14 DAY TRIAL // People familiar with Apple’s plans have been talking to ifoAppleStore about the Mac maker’s latest retail initiatives, and how substantial changes to the retail employee job titles and duties will be made during the month to follow. The news comes on the heels of another ifo report revealing that staffers will not be differentiated by the color of their T-shirt anymore, while the Mac maker will also be updating the staff with new electronic equipment.
According to ifoAppleStore, the source delivering exclusive information on Apple’s retail establishments, these people say that, “As the new fiscal year begins and the enormously important holiday shopping season approaches, Apple will roll out substantial changes to its retail employee job titles and duties, essentially making a U-turn to the simpler days of 2001 [...] Apple will consolidate three sales floor job positions into a single position that will perform all three job tasks.”
“The company will also add a higher-paid job position on the sales floor to focus on ‘creating owners,’” the report reveals. “The changes are being made to handle the huge amount of traffic that the stores experience, and to improve flexibility for future sales innovations and changes,” the tipsters explain.
As such, the Specialist, Personal Shopping Specialist and Concierge positions will be merged into one. Simply titled “Specialist,” the staffer will be tasked with performing all three jobs, “and may change duties daily as the store’s requirements demand.” Reasons for the change include “flexibility and better service to the customer.”
A new position of Expert will require a person capable of handling a full-time position. The pay will be more attractive than that of the Specialist, but the staffer will be required “exceptional product knowledge, [to] be top performers in creating owners, and should be known in their stores for their leadership in the Red Zone (sales floor).” Described as a career-level opportunity for those with exceptional skills and who appreciate converting visitors into Apple buyers, the position will also align with the Genius and Creative spots.
Positions that will not change under the new plan include the Genius, Creative and Inventory Specialist.
Having scrubbed all of the management titles as well, the Market Manager becomes Market Leader, the Store Manager is changed to Store Leader, the Sr. Assistant Store will be Senior Manager, and the Assistant Manager will simply be dubbed Manager.