Apple Store tipping, watchOS 10 at WWDC, Google Passkey support

While I tip pretty well overall. I’m not in favor of,tipping in a store. I could see,this leading to tipping everywhere. It’s just too much. As it is, tipping in restaurants has gone overboard. It used to be that a 15% tip was considered to be good. I’ve been tipping 20% for a long time. But now, with the handheld payment machines, like they have in the EU and elsewhere, it starts at 18%, goes to 20, then 23 and even 25%. Whoa!

how do I decide to tip in a store? If I pick a product, and then someone checks me out, do I really have to tip for that? No, that’s not right. Maybe if they helped me extensively, but still… Apple needs to pay these people properly. Maybe take a billion from their 90 billion buyback and give it to store workers. Seriously, they can afford it. And as a shareholder, I would applaud it.

Dooofus said:

Shareholders want a return on their investment.  Why should Apple pay workers any more than they do now? The stores are fully staffed by people working there of their own free will. That means they are already paying the right amount. Any more would be pissing away profit.

I'm as big a capitalist fanboy as anyone, but this is nonsense.

Without speaking to the Apple Store situation, of which I know nothing, just because an employer has employees doesn't mean they are paying "the right amount."  I'm sure if Google (or Apple) capped it's pay at $100K, they would still have no trouble hiring 10s of thousands of human beings. Would they be world-class engineers, etc.? Probably not. And if they were, would they be as content and productive as if they were making a salary commensurate with their skill set? I doubt it.

It is very possible for an employer to be underpaying people and still have employees. Therefore, it can be in the best interest of a company (and its shareholders) to increase employee pay even if all their positions are currently filled. If nothing else, employee turnover is very expensive (as is churn in most contexts).

Here's an extreme example. Suppose the Golden State Warriors (the NBA team closest to Cupertino) decided to not pay any players more than the league minimum. Would they be able to field a team of 15 players?  Absolutely.  There are thousands of former Division 1 hoopsters who would be happy to be professional basketball players, regardless of the salary. Would the owners profit from this move? Probably not.

I think tipping is a bad idea for a number of reasons, not the least of which is - which employee earns the tip? Are they breaking tips out? What about the employee who spends all day with someone to make a sale vs the person who moves through 20 customers? It will lead to problems. One of the best things about the Apple Store experience is that there is no pushy sales stuff. Some employees are going to push for tips and cause issues. And the customer does not benefit. Fight for a higher wage. Not the right to shake down buyers.

Dooofus said:

Shareholders want a return on their investment.  Why should Apple pay workers any more than they do now? The stores are fully staffed by people working there of their own free will. That means they are already paying the right amount. Any more would be pissing away profit.

That’s ridiculous! People get jobs because they need jobs. Even seemingly happy working for Apple, they could easily be underpaid. That’s not right no matter how you think about it. Apple is the worlds richest company. So there’s no excuse.

Dooofus said:

randominternetperson said:

Dooofus said:

Shareholders want a return on their investment.  Why should Apple pay workers any more than they do now? The stores are fully staffed by people working there of their own free will. That means they are already paying the right amount. Any more would be pissing away profit.

I'm as big a capitalist fanboy as anyone, but this is nonsense.

Without speaking to the Apple Store situation, of which I know nothing, just because an employer has employees doesn't mean they are paying "the right amount."  I'm sure if Google (or Apple) capped it's pay at $100K, they would still have no trouble hiring 10s of thousands of human beings. Would they be world-class engineers, etc.? Probably not. And if they were, would they be as content and productive as if they were making a salary commensurate with their skill set? I doubt it.

It is very possible for an employer to be underpaying people and still have employees. Therefore, it can be in the best interest of a company (and its shareholders) to increase employee pay even if all their positions are currently filled. If nothing else, employee turnover is very expensive (as is churn in most contexts).

From a September, 2022 article on Shopify.com:

"Apple generates $5,500 per square foot, and Tiffany & Co.brings in nearly $3,000 per square foot. There is a stark difference in brands from other sectors. Walmart and Target, for example, reportedly generate $400 and $300 per square foot

, respectively."

So yes, they are absolutely doing it right. They don't need smarter or happier employees, and apparently they are also good at managing turnover.

That’s nonsense. Maybe they would generate $6,000 per square foot. And, by the way, the number for Apple used to be even higher. I believe at one point it reached $7,500 per square foot. Apple throws money away. Buying back another $90 billion in shares. They also have around $130 billion in debt to help buy shares back over the years. Do we really need that? No. There wouldn’t be unionization efforts if Apple just did the right thing for their employees.