push for Unionization, Some Reflect on the Changing Culture at the Stores ⇥ bloomberg.com

Josh Eidelson, Bloomberg:

Workers say that whereas the focus of an Apple Genius used to be to impress customers with a high level of service, they and other employees are now increasingly pressured to upsell. They’re pushed to prioritize “ownership opportunities,” the company’s euphemism for persuading people to buy new gadgets instead of repairing their old ones. They’re also evaluated based on how many customers pay for an extended warranty through the AppleCare program and how many people they deal with per hour. Some stores email workers’ stats to colleagues or post them on the wall in employee-only areas, with those of lower sellers highlighted in red.

Bloomberg published a similar story three years ago — I linked to it at the time — and several others have reported declining satisfaction with the Apple Store for the past decade. These stories feel like the moves of people in management seeking short-term gains rather than compounding long-term returns on investments. I say good for the employees unionizing and creating standards for themselves and their work.